Rental markets for cultivated land and agricultural investments in China

The purpose of this paper is to empirically track the progress and consequences of the emergence of cultivated land markets in China since 2000. We draw on a set of nationwide, household‐level panel data (for 2000 and 2008) and find that the markets for cultivated land rental have emerged robustly. According to our data, 19 of China's cultivated land was rented in farm operators in 2008. We also find that the nature of China's cultivated land rental contracts has become more formal and lengthened the period of time that the tenant is able to cultivate the rented‐in plots. While there may be benefits for lessors and tenants, our data show that there are falling rates of investment in organic manure. The farmers in our sample have reduced organic manure use from 13 tons/ha in 2000 to 5 tons/ha in 2008. Part of this fall is due to the rise of cultivated land rental markets. The analysis, however, does not find that improved property rights in cultivated land rental affect investment largely because property rights have largely been established by 2000, the first year of our sample. Our results, however, also show that there are forces that appear to be mitigating the negative consequences of rising cultivated land rental. After holding constant initial rental rates and other factors, we find that the gap between investment in organic manure in own land and rented‐in land is narrowing. One interpretation of our findings is that if policymakers can find ways to even further strengthen the rights of lessors and tenants as well as lengthen contract periods, farmers—even those that rent—will invest more in their land, because they will be able to capture the returns to their investments.     

近20年湖南省耕地变化及可持续利用研究

湖南省是全国的农业大省之一,选用GDP增长率、人口增长率和耕地面积减少率为主要分析指标,探讨了湖南省近20年来,经济、人口与耕地面积之间的关系:耕地减少的发生时间与经济发展的增长基本同步;针对耕地面临的一些问题提出了实现可持续利用的对策建议。     

Cultivated land conversion and potential agricultural productivity in China

In China there is a growing debate on the role of cultivated land conversion on food security. This paper uses satellite images to examine the changes of the area of cultivated land and its potential agricultural productivity in China. We find that between 1986 and 2000 China recorded a net increase of cultivated land (+1.9%), which almost offset the decrease in average potential productivity, or bioproductivity (−2.2%). Therefore, we conclude that conversion of cultivated land has not hurt China's national food security. We also argue that more recent change in cultivated area likely has had little adverse effect on food security.     

对西部开发中耕地保护的思考

通过对西部耕地资源现状分析,指出了西部开发中耕地保护的紧迫性,阐述了耕地保护在大开发中的意义。分析了耕地保护所面临的制约性因素。提出了西部耕地保护中应协调的几个关系。     

改革开放三十年来我国渔业的发展与思考

自1978年改革开放30年来,我国渔业发生了历史性巨变,取得了举世瞩目的成就:水产品产量快速增长;品种琳琅满目,质量稳步提高;水产品购销两旺,市场繁荣;国际化程度显著提高;产业功能大为拓展;在国民经济中的地位和作用日益障显.30年来,我国水产业取得如此举世瞩目的成就,主要得益于改革开放以来制定和实施的一系列正确的方针政策,得益于渔业产业结构的战略性调整和综合生产能力的提高,得益于技术进步和产业层次的提升,得益于渔业生产力的解放和广大渔业工作者的创新与创业.     

广西耕地质量年度监测评价方法探讨

做好耕地质量监测工作,对摸清耕地质量变化情况,实现耕地保护和粮食安全具有重要意义。广西于2015年首次开展了耕地质量年度监测工作,文章在广西已有监测工作的基础上,详细论述了耕地质量监测工作的技术流程和方法,并就需要完善的地方进行了探讨和建议,以期为进一步完善、优化广西耕地质量监测评价方法提供参考。     

Key issues of land use in China and implications for policy making

The paper aims to comprehensively analyze key issues of current land use in China. It identifies the major land-use problems when China is undergoing rapid urbanization. Then, the paper interprets and assesses the related land-use policies: requisition-compensation balance of arable land, increasing vs. decreasing balance of urban-rural built land, reserved land system within land requisition, rural land consolidation and economical and intensive land use. The paper finds that current policies are targeting specific problems while being implemented in parallel. There is lacking a framework that incorporates all the policies. The paper finally indicates the current land-use challenges and proposes strategic land-use policy system to guide sustainable land use in the future.     

