Discrete choice experiment; Farmers' construction preferences; Farmers' payment level; Preference heterogeneity; Sustainable farmland construction; Construction scheme; Discrete choice experiments; Farmer' construction preference; Farmer' payment level; Irrigation and fertilizers; Production roads; Road leveling; Willingness to pay; Environmental Engineering; Environmental Chemistry; Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment; Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Abstract :
[en] Sustainable farmland construction (SFC) is a priority development strategy used to address the integrated goals of “efficiency output, resource conservation, and environmental friendliness” in agricultural systems. Introducing farmer participation to optimize SFC institutions can improve farmland construction efficiency and address limited construction funding. This study analyzed farmer preferences for participating in SFC through a discrete choice experiment survey of farmers in the project area. This study also evaluated farmers' willingness to pay for different SFC schemes. The findings indicate that farmers prefer constructing mechanized production roads (MPR), leveling farmland and transforming the contiguous farmland (LF and CF), integrated irrigation and fertilizer facilities (IIFF), and moderate improvement in ecological protection facilities. On the basis of the heterogeneity of the farmer preferences, they can be classified as benefits-driven and ecology-driven. In addition, factors such as age, educational level, risk proneness, land transfer, and cultivated land quality can influence the classification of farmer preferences. Farmers' willingness to pay for MPR, LF and CF, ED, IIFF, and moderate improvement in ecological facilities has reached 50–80 % of construction costs, essentially bridging the investment gap under the SF standards set by the central government. Based on the aforementioned, SFC schemes should be designed to consider farmers' needs and regional development requirements. Allocating SF construction costs according to farmers' willingness to pay for various facilities, formulating diverse investment ratios, and forming a coherent government-farmer cooperation mode are recommended. This study introduces policy tools to establish a farmers' participation mechanism in farmland construction, offering valuable insights into institutional reforms in land consolidation projects across other developing countries.
Disciplines :
Sociology & social sciences
Author, co-author :
Yin, Yanshu ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre ; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China (Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences), Beijing, China
Zhang, Yingnan; School of Economics and Management, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin, China
Duan, Wenjing ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre ; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China (Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences), Beijing, China
Xu, Ke; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China (Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences), Beijing, China
Yang, Zihong; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China (Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences), Beijing, China
Shi, Boyang ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre ; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China (Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences), Beijing, China
Yao, Zhizhen; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China (Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences), Beijing, China
Yin, Changbin; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China (Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences), Beijing, China ; Research Center for Agricultural Green Development in China, Beijing, China
Dogot, Thomas ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Modélisation et développement
Language :
English
Title :
Farmers' preferences for sustainable farmland construction — Insights from a discrete choice experiment in China
NSCF - National Natural Science Foundation of China ADB - Asian Development Bank CSC - China Scholarship Council
Funding text :
The research was funded by Major Program of National Social Science Foundation of China (18ZDA048), Asian Development Bank (ADB): Green Farmland Construction and Agricultural High-Quality Development in the Yellow River Basin (TA 6626), and The Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program (ASTIP). The China Scholarship Council (CSC) is gratefully acknowledged for financial support of the PhD study of Yanshu Yin. Especially, the authors are grateful to editors and anonymous reviewers for their insightful and constructive comments.The research was funded by Major Program of National Social Science Foundation of China ( 18ZDA048 ), and Asian Development Bank (ADB): Green Farmland Construction and Agricultural High-Quality Development in the Yellow River Basin ( TA 6626 ). The China Scholarship Council (CSC) is gratefully acknowledged for financial support of the PhD study of Yanshu Yin. Especially, the authors are grateful to editors and anonymous reviewers for their insightful and constructive comments.
Akrofi, N.A., Sarpong, D.B., Somuah, H.A.S., Osei-Owusu, Y., Paying for privately installed irrigation services in Northern Ghana: the case of the smallholder Bhungroo Irrigation Technology. Agric. Water Manag. 216 (2019), 284–293.
