试论武汉城市圈建设中失地农民社会保障权的实现

武汉城市圈"两型"社会建设的目标是实现社会和谐、有序和可持续地发展。然而,在武汉城市圈建设中也存在一些矛盾和问题,政府对土地的征收和征用,致使社会出现了失地农民这个弱势群体,失地农民的权利被弱化和被漠视的现象严重。该文试图从失地农民的社会保障权角度,论述如何为武汉城市圈"两型"社会建设提供法治保障机制,分析产生的原因及完善的路径选择,以期为失地农民的生存权和发展权的实现有所裨益。     

广东省城镇化进程中失地农民收入问题研究——基于广东省佛山、韶关等6市的调研

在城市化快速发展中,大量农村土地被转化为国有土地,这对农民收入方式与来源造成较大影响。文章在对广东省主要农业县失地农民收入的调查研究基础,利用文献与系统分析法,对广东省失地农民失地前后收入来源与收入额度进行分析,结果表明:失地前农民收入主要以农业经营收入为主,而失地后农民收入来源主要通过就业、土地补偿及社会保障等。从总收入额度来看,失地后农民年总收入额较失地前有了一定提升,但由于受到消费成本增加、进城务工难度大等原因,这种收入存在暂时性与不稳定性。综合分析表明,导致失地农民收入不能增长的主要原因有:农民补偿利益受损、就业受阻、社会保障水平低及就业政策得不到落实等。因此,未来需要通过增加失地补偿、扩展多形式的财产性收入、提高社会保障性收入等方面来促进城镇化进程中失地农民收入的快速稳定增长,以保证他们生活可持续。     

IDENTIFICATION OF FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE THE TECHNICAL INEFFICIENCY OF INDIAN FARMERS

The agricultural production of Indian farmers is investigated using a stochastic frontier production function which incorporates a model for the technical inefficiency effects. Farm-level data from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) are used. Variables considered in the model for the inefficiency effects include the age and level of education of the farmers, farm size and the year of observation. The parameters of the stochastic frontier production function are estimated simultaneously with those involved in the model for the inefficiency effects. This approach differs from the usual practice of predicting farm-level inefficiency effects and then regressing these upon various factors in a second-stage of modelling. The results indicate that the above factors do have a significant influence upon the inefficiency effects of farmers in two of the three villages considered.     

The mixing ratio in the Indonesian dairy industry

The Indonesian dairy industry has been viewed by the Indonesian government as an industry that has the potential to improve the welfare of low income and landless farmers through providing them with an additional source of farm income. As well, the government sees the industry as a vehicle for providing opportunities for employment in rural areas. From an economy wide viewpoint, its development is viewed as a way Indonesia might save foreign exchange since a large share of its dairy requirements have to be imported. A variety of measures have been used to assist the industry. This paper investigates one of the measures, the BUSEP scheme or mixing ratio regulation which requires domestic processors to use Indonesian produced milk before imported milk.     

Farm size and smallholders’ use of intercropping in Northwest China

Intercropping, i.e. the cultivation of crop species mixtures, can potentially reduce pressure on land resources by generating higher yields through exploitation of complementarities between crop species. Although intercropping is practiced on a non-negligible proportion of China’s arable land, little is known about the factors that influence farmers’ decisions to use intercropping. In this study we develop a theoretical framework that distinguishes exogenous factors from endogenous factors in farmers’ activity choices in general and the use of intercropping in particular. We apply this framework in an empirical analysis of socio-economic factors affecting the use of traditional and novel relay intercropping systems, with a special focus on the impact of farm size, using primary data collected among 299 farmers in Gaotai County, northwest China. We find that large farms do no not plant more land with the traditional wheat/maize intercrop as compared to small farms, while land planted with the two novel intercrops is significantly larger on large farms. Availability of machinery has no negative effect on the area under intercropping, and has a significant positive effect on the use of one novel intercrop type. Our results confirm that risk considerations do not play a role in relay intercropping use decisions of Chinese farmers. We conclude that positive yield and natural resource effects of intercropping can still be realized if the ongoing farm scale enlargement policy is combined with a policy promoting novel intercropping types, particularly those types that can make use of already available machinery.     

