Searching for farmland preservation markets: Evidence from the Southeastern U.S.

Farmland preservation is a topic of much discussion in many areas of the United States, but of little action. Only 1.6 million acres of U.S. farmland are permanently protected nationwide, a number not too different from some estimates of annual losses of farmland to development. While a number of studies have estimated the non-market benefits of preserved farmland (cf. Wichelns, D., Kline, J.D., 1993. The impact of parcel characteristics on the cost of development rights. Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 22 (October) 150–158), this study is the first to focus on the potential for a market for farmland preservation. Using primary data collected from farmers and citizens specifically to address this issue, we estimate the supply of and demand for farmland for preservation. Separate models are estimated for both privately and publicly run preservation programs. Demand is estimated under private-voluntary, public-voluntary, and public-mandatory scenarios. The results show that both public and private programs can be successful. The market capable of preserving the most acres is a tax-funded, state-run program which could permanently preserve over 200,000 acres in 5 years.     

The Effect of Farmland Preservation Programs on Farmland Prices

Government agencies in urbanizing areas are increasingly utilizing purchase and transfer of development rights programs to preserve farmland and protect local farm economies. This paper tests the effect of development restrictions imposed by permanent easement sales on farmland sales prices, using Maryland data. We correct for selectivity bias due to the voluntary nature of these programs in estimating hedonic sales equations. Although preserved parcels' actual land values are lower, the effect of the restrictions is not statistically significant. These findings may encourage additional participation in preservation programs or justify reductions in the easement prices paid by agencies.     

基于忠县农户调查的耕地保护经济补偿机制需求分析

研究目的:从意愿角度揭示农户对耕地保护经济补偿机制需求的影响因素,为构建耕地保护经济补偿机制提供建议。研究方法:农户调查法,多项Logistic回归模型分析法。研究结果:农户经济补偿需求意愿存在较大差异;耕地利用比较效益、家庭人口数、家庭年人均纯收入、耕地保护意愿指数、经济补偿期望值、经济发展水平对农户耕地保护经济补偿机制需求影响显著。研究结论:构建重在保障农户权益的经济补偿机制势在必行,必须从补偿区域、补偿对象、补偿运作、补偿来源等方面创新耕地保护经济补偿机制。     

Measuring the effect of farmland preservation on farm profitability

Purchase of development rights (PDR) programs have been created in 27 states to preserve farmland resources. These programs seek to advance several societal objectives, including the protection of farmland from development, retention of rural amenities, and promotion of the economic viability of farming. Using New Jersey farm-level data, this study evaluates whether participation in a state PDR program improves farm profitability. The propensity score matching method is used to correct for selection bias arising from the voluntary nature of these programs. No statistically significant profit differential is found between preserved and observationally equivalent unpreserved farms in our full sample of 4029 farms. When the analysis is replicated across different farm types, we find weak evidence that the profitability of preserved residential lifestyle/retirement farms is lower than that observed for their unpreserved equivalents. In contrast, we find that small farms (<$100,000 in annual sales) operated by individuals for whom farming is a principal occupation earn $414 to $436 more per acre in profit than their observationally equivalent unpreserved counterparts.     

Transfer of development rights,farmland preservation,and economic growth: a case study of Chongqing’s land quotas trading program

The dilemma between preserving farmland and urbanization has attracted many policymakers’ attention. One sound solution that has been practiced in several developed countries is the “transfer of development rights” (TDR). This study examines a specific TDR program in China—the Chongqing Land Quotas Trading program. We use a synthetic control method on the 2001–2014 statistics of 57 prefectures to quantitatively assess the program’s effect on farmland preservation and economic growth. A mixed method, including both satellite image analysis and qualitative interviews, was also used to obtain some intuitive evidence to understand the mechanism of this program. We find that the Chongqing TDR program has substantially reduced the loss of farmland and played a significant role in stimulating economic growth. We argue that the use of TDR might effectively address the farmland preservation and urbanization dilemma in China.     

