Drivers of cropland abandonment in mountainous areas: A household decision model on farming scale in Southwest China

Cropland abandonment has emerged as a prevalent phenomenon in the mountainous areas of China. While there is a general understanding that this new trend is driven by the rising opportunity cost of rural labor, rigorous theoretical and empirical analyses are largely absent. This paper first develops a theoretical model to investigate household decisions on farming scale when off-farm labor market is accessible and there is heterogeneity of farmland productivity and distribution. The model is capable of explaining the hidden reasons of cropland abandonment in sloping and agriculturally less-favored locations. The model also unveils the impacts of heterogeneity of household labor on fallow decisions and the efficiency loss due to an imperfect labor market. The model is empirically tested by applying the Probit and Logit estimators to a unique household and land-plot survey dataset which contains 5258 plots of 599 rural households in Chongqing, a provincial level municipality, in Southwest China. The survey shows that more than 30% of the sample plots have been abandoned, mainly since 1992. The econometric results are consistent with our theoretical expectations. This work would help policy-makers and stakeholders to identify areas with a high probability of land abandonment and farming practice which is less sustainable in the mountainous areas.     

Labor migration and the decoupling of the crop-livestock system in a rural mountainous area: Evidence from Chongqing,China

Massive out-migration of rural labor force brings both challenges and opportunities to crop-livestock integrated production system (crop-livestock system) in smallholder economy. Compared with previous researches that have paid major attention to the effect of labor migration on either crop production or livestock husbandry, this study considers the mediating role of crop production in predicting the effect of labor migration on livestock raising. Our econometric estimation based on a 2012 survey of 974 rural households in Chongqing, a mountainous region of China, showed the following. (1) The massive migration of rural labor force had led to significant increase in farmland abandonment and considerable changes in the pattern of livestock raising. (2) The livestock raising number per household began to differentiate, with the livestock system separating from the traditional crop-livestock system and becoming a specialized business. (3) In terms of the pathways through which rural labor migration exerts impact on livestock raising number, though the increased opportunity costs of rural labor greatly reduced farmers’ willingness to raise livestock, the decoupling of the crop-livestock system partly alleviated the declining trend in the livestock raising number because of the availability of household labor force freed from cropping via farmland abandonment. These findings have important policy implications for rural development and agricultural restructuring in mountainous areas of China, and provide references for other developing countries.     

山区农村劳动力转移对农地退耕的影响以武陵山区为例

[目的]农地退耕是土地利用变化的重要组成部分,明晰农地退耕的影响因素可以为山区生态恢复提供新的路径。[方法]文章基于武陵山区180份农户调查数据,采用多元线性回归模型分析影响山区农地退耕的因素,重点分析山区农村劳动力转移对农地退耕的影响。[结果](1)研究区劳动力转移现象明显,85%的农户家庭存在不同程度的劳动力转移,劳动力转移比例达到51.61%,户均转移劳动力数量占家庭总人口的29.90%;(2)研究区农户退耕较为普遍,退耕农户占样本农户的55%,户均退耕面积0.31hm2;(3)非农收入和农业劳动力比例对农户的退耕面积产生了显著的正向影响,同时家庭女性劳动力数量、家庭总人数、承包地面积、种植耕地的总块数、两个地区哑变量——万木乡和丁市镇也显著影响了农户的退耕地面积。[结论]山区农村劳动力转移带来的非农收入增加促进了农户的农地退耕,但是劳动力转移带来的农业劳动力供给减少又降低了农户的退耕地面积,最终两者的作用相互抵消,使得农村劳动力转移对农户的退耕地面积产生了不可确定的影响。     

Patterns and drivers of post-socialist farmland abandonment in Western Ukraine

Farmland abandonment restructures rural landscapes in many regions worldwide in response to gradual industrialization and urbanization. In contrast, the political breakdown in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union triggered rapid and widespread farmland abandonment, but the spatial patterns of abandonment and its drivers are not well understood. Our goal was to map post-socialist farmland abandonment in Western Ukraine using Landsat images from 1986 to 2008, and to identify spatial determinants of abandonment using a combination of best-subsets linear regression models and hierarchical partitioning. Our results suggest that farmland abandonment was widespread in the study region, with abandonment rates of up to 56%. In total, 6600 km² (30%) of the farmland used during socialism was abandoned after 1991. Topography, soil type, and population variables were the most important predictors to explain substantial spatial variation in abandonment rates. However, many of our a priori hypotheses about the direction of variable influence were rejected. Most importantly, abandonment rates were higher in the plains and lower in marginal areas. The growing importance of subsistence farming in the transition period, as well as off-farm income and remittances likely explain these patterns. The breakdown of socialism appears to have resulted in fundamentally different abandonment patterns in the Western Ukraine, where abandonment was a result of the institutional and economic shock, compared to those in Europe's West, where abandonment resulted from long-term socio-economic transformation such as urbanization and industrialization.     

