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Does Social Relation or Economic Interest Affect the Choice Behavior of Land Lease Agreement in China? Evidence from the Largest Wheat−Producing Henan Province

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  • Ruifeng Liu

    (College of Economics and Management, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China)

  • Zhifeng Gao

    (Food and Resource Economics Department, University of Florida, P.O. Box 110240, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA)

  • Yefan Nian

    (Food and Resource Economics Department, University of Florida, P.O. Box 110240, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA)

  • Hengyun Ma

    (College of Economics and Management, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China)

Abstract

As China is transferring from a centrally planned economy to a market economy, the land market becomes more active. With the rapid transition from an agricultural society to an industrialized society, both economic and social factors could influence the choice of land lease agreement. This paper investigates the choice behavior of land lease agreement based on the household data collected from the largest wheat-producing province in China, Henan province. The results provide strong evidence that economic interest plays a key role in the choice of land lease agreement. Meanwhile, the paper has also found that social relations still affect the choice of land lease agreement. To speed up the transfer of land use rights and scale of operation, this study proposes: reducing the land dependence of rural households; improving agricultural machinery and achieving farming mechanization; creating more non-farm work opportunities for rural laborers; promoting the citizenization of rural households; respecting farmers’ choice of contracts; and attaching importance to the role of social relations in farmland transfer.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruifeng Liu & Zhifeng Gao & Yefan Nian & Hengyun Ma, 2020. "Does Social Relation or Economic Interest Affect the Choice Behavior of Land Lease Agreement in China? Evidence from the Largest Wheat−Producing Henan Province," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-19, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:10:p:4279-:d:361992
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