农地发展权界定、细分与量化研究——以北京市海淀区北部地区为例

研究目的:通过农地发展权的界定、细分和量化的研究,尝试解决中国农地非农化过程中土地增值收益分配和外部性补偿问题。研究方法:理论研究与实例研究相结合。研究结果:农地发展权可以细分为基本发展权、实体发展权和虚拟发展权;在三项权利关系中,基本发展权是基础,实体发展权是主体,虚拟发展权是延伸;基本发展权价值归国家以解决外部性问题,实体发展权价值由国家和农地产权人共享,虚拟发展权价值归被限制开发农地所有者和使用者。研究结论:农地发展权应该界定为国家与农地产权人共享的土地产权,并以海淀区北部地区农地非农化为例,进行了农地发展权量化和分配测算,政府的土地外部性补偿问题得到较好地解决,同时农民得到了较高的土地增值收益。     

Tracking urban sprawl: Using spatial data to inform farmland preservation policy

The development of state farmland preservation policies has primarily relied upon results of the Census of Agriculture that is updated every 5 years by the USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service. Questions about the suitability of the Census of Agriculture center on the measures of total farmland and total cropland as reported by agricultural producers. The reliance on these variables fails to distinguish between conversion to developed uses and other fluctuations in the total availability of farmland. This inability to directly measure farmland conversion to developed uses has been shown to influence state level farmland preservation policies. The policies of Illinois and Indiana highlight the disparate approaches, with Illinois pursuing an intensive policy to protect farmland and Indiana choosing to not address farmland preservation at a state level. In order to assess the suitability of the different approaches to farmland preservation policy it is critical to evaluate the Census of Agriculture data used to justify the policies of Illinois and Indiana.     

LADM-based profile for farmland Tripartite Entitlement System in China

Since the beginning of the 21st century, China has undergone a promotion of industrialisation, urbanisation and agricultural modernisation. This promotion has triggered the mass migration of rural labour forces into cities, leading to the virtual situation of the separation of farmland contract and operation rights. To respond to this issue, the central government proposed a strategy of farmland reform in China. Such reform aims to transform the former ‘Bipartite Entitlement System’ into a ‘Tripartite Entitlement System (TES)’.¹ Land registration provides the means for recognising formalised property rights and regulating the characteristics and transfer of land-related rights. As for farmland registration in China, it serves as a basis to explore effective forms of collective farmland ownership by implementing collective farmland ownership, stabilising farmers’ contract rights and liberalising farmland operation rights. Thus, in this study, on the basis of the farmland tripartite entitlement (hereinafter referred to as ‘FTE’) reform in China, we develop a Land Administration Domain Model (LADM)-based TES model that will serve as the basis of subsequent system development. Specifically, first, we summarise the evolution process of China’s farmland rights system since the foundation of new China. Second, we propose a farmland rights system after the FTE reform. Then, the corresponding TES model is developed based on the LADM standard and some instance-level diagrams for farmland administration activities. The new functionality of the model includes improved structuring of farmland rights and restrictions (and related source documents) and improved expansion of the land information infrastructure to rural areas.     

城乡建设用地市场一体化视角下农地发展权价格研究

在国内外农地发展权已有的研究基础上,从机会成本及资源环境经济学角度对农地发展权价格进行阐述,指出农地发展权价格是农用地变更为建设用地后价值增值的货币表现,是一种增值收益的价格,其源于不同利用方式下土地产出率的差别。采用相应的评估方法,对农地发展权价格进行了量化,并以长沙大河西先导区为例,测算出研究区农地发展权价格为187.61元/m~2。     

农地经营权稳定性对农业生产绩效的影响——基于中介效应模型的分析

研究目的:揭示农地经营权稳定性对于农业生产绩效的影响机理,为相关部门制定提高农业生产绩效的政策安排提供决策参考。研究方法:中介效应分析法、归纳总结法。研究结果:农地经营权的时间持续性对农业生产绩效显著正向作用,作用路径主要是农业生产投资、抵押信贷金额和农地转入规模等;农地经营权的权利保障性对农业生产投资影响并不显著,但提高了转入农户的贷款可得性,进而有助于提高农业生产绩效,同时,也有利于获得规模效应以提高劳动生产率。研究结论:要进一步提高农业生产绩效,必须充分落实农村土地"三权分置"政策,建立农地经营权稳定的长效机制,加强农地经营权权利保障,规范农地流转管理。     