Aravindakshan, S., Krupnik, T.J., Amjath-Babu, T.S., Speelman, S., Tur-Cardona, J., Tittonell, P., Groot, J.C.J., Quantifying farmers' preferences for cropping systems intensification: a choice experiment approach applied in coastal Bangladesh's risk prone farming systems. Agric. Syst., 189, 2021, 103069.
Bao, S., Feng, X., Present situation, problems and improvement of agricultural infrastructure investment. Rural Financ. Res.(08), 2021, 3–10.
Bao, S., Feng, X., Present situation, problems and improvement of agricultural infrastructure investment. Rural Financ. Res. 22:04 (2021), 35–43.
Bhavsar, D., Limbasia, B., Mori, Y., Imtiyazali Aglodiya, M., Shah, M., A comprehensive and systematic study in smart drip and sprinkler irrigation systems. Smart Agric. Technol., 5, 2023, 100303.
Cai, Y., Du, Z., An analysis on ecological consciousness of family farm production and its influencing factors: an empirical analysis based on monitoring data of nationwide family farms. Chinese Rural Econ. 12 (2016), 33–45.
Caputo, V., Lusk, J.L., The basket-based choice experiment: a method for food demand policy analysis. Food Policy, 109, 2022, 102252.
Chen, H., Huang, F., Hu, W., Wang, C., Zhong, L., A procedure for comparing the ecological status and transformation measures in an anthropized coastal area. J. Environ. Manag., 301, 2022, 113928.
China Xinhua News, C., Shaanxi increases the per-mu financial investment in farmland construction. http://www.sn.xinhuanet.com/20231128/cd8ee3eec30c4869b5073ed4192294f6/c.html, 2023.
CNBS, National Bureau of Statistics of China, China Statistical Yearbook. 2023, China Statistics Press, Beijing, China.
Colombo, S., Hanley, N., Louviere, J., Modeling preference heterogeneity in stated choice data: an analysis for public goods generated by agriculture. Agric. Econ. 40:3 (2009), 307–322.
CPPC, The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conferenc, Ensuring that high-standard farmland genuinely adheres to “high standards”. http://www.cppcc.gov.cn/zxww/2021/10/08/ARTI1633663305673339.shtml, 2021.
Do, M.H., Nguyen, T.T., Grote, U., Land consolidation, rice production, and agricultural transformation: Evidence from household panel data for Vietnam. Econ. Anal. Policy 77 (2023), 157–173.
ElHaffar, G., Durif, F., Dubé, L., Towards closing the attitude-intention-behavior gap in green consumption: a narrative review of the literature and an overview of future research directions. J. Clean. Prod., 275, 2020, 122556.
EPHQD, Ecological Protection and High Qulity Development in the Yellow River Basin, Facilitating the improvement of the sustainability of the green agricultural production system in the Yellow River Basin. http://hh.hnr.cn/hhgzlfz/article/1/1680066733070303233, 2023.
FAO, U.F.a.A.O., The State of The World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture. 2022.
Feyisa, B.W., Determinants of agricultural technology adoption in Ethiopia: a meta-analysis. Cogent Food Agric., 6(1), 2020, 1855817.
Fischer, S., Wollni, M., The role of farmers’ trust, risk and time preferences for contract choices: experimental evidence from the Ghanaian pineapple sector. Food Policy 81 (2018), 67–81.
Galioto, F., Musotti, F., The governance of agricultural lands in marginal areas: a conceptual framework. Ecol. Econ., 212, 2023, 107933.
Gao, Y., Zhao, D., Yu, L., Yang, H., Influence of a new agricultural technology extension mode on farmers' technology adoption behavior in China. J. Rural. Stud. 76 (2020), 173–183.
Gebresilasse, M., Rural roads, agricultural extension, and productivity. J. Dev. Econ., 162, 2023, 103048.
Githinji, M., van Noordwijk, M., Muthuri, C., Speelman, E.N., Jan Hofstede, G., Farmer land-use decision-making from an instrumental and relational perspective. Curr. Opin. Environ. Sustain., 63, 2023, 101303.