基于结构方程模型的失地农户可持续生计的影响机理研究——以兰州市安宁区为例

[目的]通过探讨社会资本、人力资本、资金资本、物质资本4种常见生计资本及失地农民因征地补偿所特有的自然资本补偿对失地农户生计可持续性直接影响路径和间接影响途径,以期为其他生计研究及政府决策提供参考。[方法]文章基于甘肃省兰州市安宁区入户调查数据,采用熵值法从失地农户家庭年人均可支配收入、生计多样性、保险覆盖率及家庭劳动力就业率4个角度构建失地农民可持续生计评价体系,并运用结构方程模型中路径分析方法,定量分析生计资本对被失地农户可持续生计影响机理。[结果](1)人力资本、自然资本补偿和资金资本是主要直接驱动因素,对安宁区失地农户生计可持续性存在显著的正向直接影响;(2)物质资本和社会资本主要通过间接路径对可持续生计产生有限的影响;(3)人力资本、自然资本补偿与其他3种生计资本之间存在多种内在影响,最终通过资金资本对生计产生的间接效应。[结论]针对失地农户的可持续生计分析,应使用自然资本补偿替代自然资本,5项生计资本对于该群体生计可持续性影响在程度以及驱动路径上存在显著差异。     

Reducing or creating poverty? Analyzing livelihood impacts of forest carbon projects with evidence from India

Forest carbon projects, in addition to climate mitigation and conservation benefits, are expected to improve local livelihoods and contribute to poverty alleviation across developing countries. Despite substantial investments over last decade, there is limited empirical evidence on the livelihood impacts of these projects especially across different socioeconomic categories.This paper aims to contribute to this knowledge gap through an analysis of the livelihood impacts across small, medium and large categories of participating farmers in a forest carbon project from the state of Haryana in India. Data from 107 households have been analysed to study the impacts in terms of foregone crop, fodder and fuel wood benefits. The analysis suggests that the project has adversely affected the livelihoods of all three categories of farmers. However, small and marginal farmers are the most distressed due to their low incomes, asset base and risk-bearing capacities.It raises critical project design issues such as binding land use, delayed accrual of benefits, static opportunity costs and displacement of existing economic activities, which have serious livelihood and equity implications. Unless these issues are addressed and strong safety nets are provided, forest carbon projects might create more poverty than wellbeing for marginal communities.     

Rural Banking and Landless Labour Households: Institutional Reform and Rural Credit Markets in India

Financial liberalization is a key component of programmes of orthodox structural adjustment. Financial reforms include, among other things, the removal of controls on interest rates and the abolition of programmes of directed credit. Here the effect of financial sector reform on rural banking and rural credit transactions in India is examined, with particular reference to landless labour households. First, the trends in selected indicators of rural banking at the national level over the last 30 years are reviewed. Secondly, longitudinal data for a village in Tamil Nadu are used to examine changes in patterns of indebtedness and credit transactions among landless labour households. It is argued that the exploitation of landless labour households in the credit market has intensified with the introduction of financial reforms. Lastly, the policy envisaged as an alternative to the formal credit sector in the countryside – the establishment of micro–credit projects – is examined critically.     

Obtaining Management Profiles of Ontario Swine Producers Through Cluster Analysis

This paper develops managerial profiles of Ontario Swine Producers for extension use, using mail survey data and cluster analysis. Results indicate that there are four major discriminant variables which can be used to identify different classes of farmers. These management profiles can be used for targeted extension efforts.     