唐山市耕地占用与经济发展关系分析

研究目的:采用改良的脱钩理论对唐山市历年及未来耕地占用与非农GDP之间关系进行分析,指导城市化、工业化过程中的耕地保护问题。研究方法:改良脱钩理论的脱钩指标计算模型和增长经济理论模型,定性与定量相结合。研究结果:(1)唐山市2000—2009年耕地占用与非农GDP呈现出不同的脱钩状态,原因也不尽相同;(2)唐山市未来经济发展中,脱钩指标分别为0.29和0.03,耕地占用压力仍然存在。研究结论:改良后的脱钩指标更加合理且与增长经济学理论相结合,不仅能够真实、准确反映唐山市耕地占用与经济发展的关系,而且有利于认识双保工程,指导耕地保护工作。     

Prioritising land to be preserved for agriculture: A context-specific value tree

In Belgium as in many other countries, agricultural land is under pressure for development of other land uses. This paper presents a method for setting priorities for preservation of land for agriculture. The method is based on a participatory approach through which a value tree is formulated. This results in a list of criteria to define farmland value, which is explicitly linked to the objectives for farmland preservation. The value tree allows the list of criteria to be determined in a structured and consistent way. The participatory process contributes to the development of a shared vision on farmland preservation. The approach also incorporates context specificity, as shown by its application for farmland preservation in Flanders.     

农地依赖性、农地处置方式与市民化意愿的内在关系研究——基于川鄂苏黑四省调研数据

研究目的:深入挖掘农地依赖性、农地处置方式与农村转移劳动力市民化意愿之间的内在关系,以期为农村转移劳动力自由选择市民化提供理论支持。研究方法:结构方程模型。研究结果:农地资源禀赋、农地功能认知、农地产权安全性、农地产权认知及农地流转服务均通过影响农地处置方式间接对农村转移劳动力市民化的决策产生影响,其中农地产权安全性还会直接影响农村转移劳动力市民化的决策;农村转移劳动力市民化过程中更倾向于以农地转出方式处置农地,农地产权认知是影响农村转移劳动力市民化意愿的最重要因素。研究结论:为缓解农地对农村转移劳动力市民化的束缚,政府须加速推进农地"三权分置"政策实施,健全农地流转市场及其配套制度体系,构建有效的农地退出机制并设置农户农地退出门槛。     

试析农地发展权的归属问题

随着社会经济发展对土地需求压力的增加,国家对土地利用的控制进一步增强,这一权利的社会实现和价值体现逐步增强,逐步为各利益主体和社会所认识.近年来,针对我国征地权经常被滥用、大量耕地被非法转为建设用地和被征地农民的合法权益时常被损害的严峻局面,学术界对防止耕地非农化、保护农民合法权益等方面从理论上做了大量的研究,但国内对农地发展权的探讨还处于初级阶段,尤其是对于农地发展权的归属问题,学术界有不同的观点,通过对国内关于农地发展权的归属问题进行归类和理论分析,提出了一些认识.     

共同但有区别责任原则在中国耕地保护中的运用

研究目的:借鉴国际环境法学中的共同但有区别责任原则,探讨此原则在中国耕地保护领域中的运用。研究方法:运用共同但有区别责任原则,结合中国耕地保护的具体实践进行分析。研究结果:耕地保护是全民共同的责任,但由于中国耕地保护外部环境的非均衡性和耕地保护机会成本损失差异决定了耕地保护的责任又必须是有区别的。同时,耕地保护共同但有区别责任是有机联系的统一整体,共同责任是该原则的基础,区别责任是对共同责任的限定,是贯彻该原则的关键。研究结论:为了使共同但有区别责任原则在耕地保护中得到更好地运用,在界定耕地保护共同但有区别责任的范畴基础上,提出了三大保障措施:(1)耕地保护区域的合理划分及其建设管理;(2)以耕地保护为契机,建立区域之间的协作与联动机制;(3)构建耕地保护外部经济效益的补偿机制,保障耕地保护的公平性。     