Greene, W.H., Hensher, D.A., A latent class model for discrete choice analysis: contrasts with mixed logit. Transp. Res. B Methodol. 37:8 (2003), 681–698.
Hadizadeh, F., Allahyari, M.S., Damalas, C.A., Yazdani, M.R., Integrated management of agricultural water resources among paddy farmers in northern Iran. Agric. Water Manag. 200 (2018), 19–26.
Haider, M., Applied choice analysis: a primer. Mark. Res. 19:4 (2007), 47–48.
Hao, W., Hu, X., Wang, J., Zhang, Z., Shi, Z., Zhou, H., The impact of farmland fragmentation in China on agricultural productivity. J. Clean. Prod., 425, 2023, 138962.
Hao, S., Wang, G., Yang, Y., Zhao, S., Huang, S., Liu, L., Zhang, H., Promoting grain production through high-standard farmland construction: evidence in China. J. Integr. Agric. 23:1 (2024), 324–335.
Hensher, D.A., Rose, J.M., Greene, W.H., Applied Choice Analysis: A Primer. 2005, Cambridge University Press.
Hole, A.R., Fitting mixed logit models by using maximum simulated likelihood. Stata J. 7:3 (2007), 388–401.
J, S., S, L., M, C.X., Linkage preference and heterogeneity of small farmers and the eco-agricultural industry chain: Based on the choice experiment method. Chin. J. Eco-Agric. 29:12 (2021), 2126–2138.
Jia, Y., Zhao, M., Research of the rural domestic waste classified treatment based on the preference of farmers——an empirical study based on choice experiments. J. China Univ. Geosci. (Soc. Sci. Edit.) 21:06 (2021), 91–103.
Jiang, Y., Tang, Y.-T., Long, H., Deng, W., Land consolidation: a comparative research between Europe and China. Land Use Policy, 112, 2022, 105790.
Jie, Z.C.L.J.S., Influence of investment gap in farmland water conservancy infrastructure on the loss of grain production efficiency. Resour. Sci. 44 (2022), 169–180.
Junjie, L., Jianping, L., Dong, M., Problems and suggestions of farmland construction management policies in the new situation. Chinese J. Agric. Resour. Region. Plan. 43:05 (2022), 84–92.
Khan, A., Khan, S.U., Ali, M.A.S., Khan, A.A., Zhao, M., Prioritizing stakeholders’ preferences for policy scenarios of vulnerable ecosystems with spatial heterogeneity in choice experiment: coupling stated preferences with elevation. J. Environ. Manag., 310, 2022, 114757.
Kragt, M.E., Dempster, F., Subroy, V., Black soldier fly fertilisers by bioconversion of livestock waste: farmers’ perceptions and willingness-to-pay. J. Clean. Prod., 411, 2023, 137271.
Krupowicz, W., Czarnecka, A., Grus, M., Implementing crowdsourcing initiatives in land consolidation procedures in Poland. Land Use Policy, 99, 2020, 105015.
Lang, X., Jie, C., Chen, L., Comparison of irrigation efficiency of smallholder farmers and new agricultural operators and influencing factors. Resour. Sci.(09), 2021, 1821–1833.
Le Coent, P., Préget, R., Thoyer, S., Farmers follow the herd: a theoretical model on social norms and payments for environmental services. Environ. Resour. Econ. 78:2 (2021), 287–306.
Li, B., Ding, J., Wang, J., Zhang, B., Zhang, L., Key factors affecting the adoption willingness, behavior, and willingness-behavior consistency of farmers regarding photovoltaic agriculture in China. Energy Policy, 149, 2021, 112101.
Li, F., Zang, D., Chandio, A.A., Yang, D., Jiang, Y., Farmers' adoption of digital technology and agricultural entrepreneurial willingness: evidence from China. Technol. Soc., 73, 2023, 102253.
Li, X., He, Y., Fu, Y., Wang, Y., Analysis of the carbon effect of high-standard basic farmland based on the whole life cycle. Sci. Rep., 14(1), 2024, 3361.
