IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v14y2025i5p1078-d1656872.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does Construction of High-Standard Farmland Improve Total Factor Productivity of Grain? Evidence from China, 2000–2021

Author

Listed:
  • Mande Zhu

    (College of Economics, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China)

  • Dongdong Ge

    (College of Economics, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China)

  • Menghan Wang

    (College of Economics, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China)

  • Saffa Mohamed Massaquoi

    (College of Economics, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China)

  • Zhixin Wu

    (College of Economics, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China)

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of China’s construction of high-standard farmland (CHSF) initiatives on grain productivity, focusing on total factor productivity growth of grain (TFPG) from 2000 to 2021. Using a continuous Difference-in-Differences (DID) approach based on balanced panel data from 31 Chinese provinces, this paper identifies significant productivity improvements, with TFPG increasing by an average of 7% post-implementation of CHSF. However, the effects are not uniform across regions—productivity gains are more pronounced in non-major grain-producing and plain areas, emphasizing the role of region-specific infrastructure and adaptive strategies. These findings provide empirical evidence on how large-scale farmland improvement enhances productivity through mechanization and better land use. However, the reliance on provincial-level data may result in localized variations in CHSF implementation being overlooked, suggesting the need for further micro-level analysis. Overall, this study highlights the importance of tailored agricultural policies to enhance their effectiveness and promote agricultural sustainability in China and other developing economies.