租税制度与土地分配

秦汉以降 ,各朝政府均采田赋与丁银双重课税制度 ,但两税之比重各朝不同。史料显示 ,税收结构中若丁银比重高于田赋 ,则小土地所有人与无产农户受歧视 ,土地兼从并容易发生 ,土地分配趋于恶化。反之亦然     

How has microcredit supported agriculture? Evidence using panel data from Bangladesh

Improving agricultural productivity has received a greater attention in recent years amid concerns about rising food insecurity, population pressures, and climate change. Many believe that better access to institutional credit, spanning microcredit as well as commercial and agricultural banks, can help rural households smooth risks, and access inputs and other technology to modernize agriculture and improve farm/nonfarm linkages. We use recently augmented household panel data spanning over 20 years in Bangladesh to examine the effects of rural credit expansion (both microcredit and formal bank channels) on outcomes for agricultural households. We find that microcredit has benefited households with lower landownings, raising agricultural income from activities such as livestock rearing that require less land, as well as nonfarm income diversification for all households, but with the strongest effect for landless or near‐landless households. We do not find effects of microcredit on crop income, but do, however, find that reported supply‐side credit constraints significantly lower crop income. Borrowing by both men and women has contributed to nonfarm income growth for marginal farmers, but only men's borrowing has contributed to nonfarm income growth among higher landowning groups.     

The Impact of Industrial Investments on Land Use and Smallholder Farmers’ Livelihoods in Ethiopia

This study analyzes industrialization-induced agricultural land conversion (ALC) and its impact on land use change, food crop production, and the livelihood of smallholder farmers in peri-urban Gelan and Dukem, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. The study was carried out using a mixed method approach, i.e., qualitative and quantitative methods. Data were collected through various methods, e.g., household survey, expert interview, field observation, and focus group discussions method. Furthermore, a total of 223 interviews with farmers were conducted in Gelan and Dukem. Results show that large-scale industrial investments in the case study area led to substantial land use change, an appropriation of agricultural land, and an increase in the number of landless farmers, as well as farmers with small farmland holding sizes of less than one hectare. At the same time, the total crop production in the area decreased. The ‘development pace’ of the investments is often very slow. Only 28% and 37% of the licensed projects in Gelan and Dukem had entered their operational phases by the end of 2014, respectively. The study concludes that if the incomes of smallholder farmers are not enough to meet the needs of their families, they will need to create some income alternatives. Thus, considering the population growth and limited farmland, it is necessary to support various income-generating activities in order to improve farmers’ livelihoods rather than depending entirely on low productive methods such as traditional agricultural activities and non-mechanized production tools. It is worth mentioning that the results of this study will enhance the positive impacts of ALC and minimize the negative ones through land use planning and management tools. Furthermore, the main findings allow us to specify the gaps in access, utilization, and coverage due to wrong policy priority and institutional and technological variables.     

The impacts of information on returns from farming: evidence from a nationally representative farm survey in India

Using a nationally representative sample of farm households from India, this paper examines the impact of use of information on net farm incomes. Employing methodologies that mitigate potential biases in the estimation of the impact, the empirical results show that farmers who use information realize over 12% higher net returns per hectare. The paper also establishes a pecking order in access to information. Small farmers and those at the bottom of social hierarchy (based on caste) have access to fewer information sources, and they depend more on informal social networks and input dealers for their information needs. The larger farmers and those from upper caste rely relatively more on sources such as radio, television and newspaper.     

广东农村无地人口现状与获地途径研究

在落实了土地承包期30年不变的背景下,通过对广东省内传统的村庄、农户采取入户访谈的方式,就有关无地人口生产状态方面的问题进行调查后发现,在广东省内传统的农村地区,国家土地政策和各村是否严格执行国家土地政策对无地人口的数量有重要的影响,不断增加的无地人口对土地调整有影响,对土地转入没有直接影响却在一定程度上限制了农地转出,农村无地人口通过家庭继承的方式获取土地更普遍。     

COMPARATIVE EFFICIENCY OF RICE FARMS IN CENTRAL LUZON,THE PHILIPPINES

The purpose of this paper is to estimate a bias-free agricultural production function with a view to examining efficiency differences among small rice farmers. Simultaneous equation bias is avoided if we assume that farmers maximise expected profits; specification bias, which commonly occurs when a management input is omitted from such functions, is circumvented by introducing farm-specific dummy variables into a combined cross-sectional and time-series data set. Applying this model to data for 32 Philippine rice farms between 1970 and 1979, rather small production-elasticities are obtained for the conventional inputs and an efficiency ranking of the farms is presented. Second stage analysis shows that differences in soil type, land tenure, education and access to credit are important factors explaining these efficiency differences.     

