Ziyuan Kexue (Nov 2023)
Differences in farmland abandonment behavior among farming households and influencing factors from the perspective of family life cycle: A case study of the hilly and mountainous areas in Jiangxi Province
Abstract
[Objective] The purpose of this study was to reveal the mechanism of impact of family life cycle on farming households’ farmland abandonment behavior, clarify the influencing factors of farmland abandonment behavior at different stages of the family life cycle, and provide a decision-making reference for farmland abandonment management in hilly and mountainous areas. [Methods] Based on the theoretical analysis and using the micro-survey data of farming households in the hilly and mountainous areas of Jiangxi Province from 2020 to 2021, we constructed the Logit and Tobit models, empirically analyzed the influence of family life cycle on farming households’ decisions to abandon farmland and the scale of farmland abandonment, and examined the influencing factors of farmland abandonment behavior in different family life cycle stages. [Results] The results show that: (1) The decisions and scale of farmland abandonment at different family life cycle stages are obviously different. Compared to the families in the supporting period, the possibility of abandoning the farmland was significantly higher for those in the stable period and the empty-nest period, and the scale of the abandoned farmland increased in the stable period, the maintenance period, and the empty-nest period. (2) Compared to the families in the supporting period, the families in the stable period can indirectly influence the scale of farmland abandonment by increasing rural labor transfer to non-agricultural sectors. (3) There is a heterogeneity in the factors that affect farmland abandonment behavior at different stages of the family life cycle. [Conclusion] In conclusion, it is necessary to fully consider the characteristics of farmland abandonment behavior of farming households at different stages of family life cycle, and provide targeted strategies of farmland abandonment governance.
Keywords