宅基地三权分置的制度需求、实现形式与法律表达

研究目的:通过分析宅基地三权分置的制度需求和实现形式,揭示宅基地三权分置形成的权利结构以及权利的法律性质与法理逻辑。研究方法:法社会学和法经济学相结合的比较研究方法。研究结果:(1)受城镇化和工业化的影响,农户分化为纯农户、兼业户和非农户。纯农户对宅基地有保障性需求,非农户有财产性需求,兼业户两者兼有。宅基地两权分置满足了纯农户和兼业户的保障性需求,三权分置满足了非农户和兼业户的财产性需求。(2)三权分置的实现形式有延伸经营权、分置成员权和分置人役权等模式。延伸经营权模式和分置人役权模式较好地保护了已取得居住权益,分置成员权模式较好地保护了待取得居住权益。(3)宅基地三权分置的法律表达,需要兼顾效率与公平的制度需求,形成逻辑严谨的权利体系。在“所有权—使用权—经营权”框架的基础上,补充构建宅基地居住权和成员权等权利类型。经营权的性质为次用益物权,承担资源经济利用的社会功能;居住权的性质为人役权,承担保障农户已取得居住权益的社会功能;成员权的性质为集体成员分配请求权,承担保障农户待取得居住权益的社会功能。研究结论:宅基地三权分置响应了纯农户、兼业户和非农户在城镇化和工业化背景下对保障和财产的差异化功能需求。在“所有权—使用权—经营权”权利框架的基础上,补充构建宅基地居住权和成员权等权利类型,可以形成逻辑更为严谨的权利体系。     

不同地貌类型农户农业投入质量特征——基于安徽省农户的实证调查

农户作为农业生产投入的微观主体,其农业投入行为对农业和农村经济发展影响重大。以安徽省平原地区和丘陵山区23个县(市、区)的353个农户抽样调查数据,构建农户投入质量模型,分析不同地貌类型的农户农业投入质量。结果表明:①平原地区农户土地投入质量、资本投入质量优于丘陵山区,而劳动力投入质量劣于丘陵山区;②土地投入质量低可能是丘陵山区农户资本投资收益低的原因之一,增加农业基础设施投人是使农业摆脱困境的根本途径;③劳动力投入表现出兼业化、劣质化,应鼓励耕地有序流转,扩大农户耕地经营规模,使耕地集中到种粮专业户手中;④农户农业投入主要是流动资本,固定资本投入较少,农药、化肥投入一直处于上升趋势,其施用已经进入"进退维谷"中。     

Study on the abandonment of sloping farmland in Fengjie County,Three Gorges Reservoir Area,a mountainous area in China

The farmland abandonment phenomenon in mountainous areas is a recent change in relationships between man and land that emerged in China's land-use transition. Revealing spatial distribution characteristics and influence factors of sloping farmland (SF) and abandoned farmland (AF) in mountainous areas is conducive to rational allocation and optimization on local land resources. This paper investigated regional distribution features of SF and AF in the hinterland of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA) using high-resolution remote sensing images, ArcGIS spatial analysis, and statistical methods. The results found that the spatial distribution of SF and AF has an approximate characteristic under different topography, location, or accessibility backgrounds. However, within different spatial coupling relationships between SF and AF, influencing mechanisms of farmland abandonment are significantly different. The diversity of geographical locations reflecting natural and social contexts is an essential reason for this differentiation. Moreover, dominant influencing factors of farmland abandonment in the study area are natural factors such as slope and farmland quality. Socioeconomic factors, including distance to road, peasant income, and labor force proportion, guide the distribution and trend of farmland abandonment to varying degrees. Finally, four modes of farmland abandonment in TGRA have proposed and suggested that the corresponding plans for SF consolidation should be proposed based on fine classification, which is of great significance for farmland utilization and rural revitalization in underdeveloped mountainous areas.     