我国城市用地扩展与土地集约利用

分析了我国城市用地增长弹性系数和城市用地扩展幂指数规律,发现土地利用效益偏低、扩张速度偏快是目前我国城市用地扩展的主要特征;分析了城市用地扩展的主要驱动力,发现固定资产投资和人口增长是城市扩展的主要动力,而第三产业发展有助于抑制城市用地扩张;认为城市扩展是我国现阶段经济发展的必然结果,但我国城市土地利用应变外廷扩展为外延扩展和内涵挖潜相结合的利用方式,提高土地利用的集约度与综合效益.     

Cultivated land productivity potential improvement in land consolidation schemes in Shenyang,China: assessment and policy implications

Cultivated land productivity potential improvement (CLPPI) assessment is the fundamental basis to launch land consolidation, which is one of the most important way to increase the grain productive capacity. Previous studies on CLPPI assessment have focused on factors related to natural conditions of cultivated land, but they ignored the impacts of utilization conditions, including plot characteristics and agricultural infrastructure, which account for substantial CLPPI from land consolidation. Based on the crop-growth model and Agro-ecological Zoning (AEZ) methodology, this paper proposed a modified CLPPI assessment model to estimate the improvement of land productivity potential via land consolidation. Meanwhile, the contribute rates of different factors involved in determining the CLPPI were also analysed to reveal the ideal work focus and policy direction for land consolidation. Results showed that the calculated CLPPI values had obvious spatial variety in Shenyang, of which the average was 326.18. For the consolidation case, total crop production in Shenyang could be increased by as much as 149.89 × 107 kg, 20% of the current yield. CLPPI is the comprehensive outcome of both natural and utilization qualities of land use, and the current productivity potential of cultivated land in Shenyang relied much less on natural conditions such as soil than on utilization conditions such as agricultural infrastructure. In addition, medium-productivity lands were most appropriate target areas for the implication of land consolidation projects. Actually, the arrangement of land consolidation projects should not only consider CLPPI as in the past, but also add the theoretical productivity potential into consideration. Moreover, the realization of estimated CLPPI also calls for active changes of the whole land management system. An integrated institution for the full implementation of land consolidation, proper regulations and laws on the follow-up protection of cultivated land productivity potential, economic policies to stimulate the willingness of farmers, and a transfer mechanism for cultivated land are all needed policy changes.     

Rural land system reforms in China: History,issues, measures and prospects

Land system reform (LSR) helps to protect farmers' rights and interests and national food security. China is a country dominated by agriculture but insufficient arable land resources. The contradiction between man and land is prominent. To alleviate the man-land contradiction, the Chinese government has carried out a series of LSRs, especially in the past half century. Extensive and in-depth studies have been done on the process and stage characteristics of China's LSRs, but the systematic analysis on the necessity, problems and key measures to deepen the land system reform is still insufficient. Based on a systematic review of the history of the evolution of China's LSRs, this study firstly analyzed the key issues and new challenges existing in or arising from China's land system, then put forward the necessity of deepening the reform of land system, and discussed specific measures taken to deepen the reform of land system in China at present and finally pointed out the future LSR’s direction. The results show that China's rural LSR has gone through five stages in general since 1949. The key problems existing or arising from the current land system in China include unclear subject of land property right, serious inefficient utilization of land resources, rapid farmland conversion and conflict between farmers’ interests and land system. The dual land system in urban and rural areas has severely restricted the integration of social and economic development in this country. The Chinese government is actively promoting the reforms of rural agricultural land, collective operating construction land and homestead to further remove the dual institutional barriers that hinder the establishment of an integrated land trading market. The vision is good, but there is still a long way to go for China's LSR. The direction of China's rural LSR is to make the property rights relationship clearer, the farmland rights more complete, the transfer transactions more market-oriented and the property rights’ protection more equal. Deepening the rural LSRs is helpful to improve the efficiency of land resource utilization, safeguard the rights and interests of farmers, promote the coordination of human-land relationship, and inject new vitality and momentum into rural revitalization. Cooperative promotion of land resource capitalization reform and household registration system reform is the key area of land system reform in China in the future.     

