How can continuous land transfers guarantee food security? A study from the perspectives of plot size

Continuous land transfer is an important direction for future agricultural policy in developing countries. However, there is little research on the impacts of land contiguity in China. Based on 2020 national micro-survey data, this paper analyzes the different focuses of land contiguity, divides contiguous transfers into connected and patchy transfers, and explores the differential impacts of the two on food production. The paper further explores how heterogeneous plot sizes play a role in it. The results are as follows: (1) connected transfer has a greater effect than patchy transfer; (2) contiguous transfers can secure food production by contributing to an increase in plot size, with continuous transfers contributing more to the maximum plot size; (3) maximum plot size has a positive effect on promoting food production; (4) continuous transfer performed better in terms of yield increase in non-plain and main grain-producing areas; and, (5) the ‘inverted U-shape’ impacts of patchy transfers on food production are evident. Therefore, the government should fully promote continuous land transfer while focusing on connected transfer, which should expand maximum plot size as much as possible. After continuous transfer, it should also be wary of the ‘non-food’ phenomenon in the plains.