新一轮集体林改对不同类型农户林业生产投入的影响研究

基于连续跟踪调研获得的9省区18县市1497个样本农户8年的长期平衡面板数据,采用扩展生产函数,分析了集体林产权制度改革主体改革及其配套改革对不同类型农户林业生产投入的影响。结果表明:⑴实施集体林产权制度改革主体改革增加农业兼业户、非农兼业户和非农户单位面积林业劳动力和生产费用投入,但降低了纯农户的林业投入;⑵森林保险对纯农户单位面积林业劳动力和生产费用投入的影响比农业兼业户、非农兼业户和非农户积极;⑶林权抵押贷款对农业兼业户、非农兼业户和非农户林业投入的影响优于纯农户。因此,政策在深入推进的过程中,需因地制宜、因户制宜,最大限度地考虑不同类型农户的利益。     

耕地细碎化对农户家庭兼业化的影响及机制

研究目的：探讨耕地细碎化对农户家庭兼业化的影响及机制,为推动土地适度规模化经营和保障农民收入提供决策参考。研究方法：基于全国农村固定观察点2009—2020年的12期面板数据,采用随机森林模型筛选变量,实证检验了耕地细碎化对农户家庭兼业化程度的影响及机制。研究结果：（1）耕地细碎化显著促进了农户家庭兼业化。经过一系列稳健性检验后,该结论依旧成立。（2）机制检验结果表明,耕地细碎化可以通过提高农业生产成本、降低种植业收入影响农户家庭兼业化程度。（3）异质性分析发现,耕地细碎化对农户家庭兼业化的促进作用在二兼农户、“离农”氛围浓郁以及位于丘陵山区的村庄中更为突出。研究结论：应从推动土地适度规模化经营、促进种植业生产节本增效以及因地制宜保障农户差异化生计需求等方面破解耕地细碎零散、农户分化延缓的问题,从而推动农业现代化发展,保障国家粮食安全。     

农户视角耕地集约利用及驱动机制的内生差异研究

目的 基于农户视角,将家庭生计及耕地规模纳入农户观察,探析农户耕地集约利用模式及驱动机制的内生性差异,为针对性农户耕地集约利用政策优化提供依据。方法 文章运用生产要素能值分析法（Emergy Analysis）对农户耕地利用集约度进行测算和对比,结合ArcGIS标准差椭圆和Pearson相关性分析,系统探究农户耕地利用集约度空间分布及驱动机制的差异性。结果 （1）农户间的耕地利用集约度的结构差异主要表现在化肥、机械和劳动力三方面,耕地面积较小的兼业户（占农户总量的64%）耕地利用集约度较高,耕地面积较大的纯农户耕地利用集约度较低;（2）农户间耕地利用集约度在空间上形成积累性差异,其中纯农户耕地利用集约度的西南—东北方向性显著、高值区呈点状分散,而兼业户耕地利用集约度分布的东—西方向性显著、高值区呈带状集聚,在东—西和南—北方向上成“倒U型”趋势分布;（3）纯农户耕地利用集约度更易受自身属性驱动（文化程度、耕地面积和破碎度等）,而兼业户耕地利用集约度对当地经济（GDP）、地区农业发展（农业产值、区域复种指数）等区域型外部因子更为敏感。结论 农户间耕地利用集约度及其空间分布异质性显著,其驱动机制具有一定隐含差异,农户耕地利用模式的优化需“因户制宜”合理引导。     

Local perceptions about rural abandonment drivers in the Colombian coffee region: Insights from the city of Manizales

One of the most challenging processes in the rural world is the one related to rural abandonment. Rural abandonment has drawn attention worldwide, particularly in Europe and Asia without neglecting the importance in other regional contexts such as Latin America. Even though the literature about rural abandonment drivers is vast, these pieces of literature do not identify the drivers perceived by the people who live in rural areas. Therefore, in this paper, we search for the understanding of the perceived drivers of rural abandonment in the Colombian coffee region. The specific objectives were: (1) to identify socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents; (2) to analyze local attitudes toward the countryside and farming, and (3) to identify perceived factors influencing rural abandonment. We surveyed 320 households in 12 villages around the city of Manizales (Colombia), and we conducted 27 key informant interviews, and three focal groups. Our results show that the rural population faces several socio-economic constraints; however, despite these constraints, most people are willing to remain in the countryside (85%). We discussed the variables affecting these preferences. Furthermore, we found several drivers of rural abandonment perceived by the sampled population, where they highlight the lack of State support and rural education. We concluded that our results help to deepen into the understanding of the contemporary rural dynamics related to countryside abandonment.     