The effect of land use regulations on farmland protection and non‐agricultural land conversions in China

This paper examines the effect of the Prime Farmland Protection Regulation in protecting high quality farmland from urban development and the subsequent effect on non‐farmland conversion in China in the first decade after the Regulation came into effect (1995‐2005). The empirical evaluation is conducted with geo‐referenced panel data for the entire country. Results indicate that the rate of farmland conversion was reduced during 1995‐2000. About two‐fifths of the reduction results from the protection of farmland with high grain productivity. There is no evidence of the effectiveness of the Regulation in protecting farmland during the period 2000–2005, regardless of land quantity or quality. Farmland development was accompanied by a reduction in forests and grasslands during the period from 1995 through to 2005.     

赣州耕地利用变化人文驱动分析

根据赣州1990～2005年耕地、经济、文化等统计数据及土地利用调查数据,借助统计分析软件SPSS、DPS,运用主成分分析方法,研究了赣州1990～2005年耕地资源数量变化及驱动因素。研究表明,1990～2005年赣州耕地的数量持续减少,其中2001～2004年耕地的数量减少极为显著,且以旱地减少居多;赣州耕地变化的主要人文驱动因素是社会经济水平、科技水平和农业内部结构调整。     

中国耕地流失的政策-经济驱动力分析

讨论了不同时期我国的土地政策及耕地面积变化,研究了影响我国耕地过度流失的政策和经济因素,分析了耕地流失的政策—经济驱动力;认为乱占滥用耕地现象是从1979年以后改革开放经济持续高增长,确立土地使用权出让制度以后出现的,在土地使用权和土地所有权分离的情况下,耕地转变为城市建设用地可以产生巨大的经济效益,地方政府和相关部门从出让城市建设用地使用权中可以直接受益,开发商占用耕地所付出的费用低于占用同样面积已有城市建设用地的费用,使开发商不愿提高已有建设用地的使用效率,希望占用更多的耕地;针对这些耕地流失的政策—经济驱动因素,提出了从源头上防止耕地过度流失的途径与措施。     

The evolving concepts of land administration in China: Cultivated land protection perspective

This paper presents a holistic method by integrating three concepts (land resources management, assets supervision and political governance for sustainability) for investigation of land administration in China, taking into consideration of cultivated land protection for a testimony with econometric method. Theoretically, in this self-organizing integrated method, land resources management focuses on the productivity of land; land assets supervision centralizes on the realization of land usufruct rights in land transference; land political governance for sustainability concentrates on harmonious linkage of economic efficiency, social stability and environmental safety of land use. Their interrelations are complex. Methodologically, the results indicate that the theoretical model is feasible to explain variations of cultivated land protection with these three concepts. Cultivated land decreases with increasing land value increment multiples, and is positive with political governance concept, but not in a linear fashion. Finally the results suggest that roles of government in land administration need to be changed and strengthened, supporting complete compensation for land expropriation and modification to policies of cultivated land.     

