IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i18p11398-d911751.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Do Disease and Pest Control Outsourcing Services Reduce Arable Land Abandonment? Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Xiaoheng Zhang

    (Circulation Industry Research Central of Chinese Capital, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China
    College of Economics and Management, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, China)

  • Guiquan Yan

    (College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China)

  • Yucheng He

    (College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China)

  • Hailong Yu

    (Circulation Industry Research Central of Chinese Capital, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China)

Abstract

Arable land abandonment has been occurring in China in recent years. Although an emerging number of studies have investigated the impacts of urbanization and labor migration on arable land abandonment, little is known about what roles agricultural outsourcing services play in reducing arable land abandonment. Based on the data from the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS) in both 2014 and 2016, this study employs a two-stage least squares method to address the potential endogeneity issue and sheds some light on the impact of agricultural outsourcing services for controlling disease and pests in arable land abandonment in China. The empirical results show that disease and pest control outsourcing services (DPCOS) significantly decrease the size of household-level arable land abandonment by 6.59% on average. More specifically, DPCOS mainly reduce the arable land abandonment in regions with the labor shortages, while this does not lead to a significant decrease in arable land abandonment in regions characterized by poor soil quality and steep slopes. Therefore, we may conclude that DPCOS could contribute to the reuse of farmlands suitable for cultivation and the exit of farmlands unsuitable for cultivation.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiaoheng Zhang & Guiquan Yan & Yucheng He & Hailong Yu, 2022. "Do Disease and Pest Control Outsourcing Services Reduce Arable Land Abandonment? Evidence from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-15, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:18:p:11398-:d:911751
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/18/11398/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/18/11398/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Igata, Masayo & Hendriksen, Astrid & Heijman, Wim J.M., 2008. "Agricultural outsourcing: A comparison between the Netherlands and Japan," APSTRACT: Applied Studies in Agribusiness and Commerce, AGRIMBA, vol. 2(1-2), pages 1-6.
    2. Jikun Huang & Jiping Ding, 2016. "Institutional innovation and policy support to facilitate small-scale farming transformation in China," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 47(S1), pages 227-237, November.
    3. Zhang, Kevin Honglin & Song, Shunfeng, 2003. "Rural-urban migration and urbanization in China: Evidence from time-series and cross-section analyses," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 14(4), pages 386-400.
    4. Wang, Hui & Riedinger, Jeffrey & Jin, Songqing, 2015. "Land documents, tenure security and land rental development: Panel evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 220-235.
    5. Zhang, Xiaobo & Yang, Jin & Reardon, Thomas, 2020. "Mechanization outsourcing clusters and division of labor in Chinese agriculture," IFPRI book chapters, in: An evolving paradigm of agricultural mechanization development: How much can Africa learn from Asia?, chapter 2, pages 71-96, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Xu, Dingde & Deng, Xin & Huang, Kai & Liu, Yi & Yong, Zhuolin & Liu, Shaoquan, 2019. "Relationships between labor migration and cropland abandonment in rural China from the perspective of village types," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    7. Jin Yang & Zuhui Huang & Xiaobo Zhang & Thomas Reardon, 2013. "The Rapid Rise of Cross-Regional Agricultural Mechanization Services in China," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 95(5), pages 1245-1251.
    8. Xiaoheng Zhang & Xiaohua Yu & Xu Tian & Xianhui Geng & Yingheng Zhou, 2019. "Farm size, inefficiency, and rice production cost in China," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 57-68, December.
    9. Stefan Dercon & Daniel O. Gilligan & John Hoddinott & Tassew Woldehanna, 2009. "The Impact of Agricultural Extension and Roads on Poverty and Consumption Growth in Fifteen Ethiopian Villages," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 91(4), pages 1007-1021.
    10. Yumei Liu & Wuyang Hu & Simon Jetté-Nantel & Zhihong Tian, 2014. "The Influence of Labor Price Change on Agricultural Machinery Usage in Chinese Agriculture," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 62(2), pages 219-243, June.
    11. Owens, Trudy & Hoddinott, John & Kinsey, Bill, 2003. "The Impact of Agricultural Extension on Farm Production in Resettlement Areas of Zimbabwe," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 51(2), pages 337-357, January.
    12. Andrés J. Picazo‐Tadeo & Ernest Reig‐Martínez, 2006. "Outsourcing and efficiency: the case of Spanish citrus farming," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 35(2), pages 213-222, September.
    13. Wanglin Ma & Zhongkun Zhu, 2020. "A Note: Reducing Cropland Abandonment in China – Do Agricultural Cooperatives Play a Role?," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(3), pages 929-935, September.
    14. Godtland, Erin M & Sadoulet, Elisabeth & De Janvry, Alain & Murgai, Rinku & Ortiz, Oscar, 2004. "The Impact of Farmer Field Schools on Knowledge and Productivity: A Study of Potato Farmers in the Peruvian Andes," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 53(1), pages 63-92, October.
