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Degree of Abandoned Cropland and Socioeconomic Impact Factors in China: Multi-Level Analysis Model Based on the Farmer and District/County Levels

Author

Listed:
  • Chong Jiang

    (Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
    College of Public Administration, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China)

  • Wei Song

    (Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China)

Abstract

At present, abandoned cropland has become a common phenomenon spreading to countries around the world. China has seen widespread abandoned cropland in recent years. However, there are extremely few empirical studies of cropland abandonment and influencing factors nationwide. In this study, survey data from 8071 farmer households in 14 Chinese provinces were used to analyze the degree of cropland abandonment in China and its spatial distribution. A multi-level model was constructed to quantitatively explore the socioeconomic factors affecting the degree of cropland abandonment, at both the farmer and district/county levels. The results show that: (1) the proportion of farmers and the spatial distribution of abandoned cropland are consistent. (2) Chongqing City, Guangdong Province, and Shanxi Province are high-value areas of abandoned cropland, while Shandong, Liaoning, Henan and Jiangsu provinces are low-value areas. (3) Among the differences in cropland abandonment, 68.5% and 31.5% can be explained at the farmer and district/county level, respectively. (4) At the farmer level, all labor and cropland transfer indicators, including land labor quantity per unit area, male agricultural labor ratio, farmers mainly of middle-aged labor, cropland transfer area and cropland subcontract amount, have significant negative effects on the degree of abandoned cropland. There is a significant negative correlation between the value of agricultural operating fixed assets in the agricultural input indicators and the degree of abandoned cropland, but participation in professional, cooperative, economic, agricultural organizations has no significant impact on the degree of abandoned cropland. The per capita disposable income, which represents the quality of life indicator, has a significant positive impact on the degree of abandoned cropland. (5) At the district/county level, the proportion of the total co-working labor force and the transfer rate of cropland are negatively related to the degree of cropland abandonment, and the proportion of the co-working labor force outside the district/county is positively related to the degree of cropland abandonment. In addition, we briefly analyzed the mechanism and process of cropland abandonment from the perspective of farmers’ decision-making. Finally, the policy suggestions to alleviate the abandonment of cropland were put forward from the district/county and farmer level, respectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Chong Jiang & Wei Song, 2021. "Degree of Abandoned Cropland and Socioeconomic Impact Factors in China: Multi-Level Analysis Model Based on the Farmer and District/County Levels," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-25, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2021:i:1:p:8-:d:708082
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alcantara, Camilo & Kuemmerle, Tobias & Baumann, Matthias & Bragina, Eugenia V & Griffiths, Patrick & Hostert, Patrick & Knorn, Jan & Müller, Daniel & Prishchepov, Alexander V & Schierhorn, Florian & , 2013. "Mapping the extent of abandoned farmland in Central and Eastern Europe using MODIS time series satellite data," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 8(3), pages 1-9.
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    1. Guohua Ding & Mingjun Ding & Kun Xie & Jingru Li, 2022. "Driving Mechanisms of Cropland Abandonment from the Perspectives of Household and Topography in the Poyang Lake Region, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-22, June.

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