Accumulation by and without dispossession: Rural land use,land expropriation,and livelihood implications in China

Land expropriation and peasant resistance in China have been widely noted, but the many cases in which peasants consent to give up land have drawn less attention. This paper conceptualizes and examines an alternative development practice: accumulation without dispossession (AWD), a concept first developed by Gillian Hart and Giovanni Arrighi. AWD may arise if accumulation takes place without (completely) depriving rural producers of the right to assets and benefits. The paper examines multiple forms of AWD and makes two main arguments. First, land expropriation does not necessarily lead to dispossession if peasants are compensated with valuable flats, commercial venues, and/or secure jobs. Due to its positive effects on social equality and livelihood security, AWD may offer an alternative vision in the era of neoliberal dispossession. Second, the outcome of land expropriation in China has varied substantially across space and time. In general, there has been a shift away from AWD in the 1980s following the neoliberal reform in the 1990s, but in the recent decade, there has been some movement back towards AWD due to peasant protests, though only to a limited degree. Nevertheless, the majority of peasants losing land have not received compensation sufficient to sustain a secure livelihood.     

长江三角洲耕地资源态势与可持续利用

长江三角洲是我国经济最发达的地区之一,但随着经济的高速发展,耕地资源锐减,人地矛盾愈加突出,制约了经济的发展;分析了该区耕地资源的现状,提出了可持续利用对策,包括做好土地利用规划,加大土地执法力度;改造中低产田,合理开发利用土地后备资源;进一步调整农业产业结构,改善土地生态环境;加快城镇化建设步伐,提高土地利用效率;加强土地整理工作,保持耕地总量的动态平衡等。     

广东省56年来耕地变化及因子分析

采用广东省56年来的耕地统计数据,对建国以来广东省耕地数量变化的趋势进行了分析,指出耕地数量的变化呈现出逐年减少的趋势;采用近30年来的社会经济统计数据,应用主成分分析方法定量地分析了影响耕地变化的因子,得出经济因素、农业生产力因素是引起耕地变化最主要的因子.     

泉州市土地利用／土地覆盖变化的时空特征研究

采集了泉州市的统计数据,以行政区划权属内的县(市、区)为分析单元,分析了土地利用/土地覆盖的时间演变化趋势和空间变化差异特征;研究表明,泉州市2001-2006年工业化快速推进、区域经济高速增长期间,土地利用/土地覆盖数量变化的速度高于国内平均水平,其中.交通用地与居民点及工矿用地两类土地的增长幅度最大,达6.35%和3.06%;市辖区鲤城、洛江、泉港和晋江、南安区市明显快于德化、安溪、永春西部山区3县和其他区市;泉州市土地利用/土地覆盖变化的总体特征与区域经济发展、产业布局及其工业化、城市化演变的特征十分吻合.     

湘乡市土地利用空间格局分析

根据景观生态学原理,以湘乡市2005年土地利用数据库作为主要信息源,在MapGIS的支持下,从分析湘乡市土地利用现状入手,引入土地数量结构分析中的多样化分析、集中程度分析、区域组合类型分析和区住意义分析,景观格局分析指数中的多样性指数、均匀度指数、优势度指数、破碎度指数,结合土地利用程度指数对湘乡市的土地利用空间格局进行分析。结果表明。湘乡市景观格局总体呈现多样性程度、优势度较高,整个区域景观比较完整,无明显的破碎化现象等特征,但斑块形状较复杂,景观生态系统较不稳定。     

Technology,market policies and institutional reform for sustainable land use in southern Mali

To identify appropriate interventions that support sustainable land use; a farm household modelling approach is applied to analyze micro-economic supply reactions to various policy measures. The modelling framework links agro-technical and economic data, and takes both production and consumption decisions into account, allowing land use and production technology adjustments in accordance with farm household objectives. Different types of farm households are distinguished on the basis of their resource endowments, savings coefficients and time discount rate. Actual and alternative (sustainable) cropping and livestock activities for different weather regimes are defined for southern Mali. The effects on sustainable land use and expected farm household welfare of adopting alternative technologies and modifying prices, transaction costs, access to credit and land taxes are demonstrated. Even with full information on sustainable technologies, strong policy interventions are required to halt soil degradation. Structural policies proved to be more effective than price policies to reduce soil degradation while maintaining positive income effects. When prices are determined endogenously, structural policy loses some effectiveness as an incentive for sustainable land use due to the effect of additional supply on local cereal and meat Prices.