    15. Xiaobing Wang & Futoshi Yamauchi & Jikun Huang, 2016. "Rising wages, mechanization, and the substitution between capital and labor: evidence from small scale farm system in China," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 47(3), pages 309-317, May.
    16. Owens, Trudy & Hoddinott, John & Kinsey, Bill, 2003. "The Impact of Agricultural Extension on Farm Production in Resettlement Areas of Zimbabwe," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 51(2), pages 337-357, January.
    17. Yanjie Zhang & Xiaobing Wang & Thomas Glauben & Bernhard Brümmer, 2011. "The impact of land reallocation on technical efficiency: evidence from China," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 42(4), pages 495-507, July.
    18. Zhou, Yang & Li, Xunhuan & Liu, Yansui, 2020. "Rural land system reforms in China: History, issues, measures and prospects," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mengna Lu & Yuan Qi & Jiaqing Zhang & Daolin Zhu, 2023. "The Impact of Rural Credit on Cultivated Land Use Efficiency: An Empirical Analysis Using China Rural Revitalization Survey Data," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-16, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xiang Li & Xiaoqin Guo, 2023. "Can Policy Promote Agricultural Service Outsourcing? Quasi-Natural Experimental Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-18, January.
    2. Xue Qu & Daizo Kojima & Laping Wu & Mitsuyoshi Ando, 2022. "Do Farming Scale and Mechanization Affect Moral Hazard in Rice Harvest Outsourcing Service in China?," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-12, August.
    3. Ram Fishman & Stephen C. Smith & Vida Bobic & Munshi Sulaiman, 2022. "Can Agricultural Extension and Input Support Be Discontinued? Evidence from a Randomized Phaseout in Uganda," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 104(6), pages 1273-1288, November.
    4. Stephen C. Smith & Ram Fishman & Vida BobicÌ & Munshi Sulaiman, 2017. "How Sustainable Are Benefits from Extension for Smallholder Farmers? Evidence from a Randomised Phase-Out of the BRAC Program in Uganda," Working Papers 2017-1, The George Washington University, Institute for International Economic Policy.
    5. Qian Liu & Yongmu Jiang & Carl‐Johan Lagerkvist & Wei Huang, 2023. "Extension services and the technical efficiency of crop‐specific farms in China," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 45(1), pages 436-459, March.
    6. Siyu Yang & Wei Li, 2022. "The Impact of Socialized Agricultural Machinery Services on Land Productivity: Evidence from China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-18, December.
    7. Liu, Yan & Heerink, Nico & Li, Fan & Shi, Xiaoping, 2022. "Do agricultural machinery services promote village farmland rental markets? Theory and evidence from a case study in the North China plain," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    8. Ping Xue & Xinru Han & Yongchun Wang & Xiudong Wang, 2022. "Can Agricultural Machinery Harvesting Services Reduce Cropland Abandonment? Evidence from Rural China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-15, June.
    9. Wang, Xiaobing & Yamauchi, Futoshi & Otsuka, Keijiro & Huang, Jikun, 2016. "Wage Growth, Landholding, and Mechanization in Chinese Agriculture," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 30-45.
    10. Idelphonse O. Saliou & Afio Zannou & Augustin K. N. Aoudji & Albert N. Honlonkou, 2020. "Drivers of Mechanization in Cotton Production in Benin, West Africa," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-13, November.
    11. Tamini, Lota D., 2011. "A nonparametric analysis of the impact of agri-environmental advisory activities on best management practice adoption: A case study of Québec," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(7), pages 1363-1374, May.
    12. María Amelia Gibbons & Alessandro Maffioli & Martín Rossi, 2016. "Money for Wine?: Complementarities in the Provision of Private and Public Goods to Wine Producers," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 94217, Inter-American Development Bank.
    13. Veronica González & Pablo Ibarrarán & Alessandro Maffioli & Sandra Rozo, 2009. "The Impact of Technology Adoption on Agricultural Productivity: The Case of the Dominican Republic," OVE Working Papers 0509, Inter-American Development Bank, Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE).
    14. Suhao Wei & Yangxiao Lu, 2022. "Why China’s AMS Market Is Difficult to Develop Sustainably: Evidence from the North China Plain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-16, December.
    15. Ragasa, Catherine & Mazunda, John, 2018. "The impact of agricultural extension services in the context of a heavily subsidized input system: The case of Malawi," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 25-47.
    16. Qiangqiang Zhang & Beibei Yan & Xuexi Huo, 2018. "What Are the Effects of Participation in Production Outsourcing? Evidence from Chinese Apple Farmers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-15, November.
    17. Yu Xu & Liangjie Xin & Xiubin Li & Minghong Tan & Yahui Wang, 2019. "Exploring a Moderate Operation Scale in China’s Grain Production: A Perspective on the Costs of Machinery Services," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-17, April.
    18. Xiaolin Guo & Guanming Shi & Linyi Zheng & Wenrong Qian, 2022. "How Does the Land Rental Market Participation Affect Household Efficiency? Evidence from Rural China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-14, December.
    19. Niu, Chiyu & Ragasa, Catherine, 2018. "Selective attention and information loss in the lab-to-farm knowledge chain: The case of Malawian agricultural extension programs," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 147-163.
    20. Li, Xinyi & Ito, Junichi, 2021. "An empirical study of land rental development in rural Gansu, China: The role of agricultural cooperatives and transaction costs," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:18:p:11398-:d:911751. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.