Liang, J., Pan, S., Chen, W., Li, J., Zhou, T., Cultivated land fragmentation and its influencing factors detection: a case study in Huaihe River Basin, China. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 19(1), 2021, 138.
Lu, H., Chen, Y., Huan, H., Duan, N., Analyzing cultivated land protection behavior from the perspective of land fragmentation and farmland transfer: evidence from farmers in rural China. Front. Environ. Sci., 10, 2022, 901097.
Luu, T.D., Factors influencing farmers€ adoption of climate-smart agriculture in rice production in Vietnam€s Mekong Delta. Asian J. Agric. Develop., 17, 2020.
Maleksaeidi, H., Keshavarz, M., What influences farmers' intentions to conserve on-farm biodiversity? An application of the theory of planned behavior in fars province, Iran. Glob. Ecol. Conserv., 20, 2019, e00698.
MARA, P., Administration Measures for Transfer of Land Management Rights. 2021.
MARA, P., National High-Standard Farmland Construction Plan (2021–2030). 2021.
McFadden, D., Frontiers in Econometrics, chapter Conditional logit analysis of qualitative choice behavior. 1974, Academic Press, New York, NY, USA.
Nguyen, H.Q., Warr, P., Land consolidation as technical change: Economic impacts in rural Vietnam. World Dev., 127, 2020, 104750.
Nong, Y., Yin, C., Yi, X., Ren, J., Chien, H., Smallholder farmer preferences for diversifying farming with cover crops of sustainable farm management: a discrete choice experiment in Northwest China. Ecol. Econ., 186, 2021, 107060.
Permadi, D.B., Burton, M., Pandit, R., Walker, I., Race, D., Which smallholders are willing to adopt Acacia mangium under long-term contracts? Evidence from a choice experiment study in Indonesia. Land Use Policy 65 (2017), 211–223.
Ruzzante, S., Labarta, R., Bilton, A., Adoption of agricultural technology in the developing world: a meta-analysis of the empirical literature. World Dev., 146, 2021, 105599.
Schaafsma, M., Ferrini, S., Turner, R.K., Assessing smallholder preferences for incentivised climate-smart agriculture using a discrete choice experiment. Land Use Policy, 88, 2019, 104153.
Schulz, N., Breustedt, G., Latacz-Lohmann, U., Assessing farmers' willingness to accept “greening”: insights from a discrete choice experiment in Germany. J. Agric. Econ. 65:1 (2014), 26–48.
Shaanxi Government, O.o.t.P.s.G.o.S.P, “14th Five-Year Plan” Agricultural Water Conservation Action Plan of Shaanxi Province. 2022.
Shamdasani, Y., Rural road infrastructure & agricultural production: evidence from India. J. Dev. Econ., 152, 2021, 102686.
Shuai, H., Guogang, W., Yantao, Y., Chengji, H., Huanhuan, Z., Research tracking and future prospects of well-facilitated farmland construction——citespace based visual analysis. Chinese J. Agric. Resour. Region. Plan. 44:04 (2023), 113–124.
Simango, B., Mabiza, C., Gumindoga, W., Mhizha, A., The impacts of land reforms on water infrastructure use and investment: a case study of the Biri dam, Zimbabwe. Phys. Chem. Earth, Parts A/B/C, 123, 2021, 103050.
Tama, R.A.Z., Ying, L., Yu, M., Hoque, M.M., Adnan, K.M.M., Sarker, S.A., Assessing farmers’ intention towards conservation agriculture by using the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior. J. Environ. Manag., 280, 2021, 111654.
Train, K.E., Discrete Choice Methods With Simulation. 2009, Cambridge University Press.
Train, K., Weeks, M., Discrete choice models in preference space and willingness-to-pay space. Scarpa, R., Alberini, A., (eds.) Applications of Simulation Methods in Environmental and Resource Economics, 2005, Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht, 1–16.
Ureta, J., Motallebi, M., Vassalos, M., Alhassan, M., Ureta, J.C., Valuing stakeholder preferences for environmental benefits of stormwater ponds: Evidence from choice experiment. J. Environ. Manag., 293, 2021, 112828.
