Farmland Transfer Pattern Differentiation:Formation Mechanisms And Performances

In recent years,farmland transfer in China has been expanding,and more and more large-scale operating units are involved in farmland transfer.Farmland transfer is therefore gradually differentiated into two kinds of patterns:farmland transfer among traditional farm households(traditional pattern)and farmland transfer between farm households and large-scale operating units(new pattern).Previous studies focused mainly on the aspects of formation mechanisms,efficiency and equity impacts of farmland transfer among traditional farm households.Few studies investigated related research questions on farmland transfer between farm households and large-scale operating units.Using the empirical evidence of Jiangsu province,this study firstly analyzed the status and characteristics of farmland transfer pattern differentiation,and then explored the formation mechanisms of farmland transfer pattern differentiation,and finally investigated the efficiency and equity impacts(i.e.,improving agricultural productivity and increasing household income)of farmland transfer pattern differentiation,in order to provide reference and basis for government decision-making and contribute to related theoretical research.The main conclusions are as follows:(1)Current status and characteristics of farmland transfer and pattern differentiation in Jiangsu province.? Farmland rental markets are active and participants are diversified,and large-scale operating units(i.e.,large-scale grain producing households,family farms)have become the main participants in farmland transfer.Farmland transfer between households and large-scale operating units has become the dominant farmland transfer pattern.Large-scale operating units'participation in farmland transfer has effectively alleviated the contradiction between land supply and demand in farmland transfer among traditional farm households in different regions(i.e.,land supply exceeds demand in Southern Jiangsu,whereas land demand exceeds supply in Northern Jiangsu).? Compared with farmland transfer among traditional farm households,farmland transfer between households and large-scale operating units involves larger transaction size;the main transfer modes changes from land renting,substitute cultivation(i.e.land cultivated by relatives or neighbors for free),land subcontract to land renting and reverse land renting;the rental duration is more fixed and is mainly medium and long term;the concentrated distribution range of land rental rate is obviously higher;there is little difference in the payment form of land rent,and cash payment is generally applied;farmland transfer contract signing rate is larger;the degree of dependence on the services provided by intermediary service organization is greater.(2)Formation mechanisms of farmland transfer pattern differentiation.?Economic factors have important impacts on farmland transfer pattern differentiation.Specifically,the per capita net income of the village has a significant and positive effect on the proportion of farmland scale management in the village;the higher the rent paid by large-scale operating units(as compared with traditional small farm households),the larger the willingness that farmland suppliers transfer their farmland to large-scale operating units.?Non-farm labor market(off-farm employment)is an important factor that driving farmland transfer pattern differentiation.For example,village overall off-farm employment is positively related to the proportion of farmland scale management in the village,while local off-farm employment is negatively related to the proportion of farmland scale management in the village;the higher the non-farm wage in the village,the higher the probability that farmland suppliers transfer their farmland to large-scale operating units.?Farmland transfer management system and intermediary services have promoted farmland transfer pattern differentiation.Specifically,the establishment of the committee to solve rural land contract dispute in the village has a positive impact on the proportion of farmland scale management;establishing daily management system of farmland transfer contracts and related documents in the village,providing farmland transfer intermediary services,and stipulating the penalty or compensation for breach of contract in advance,can enhance farmland suppliers' willingness to transfer their farmland to large-scale operating units.?Administrative intervention has a certain impact on farmland transfer pattern differentiation as well.The grass-roots government persuades and even pushes farmers to rent out their land,which can promote the transfer of farmland to large-scale operating units.However,the administrative promotion of agricultural land share cooperative and farmers'specialized cooperative has no significant effect on the proportion of farmland scale management in the village.(3)Impacts of farmland transfer pattern differentiation on agricultural productivity.Compared to small-scale farm households that rent-in land,those large-scale operating units do not necessarily achieve higher agricultural productivity.Only those with the operation scale of 40?60 mu can obtain higher agricultural productivity.Specifically,compared to small-scale farm households(1-20 mu),those operating units,with an operation scale ranging from 10 to 15 times of the area of arable land contracted per household in local area(40?60 mu),can achieve higher land productivity,profit rate of cost,and total factor productivity;whereas those operating units with an operation scale more than 40 mu(including 40?60 mu,60?120 mu,120?500 mu)can obtain greater labor productivity.These results indicate that large-scale operating units should follow the appropriate principle when renting land and enlarging farm size,and the operation scale of 40?60 mu is the moderate scale where operating units can achieve the optimal allocative efficiency of agricultural production factors(i.e.,land,labor,and capital).(4)Effects of farmland transfer pattern differentiation on rural household income.Compared to farmland transfer among traditional farm households,the increase of household income in farmland transfer between farm households and large-scale operating units is limited.Specifically,compared to those transferred their farmland to traditional small farm households,lessor households who transferred their farmland to large-scale operating units can gain higher rental income and thus higher farm income.However,part of the higher rental income was due to the capitalization of grain subsidies,thus leading to a lower transfer income.Lessor households who transferred their farmland to large-scale operating units did not gain higher off-farm and total income,though farmland transferring to large-scale operating units could facilitate the development of farmland scale management.This may partly be so because off-farm employment is nearly universal and the share of off-farm income is large for our sample lessor households,and partly because some local governments in Jiangsu may administratively promote land transfers and the consolidation of small landholdings into large-scale operating units.Based on the above conclusions,to guide and regulate farmland transfer(especially farmland transfer from traditional small farm households to large-scale operating units)and hence improve agricultural productivity and increase household income,this study puts forward the following policy recommendations:(1)Fully respecting the autonomy of operating units in farmland transfer;(2)Clarifying the functions and roles of the government in farmland transfer;(3)Establishing and improving other factor markets.