互联网使用对农地转出决策的影响及机制研究——来自CFPS的微观证据

本文利用中国家庭追踪调查数据(CFPS),从家庭层面分析了互联网的使用行为是否会对其农地转出产生影响。研究结果表明,使用互联网会使家庭农地转出的概率显著提高。使用工具变量解决内生性问题,并从农地有偿转出、农地新转出和不同上网方式对农地转出影响三个方面进行稳健性检验后,仍然得到了一致的结论。农户异质性分析表明,户主中高受教育水平和收入处于中高水平的家庭使用互联网对其农地转出的正向影响更为显著。影响机制分析表明,互联网使用主要通过促进非农就业及其稳定性、拓宽信息渠道、增强社会互动三条路径影响农地转出。     

Agri-environment scheme protects diversity of mountain grassland species

Most evaluations of agri-environment policies conducted in Europe have focused on biodiversity improvement effects. Their effectiveness with respect to protecting existing biodiversity has been less investigated. Biodiversity and landscape protection effects can be expected in marginal agricultural areas, where farming has been less intensive.We investigated (i) the effectiveness of the Ecological Compensation Area (ECA) scheme for biodiversity protection according to different evaluation criteria and (ii) how the effectiveness of the scheme was influenced by climate, socio-economic conditions and farming structures. Vegetation surveys were carried out in 18 municipalities across the Swiss Alps on 162 randomly selected meadows managed as ECAs and on 162 conventionally managed meadows. Average species richness of ECA-meadows per municipality ranged between 27 and 46 vascular plant species per 25m² (conventionally managed meadows: 16-35 species per 25 m²). In lower altitude municipalities (mainly fulltime farming) where ECA meadows constituted 20% of farmland, the difference in species richness between the two land-use types was highly significant and the contribution of ECA-meadows to the grassland species pool was highest. In higher altitude municipalities (mainly part-time farming) where ECA meadows constituted at least 40% of farmland, higher species richness was found. This was associated with a strong botanical similarity of ECA and conventionally managed meadows.We conclude that at lower altitudes, where farming is relatively intensive, the ECA scheme protects a few, economically marginal, species rich and botanically complementary sites, important for maintaining the species pool. At higher altitudes the ECA scheme contributes to protecting existing biodiversity at the landscape scale. As it is more efficient to protect than to restore biodiversity, the protection effect of agri-environmental schemes needs to be adequately recognized.     

The dynamics of Chinese rural households' participation in labor markets

The work is devoted to the dynamics of labor market participation of Chinese rural households. Based on a theoretical farm household framework the choice between four distinct labor market participation states is empirically analyzed. Using household data over the period 1995–2002 from the province Zhejiang we apply a discrete time hazard approach to analyze households' labor market participation histories. In particular, we investigate the movements between autarky and participation in general and, more specifically, the shifts between part-time and full-time farming. Estimation results suggest significant duration dependence, more precisely, a decreasing risk of moving from one state to another with an increasing time a household occupies one of these states. Further, the likelihoods of starting any participation in labor markets and to start part-time farming are considerably higher than to end participation or to return to full-time farming. In addition, we find that labor market participation decisions are significantly related to several household and farm characteristics.     

农村耕地抛荒的影响因素及治理研究——基于二次文献调查法

农村耕地抛荒是我国在城镇化发展和经济社会转型时期农村出现的一个普遍而现实的问题。农村耕地的抛荒导致农村耕地的不充分利用和有限耕地资源的极大浪费,虽然我国废除了农业税,并不断延长农村耕地承包期的时间,但农村耕地抛荒现象依然没得到遏制,本文通过二次文献调查法,搜集耕地抛荒相关的论文、报道共计557篇,通过数据整理和编码,分析和探讨当前我国农村地区的耕地抛荒问题。     

退耕还林工程对西部农户收入的影响:对西安周至县南部山区乡镇农户的实证分析

研究目的:分析研究退耕还林工程对西部山区农户收入的影响和作用。研究方法:利用西安交通大学人口与发展研究所2008年4月在周至南部山区的农户生计调查数据,建立统计回归模型,分别采用多元线性和分位数回归分析方法,定量分析退耕还林工程对西部山区农户收入的影响。研究结果:参与退耕还林对农户家庭纯收入有着显著的正向影响,尤其是对于中低收入农户,但参与退耕通过户耕地面积和农业劳动时间变化对中低水平的农户收入也仍有一定的负面作用。研究结论:为巩固退耕工程成果,当地政府应提供信息,提高农户的社会资本,积极发展外出务工等非农生产活动。     

