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Can the Return of Rural Labor Effectively Stimulate the Demand for Land? Empirical Evidence from Sichuan Province, China

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  • Kai Huang

    (Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Chengdu 610041, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Shaoquan Liu

    (Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Chengdu 610041, China)

  • Dingde Xu

    (College of Management, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
    National Key Laboratory of Food Security and Tianfu Granary, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China)

Abstract

Promoting moderate-scale land management is a crucial pathway for achieving the transformation of agricultural modernization in China. Whether migrant workers with the advantage of human capital can effectively promote moderate scale management is a problem worthy of in-depth discussion. Based on survey data from three counties in Sichuan Province in 2024, this paper empirically analyzes the impact of migrant workers’ return on farmers’ land transfer-in behavior by constructing IV-Probit and IV-Tobit models. The results show that (1) the return of migrant workers significantly promotes the land transfer-in of rural households by enhancing their risk tolerance and increasing the participation of cooperative organizations; (2) however, there is some heterogeneity in these results. The effect of the return of migrant workers in plain areas and economically developed villages on land transfer-in is stronger than that in mountainous areas and economically weak villages. Based on these findings, this paper suggests that differentiated policies should be formulated according to the natural conditions and economic foundations of different regions, making full use of the human capital advantages of returning migrant workers to effectively promote the realization of moderate-scale management among farmers.

Suggested Citation

  • Kai Huang & Shaoquan Liu & Dingde Xu, 2025. "Can the Return of Rural Labor Effectively Stimulate the Demand for Land? Empirical Evidence from Sichuan Province, China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-19, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:6:p:575-:d:1608103
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yuzhe Zhou & Zehui Wang & Wei Wang & Yulin Wang, 2025. "The Impact of Migrant Workers’ Return Behaviors on Land Transfer-in: Evidence from the China Labor Dynamic Survey," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-29, April.

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