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Could the Sloping Land Conversion Program Promote Farmers’ Income in Rocky Desertification Areas?—Evidence from China

Author

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  • Rong Zhao

    (Research Institute of Forestry Policy and Information, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China)

  • Tianyu Jia

    (Research Institute of Forestry Policy and Information, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China)

  • He Li

    (Research Institute of Forestry Policy and Information, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China)

Abstract

The Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP) is a significant measure to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the United Nations in 2015. SLCP plays an important role in poverty alleviation and income increase for farmers in poor areas. The purpose of this study is to analyze whether the income of farmers has increased after participating in SLCP, and whether SLCP has released the agricultural labor force to obtain non-agricultural income by participating in non-agricultural work. Based on the field investigation in Luocheng County and Longsheng County of Guangxi, Libo County, and Dushan county of Guizhou, this paper uses the method of propensity score matching (PSM) to explore the impact of SLCP on the income of farmers in rocky desertification areas. According to our research, it is found that: (1) SLCP has a positive effect of 5.2% on the average annual net income of farmers, a positive effect of 43.2% on agricultural income, and a negative effect of 9.8% on non-agricultural income, but all of the effects are insignificant. Selective deviation will overestimate the impact of SLCP on farmers’ total income and agricultural income and underestimate the impact on non-agricultural income. SLCP failed to promote the transformation of farmers into secondary and tertiary industries. The mechanism of SLCP to increase farmers’ income is complex. (2) Farmers’ participation in SLCP is influenced by work experience and education level in human capital, participation in skills training in social capital, and owning durable consumer goods in physical capital. Although SLCP will promote economic development under the condition of improving the ecological environment in the future, it is not advisable to exchange farmers’ livelihood for ecological construction at present. The implementation of SLCP should consider not only the overall ecological benefits, but also the short-term social and economic benefits.

Suggested Citation

  • Rong Zhao & Tianyu Jia & He Li, 2023. "Could the Sloping Land Conversion Program Promote Farmers’ Income in Rocky Desertification Areas?—Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-15, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:12:p:9295-:d:1166801
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Li, Lingchao & Liu, Can & Liu, Jinlong & Cheng, Baodong, 2021. "Has the Sloping Land Conversion Program in China impacted the income and employment of rural households?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    2. Jiahao Zhai & Chiwei Xiao & Zhiming Feng & Ying Liu, 2022. "Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Land-Use Changes and Conflicts between Cropland and Forest in the Mekong River Basin during 1990–2020," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-17, June.
    3. Rong Zhao & Xiaolu Qiu & Shaozhi Chen, 2021. "Empirical Study on the Effects of Technology Training on the Forest-Related Income of Rural Poverty-Stricken Households—Based on the PSM Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-12, June.
    4. Fengqiang Wu & Caijian Mo & Xiaojun Dai & Hongmei Li, 2022. "Spatial Analysis of Cultivated Land Productivity, Site Condition and Cultivated Land Health at County Scale," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-20, September.
    5. Kelly, Peter & Huo, Xuexi, 2013. "Land Retirement and Nonfarm Labor Market Participation: An Analysis of China’s Sloping Land Conversion Program," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 156-169.
    6. Qu, Mei & Liu, Guangzhe & Lin, Yin & Driedger, Erika & Peter, Zsuzsanna & Xu, Xiaoqian & Cao, Yang, 2017. "Experts’ perceptions of the sloping land conversion program in the Loess Plateau, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 204-210.
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    1. Luqian Li & Xiaobo Hua & Guangshuai Zhao & Erqi Xu, 2024. "Continuous Decline in Direct Incomes for Farmers Threatens the Sustainability of the Grain for Green Project," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-13, August.

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