农地使用权流转价格的影响因素分析——来自于农户和区域水平的经验

本文以在江西省、安徽省和江苏省实际调查得到的786户样本农户的数据为基础,通过建立多元有序Logistic模型分析了农地使用权流转价格的影响因素。研究结果表明:户主的耕种意愿、农地平整度、农地地理位置、当地经济发展水平和物价水平显著正向影响农地使用权转出价格;而户主年龄、劳动力务农的机会成本和社保参加状况显著负向影响农地使用权转出价格。农地平整度、流转时间长短和当地经济发展水平显著正向影响农地使用权转入价格;而户主年龄、家庭务农收入所占比重、流转后是否改种其他作物和劳动力务农的机会成本显著负向影响农地使用权转入价格。户主文化程度、家庭务农劳动力数量、农地面积大小、农田基础设施状况、土壤肥力、未来农地政策是否变动则对农地使用权流转价格影响不显著。进一步地,本文利用乡镇层面的有关数据,通过构建空间计量模型分析了不同地区之间农地使用权流转价格的空间分布情况。研究表明,从区域水平来看,农地使用权流转价格在区域之间存在传导性。     

农机社会化服务对农业劳动生产率的影响研究

[目的]农业劳动生产率的提高是中国农业现代化的重要特征,进一步探讨农机社会化服务对农业劳动生产率的作用效果具有现实意义。[方法]文章基于2019年全国13省份玉米种植户调查数据,采用OLS回归模型与倾向得分匹配法,分析了农机社会化服务对农业劳动生产率的影响效应,探讨影响效应在不同地形条件、兼业程度的组群差异,并考察了不同环节农机社会化服务对农业劳动生产率的影响差异。[结果]（1）农机社会化服务正向显著影响农业劳动生产率,采纳农机社会化服务会促使农户农业劳动生产率显著提高18.8%。但农户采纳农机社会化服务的作用效果具有环节异质性。采纳耕整地、播种、灌溉排水和收获环节农机社会化服务会促使农户农业劳动生产率分别显著提高21.2%、17.4%、22.9%和18.3%;(2)而农户采纳植保环节农机社会化服务对农业劳动生产率并不具有显著影响。农户采纳农机社会化服务对劳动生产率的影响效应还存在禀赋差异,平地农户采纳农机社会化服务使其农业劳动生产率显著提高21.9%,而坡地山地农户采纳农机社会化服务对农业劳动生产率没有表现出显著的影响。（3）纯农业户与兼业农户采纳农机社会化服务都会对农业劳动生产率产...     

农地抵押贷款缓解种粮大户正规信贷约束了吗--基于辽宁省434户种粮大户的实证分析

本文基于粮食主产区辽宁省种粮大户的数据,运用Heckman两阶段模型,探究种粮大户信贷约束程度及农地抵押贷款对其影响。研究发现,辽宁省种粮大户的信贷约束程度为70.69%,其中开展农地抵押贷款试点地区种粮大户的信贷约束程度为62.74%,而未开展试点地区信贷约束程度为74.78%。计量结果显示,农地抵押贷款的开展对种粮大户信贷约束程度影响显著,且在其他条件不变的前提下,开展农地抵押贷款地区的种粮大户受到信贷约束的程度要比未开展地区低12.31%。     

Household‐level Impacts of Dairy Cow Ownership in Coastal Kenya

This study uses heteroskedastic Tobit and Censored Least Absolute Deviations models to examine the impacts of dairy cow ownership on selected outcomes for a sample of 184 households in coastal Kenya. The outcomes examined include gross household cash income, gross non‐agricultural income, consumption of dairy products, time allocated to cattle‐related tasks, number of labourers hired and total wage payments to hired labourers. The number of dairy cows owned has a large and statistically significant impact on household cash income; each cow owned increased income by at least 53% of the mean total income of households without dairy cows. Dairy cow ownership also increases consumption of dairy products by 1.0 litre per week, even though most of the increase in milk production is sold. The number of dairy cows has no significant effect on total labour for cattle‐related tasks. However, in contrast to previous studies, labour allocation to cattle by household members decreases and labour requirements for dairy cows are met primarily by an increase in hired labour. Dairy cow ownership results in relatively modest increases in payments to hired labourers and the number of hired labourers employed. The large positive impacts on income and the substitution of hired for household labour in cattle care suggest that intensification of smallholder dairying can be beneficial as a development strategy in the region if disease and feed constraints are addressed.