地方政府耕地保护激励契约设计研究

研究目的:运用委托代理理论探索中央政府与地方政府间耕地保护最优激励契约设计问题,为破解经济发展与耕地保护两难困境提供理论依据。研究方法:基于多任务委托代理模型对地方政府的耕地保护与经济发展任务进行了分析,并对激励契约进行了设计。研究结果:现行激励机制存在诸多缺陷,迫切要求改进。多任务激励成本相互独立下地方政府激励是绝对风险规避度、边际激励成本变化率和可观测变量方差的递减函数;多任务激励成本相互替代时,增强耕地保护激励必须弱化经济发展的激励,而完全替代时不同委托任务的边际收益必须相等。研究结论:完善地方政府激励机制,要积极推进耕地保护绩效与政绩挂钩制,建立耕地保护动态督查制度,促进政绩考核体系绿色化;完善耕地保护经济补偿机制,发挥市场机制的基础性作用。     

农地流转对农业资本深化的实证研究

[目的]现阶段我国农业生产要素配置不合理、资源浪费现象严重、农业部门的整体效益较低。农地流转的过程既是农地资源重新配置与再利用,又是促进农业资本深化的重要方式。通过制定合理有效地农地流转制度来高效配置资本要素,从而实现农业的可持续发展。[方法]基于农地流转的规模效应和配置效应两个维度来分析农地流转对农业资本深化的影响,利用固定效应模型进行多元回归,分别求农地流转对两个核心指标的影响大小。[结果]农地流转对农业资本增密和滞后一期的农业资本配置效率具有正向促进关系。农地流转促进了农业现代化技术的推广与运用,加速了农业生产资料在单位面积土地上的运作效率,农地流转促进了农业资本的持续深化。[结论]加快农地合理规范流转是提高农业资本深化的重要途径。     

美国农地保护方法及其借鉴

研究目的：探讨美国农地保护方法及其对中国的借鉴。研究方法：逻辑分析,对比分析。研究结果：中国现行农地保护政策存在不足。美国农地保护的启示：（1）农地保护目标应包括保证粮食安全、农业产业发展、环境、城乡土地的合理利用,实现数量、质量、生态的综合保护;（2）发挥中央政府、地方政府、农地保护组织和农民的主体作用,促进农地的保护和保持;（3）完善法规调控体系,改革政府参与方式,减少土地套利,完善市场配套设施、引入市场激励机制,根据地区资源和经济发展情况实行差异化方法。研究结论：美国农地保护目标、管理体系及具体方法等对中国有借鉴作用。     

农地权益保障与农业转移人口市民化

研究目的：明晰农地权益对农业转移人口市民化的影响,进而揭示当前全国各地对农业转移人口农地权益保护状况。研究方法：基于Probit模型的实证分析。研究结果：（1）从全国范围来看,农业转移人口的农地权益只得到部分保障;（2）农地权益保障状况存在较大的地区差异,区域经济越发达,农地权益保障越完善;（3）农地权益只得到部分保障对推动农业转移人口向城市迁移起着促进作用,但却对农业转移人口市民化有着显著负面影响。研究结论：农地权益保障是农业转移人口市民化的重要影响因素,农地权益的不充分保障对农业转移人口市民化具有负面影响,而经济越不发达的地区这种影响越显著。     

经营权稳定性、转入规模与农户化肥施用行为——基于转入地的微观实证

目的 论证农地经营权稳定性对农户化肥施用行为的影响,基于产权理论的视角,构建“农地经营权稳定性—转入规模—化肥施用量”的理论分析框架为政府部门制定化肥减量使用的政策安排提供决策参考,以期促进农业绿色高效生产。方法 文章基于2015年对黑龙江、河南、四川及浙江4省1 040户的调查数据,运用中介效应模型揭示农地经营权稳定性对农户化肥施用的影响关系和路径,并尝试引入工具变量来缓解模型内生性问题。结果 （1）农地经营权稳定性总体上显著减少农户的化肥施用量,从不同维度的农地经营权稳定性影响来看,农地流转期限越长和在流转时签订合同均有助于农户减少化肥施用量。（2）农地经营权稳定性对农户化肥施用具有直接效应和间接效应,农地经营权在时间持续和权力保障维度的稳定均会通过扩大土地转入规模从而显著减少农户的化肥施用量。结论 长期稳定的农地经营权和权责明确的流转契约是农户减施化肥的重要因素。政府要积极引导土地较长期限流转,保障时间维度上的持续性;政府要加强土地流转规范管理及培育农户契约意识;政府要积极推进闲散农地流转并因地制宜给予政策优惠。