Villamayor-Tomas, S., Sagebiel, J., Olschewski, R., Bringing the neighbors in: a choice experiment on the influence of coordination and social norms on farmers’ willingness to accept agro-environmental schemes across Europe. Land Use Policy 84 (2019), 200–215.
Wang, L., A preliminary study on green farmland construction. China Compr. Agric. Develop.(06), 2022, 43–47.
Wang, D., Liu, J., Modern agricultural infrastructure investment mechanism and model in rural revitalization. Rural Economy(03), 2019, 80–87.
Wang, Z., Wang, J., Chen, H., Guan, B., Deng, H., Trends in irrigation investment in northern China since the 8th Five-Year Plan period and factors influencing new irrigation investment in villages. China Rural Econ.(08), 2021, 103–124.
Wąs, A., Malak-Rawlikowska, A., Zavalloni, M., Viaggi, D., Kobus, P., Sulewski, P., In search of factors determining the participation of farmers in agri-environmental schemes–does only money matter in Poland?. Land Use Policy, 101, 2021, 105190.
Xia, W., Yang, G., Decision-making evaluation of the pilot project of comprehensive land consolidation from the perspective of farmers and social investors: a case study of the project applied in Xianning City, Hubei Province, in 2020. Land, 11(9), 2022, 1534.
Xiong, L., Jiang, Y., Li, X., Ren, D., Huang, G., Long-term regional groundwater responses and their ecological impacts under agricultural water saving in an arid irrigation district, upper Yellow River basin. Agric. Water Manag., 288, 2023, 108493.
Yang, H., Yusheng, C., Zhimin, C., The process of China's High-standard farmland construction and policy suggestions for improvement. Rural Econ.(05), 2022, 20–29.
Yin, Y., Zhang, Y., Li, F., Jiao, J., Lebailly, P., Zhang, Y., Yin, C., Driving mechanism for farmers' participation in improving farmland ecosystem: evidence from China. J. Clean. Prod., 380, 2022, 134895.
Zemo, K.H., Termansen, M., Farmers’ willingness to participate in collective biogas investment: a discrete choice experiment study. Resour. Energy Econ. 52 (2018), 87–101.
Zhang, Z., Paudel, K.P., Policy improvements and farmers' willingness to participate: insights from the new round of China's Sloping Land Conversion Program. Ecol. Econ. 162 (2019), 121–132.
Zheng, Q., Shang, X., Wang, Y., Why is it difficult to protect arable land: objectives, problems and countermeasures——observation from the main grain-producing areas in the west. Economist(04), 2023, 98–107.
Zhou, J., Cao, X., What is the policy improvement of China's land consolidation? Evidence from completed land consolidation projects in Shaanxi Province. Land Use Policy, 99, 2020, 104847.
Zhou, Y., Li, Y., Xu, C., Land consolidation and rural revitalization in China: Mechanisms and paths. Land Use Policy, 91, 2020, 104379.
Zhou, Y., Chen, T., Feng, Z., Wu, K., Identifying the contradiction between the cultivated land fragmentation and the construction land expansion from the perspective of urban-rural differences. Ecol. Inform., 71, 2022, 101826.
Zhu, R., Zhao, R., Li, X., Hu, X., Jiao, S., Xiao, L., Xie, Z., Sun, J., Wang, S., Yang, Q., Zhang, H., Chuai, X., The impact of irrigation modes on agricultural water-energy‑carbon nexus. Sci. Total Environ., 860, 2023, 160493.
Zhuang, Y., Zhang, L., Li, S., Liu, H., Zhai, L., Zhou, F., Ye, Y., Ruan, S., Wen, W., Effects and potential of water-saving irrigation for rice production in China. Agric Water Manag. 217 (2019), 374–382.
Zulfiqar, F., Datta, A., Tsusaka, T.W., Yaseen, M., Micro-level quantification of determinants of eco-innovation adoption: an assessment of sustainable practices for cotton production in Pakistan. Sustain. Prod. Consumption 28 (2021), 436–444.