Suggested Citation

  • Mande Zhu & Dongdong Ge & Menghan Wang & Saffa Mohamed Massaquoi & Zhixin Wu, 2025. "Does Construction of High-Standard Farmland Improve Total Factor Productivity of Grain? Evidence from China, 2000–2021," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-21, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:5:p:1078-:d:1656872
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/5/1078/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/5/1078/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. K. Deininger & S. Jin & H. K. Nagarajan, 2009. "Land Reforms, Poverty Reduction, and Economic Growth: Evidence from India," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(4), pages 496-521.
    2. Key, Nigel, 2019. "Farm size and productivity growth in the United States Corn Belt," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 186-195.
    3. Fare, Rolf & Shawna Grosskopf & Mary Norris & Zhongyang Zhang, 1994. "Productivity Growth, Technical Progress, and Efficiency Change in Industrialized Countries," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(1), pages 66-83, March.
    4. Thi Ha Thanh Nguyen & Thi Quynh Nhu Thai & Van Tuan Tran & Thi Phin Pham & Quang Cuong Doan & Khac Hung Vu & Huong Giang Doan & Quang Thanh Bui, 2020. "Land Consolidation at the Household Level in the Red River Delta, Vietnam," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-23, June.
    5. Liang Chi & Shuqing Han & Meili Huan & Yajuan Li & Jifang Liu, 2022. "Land Fragmentation, Technology Adoption and Chemical Fertilizer Application: Evidence from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-17, July.
    6. Fan, Shenggen & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2004. "Infrastructure and regional economic development in rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 203-214.
    7. Zhihao Zheng & Shen Cheng & Shida R. Henneberry, 2023. "Total factor productivity change in China's grain production sector: 1980–2018," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 67(1), pages 38-55, January.
    8. Douglas Gollin & David Lagakos & Michael E. Waugh, 2014. "The Agricultural Productivity Gap," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 129(2), pages 939-993.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Fenghua Wen & Donghan Lyu & Daohan Huang, 2023. "Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity of Total Factor Productivity of Grain in the Yangtze River Delta, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-17, July.
    2. Miguel Martín-Retortillo & Vicente Pinilla, 2019. "The fundamental causes of economic growth: a comparative analysis of the total factor productivity growth of European agriculture, 1950-2005," Documentos de Trabajo (DT-AEHE) 1912, Asociación Española de Historia Económica.
    3. Li, Yi & Sun, Linyan & Feng, Taiwen & Zhu, Chunyan, 2013. "How to reduce energy intensity in China: A regional comparison perspective," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 513-522.
    4. Chiarella, Cristina & Meyfroidt, Patrick & Abeygunawardane, Dilini & Conforti, Piero, 2023. "Balancing the trade-offs between land productivity, labor productivity and labor intensity," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 52(10), pages 1618-1634.
    5. Kerstin Enflo & Per Hjertstrand, 2009. "Relative Sources of European Regional Productivity Convergence: A Bootstrap Frontier Approach," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(5), pages 643-659.
    6. Storesletten, Kjetil & Zhao, Bo & Zilibotti, Fabrizio, 2020. "Business Cycle during Structural Change: Arthur Lewis’ Theory from a Neoclassical Perspective," CEPR Discussion Papers 14964, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. Chih-HAI YANG & Leah WU & Hui-Lin LIN, 2010. "Analysis of total-factor cultivated land efficiency in China's agriculture," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 56(5), pages 231-242.
    8. Hu, Jin-Li & Wang, Shih-Chuan & Yeh, Fang-Yu, 2006. "Total-factor water efficiency of regions in China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 217-230, December.
    9. Foley-Fisher, Nathan & McLaughlin, Eoin, 2016. "Capitalising on the Irish land question: land reform and state banking in Ireland, 1891–1938," Financial History Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 23(1), pages 71-109, April.
    10. Ruofan Liao & Zhengtao Chen & Jirakom Sirisrisakulchai & Jianxu Liu, 2025. "Enhancing Rural Economic Sustainability in China Through Agricultural Socialization Services: A Novel Perspective on Spatial-Temporal Dynamics," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-28, January.
    11. Zheng, Xinye & Li, Fanghua & Song, Shunfeng & Yu, Yihua, 2013. "Central government's infrastructure investment across Chinese regions: A dynamic spatial panel data approach," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 264-276.
    12. Kerstens, Kristiaan & Van de Woestyne, Ignace, 2014. "Comparing Malmquist and Hicks–Moorsteen productivity indices: Exploring the impact of unbalanced vs. balanced panel data," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 233(3), pages 749-758.
    13. Sheng, Yu & Xu, Xinpeng, 2019. "The productivity impact of climate change: Evidence from Australia's Millennium drought," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 182-191.
    14. Paula Bustos & Juan Manuel Castro Vincenzi & Joan Monras & Jacopo Ponticelli, 2019. "Structural Transformation, Industrial Specialization, and Endogenous Growth," Working Papers wp2019_1906, CEMFI.
    15. Yongqi Feng & Haolin Zhang & Yung-ho Chiu & Tzu-Han Chang, 2021. "Innovation efficiency and the impact of the institutional quality: a cross-country analysis using the two-stage meta-frontier dynamic network DEA model," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(4), pages 3091-3129, April.
    16. Jing Li & Tsun Se Cheong & Jianfa Shen & Dahai Fu, 2019. "Urbanization And Rural–Urban Consumption Disparity: Evidence From China," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 64(04), pages 983-996, September.
    17. Jens J. Krüger, 2020. "Long‐run productivity trends: A global update with a global index," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(4), pages 1393-1412, November.
    18. Yu-Chuan Chen & Yung-Ho Chiu & Tzu-Han Chang & Tai-Yu Lin, 2023. "Sustainable Development, Government Efficiency, and People’s Happiness," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 1549-1578, April.
    19. Tai-Hsin Huang & Yi-Huang Chiu & Chih-Ying Mao, 2021. "Imposing Regularity Conditions to Measure Banks’ Productivity Changes in Taiwan Using a Stochastic Approach," Asia-Pacific Financial Markets, Springer;Japanese Association of Financial Economics and Engineering, vol. 28(2), pages 273-303, June.
    20. Aimable Nsabimana & Patricia Funjika, 2019. "Mobile phone use, productivity and labour market in Tanzania," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2019-71, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

    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:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:5:p:1078-:d:1656872. 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.