Multinationals vs. Cooperatives: The Income and Efficiency Effects of Supply Chain Governance in India

The impact of multinational firms on the domestic agricultural sector in developing countries is controversial, in particular in India. Relying on a unique set of household‐level data from the state of Punjab, we study the biggest dairy company in the world (Nestlé) in India and compare its vertical spillover effects on upstream suppliers to other market channels (informal sector and cooperatives). We find that farmers that supply informal channels are less efficient and earn lower profits per dairy animal than farmers supplying the cooperative and the multinational sector. Furthermore, we find that farmers using the multinational channel are more efficient than farmers in the cooperative channel, but equally profitable. Hence, we do not find that supplying the cooperative channel is more beneficial for local dairy farmers than supplying the multinational channel. Overall, however, dairy productivity and profitability levels are still dramatically low, with substantial scope for dairy development.     

The impact of social networks on hybrid seed adoption in India

This article adds to the literature about the impact of social networks on the adoption of modern seed technologies among smallholder farmers in developing countries. The analysis centers on the adoption of hybrid wheat and hybrid pearl millet in India. In the local context, both crops are cultivated mainly on a subsistence basis, and they provide examples of hybrid technologies at very different diffusion stages: while hybrid wheat was commercialized in India only in 2001, hybrid pearl millet was launched in 1965. The analysis is based on surveys of wheat and millet farmers in the state of Maharashtra. Comprehensive data on farmer characteristics and social interactions allow for identifying individual networks, thereby improving upon previous research approaches that employed village-level variables as proxies for network effects. Using econometric models, we find that individual social networks play an important role for technology adoption decisions. While village-level variables may be used as suitable proxies at later diffusion stages, they tend to underestimate the role of individual networks during early phases of adoption.     

Oil Palm Expansion among Smallholder Farmers in Sumatra,Indonesia

Many tropical regions are experiencing a rapid growth of oil palm cultivation. In Indonesia, the world's leading palm oil producer, in addition to large companies, smallholder farmers are increasingly engaged in the oil palm sector. Smallholder oil palm cultivation may contribute to income gains and socio‐economic development. However, land‐use decisions by smallholders are not well understood. Without appropriate policies, negative social and environmental consequences can also occur. To improve the knowledge base, we use data about present and past land‐use decisions from a survey of farm households in Sumatra. Employing duration models, we analyse the determinants and dynamics of oil palm adoption among smallholders. We find that independently operating farmers are currently driving growth rates in the oil palm sector. Smallholder adoption decisions are mainly attributable to regional and village level factors. While the current adoption primarily occurs outside of contracts, previous contractual ties between companies and other farmers in the same village play an important role for individual decisions. Beyond initial adoption, we also analyse later expansion decisions. While expanding the oil palm area subsequent to initial adoption is common among all types of adopters, those without previous contracts are found to expand significantly faster. We conclude that the concessions the government has allocated to palm oil companies in the past have initiated oil palm adoption in the small farm sector, but that the ensuing land‐use dynamics are mostly beyond government control. Some wider implications are discussed.     

Modern variety adoption and risk management in drought prone areas: insights from the sorghum farmers of eastern Ethiopia

Adoption rates of improved or modern varieties (MV) of sorghum in eastern Ethiopia are generally low. Although these MV may represent an effective means of coping with droughts, given their early maturing traits, landraces could prove to be more drought‐tolerant and better adapted to marginal production conditions. Whether MV adoption is a risk reducing technology is very much an empirical question which this article investigates using a unique dataset from eastern Ethiopia in a year of extreme weather conditions. Results show that risk‐factors coupled with access to markets and social capital drive farmers’ decisions to adopt MVs. On the one hand, it appears that farmers use MVs to mitigate moderate risks. On the other hand, farmers who have been most vulnerable to extreme weather events are less likely to use MVs suggesting that MV adoption does not necessarily represent an effective means of coping with drought. Finally, findings show that MV growers are more likely to be affected by sorghum failure once controlling for exogenous production factors.