Labor migration and farmland abandonment in rural China: Empirical results and policy implications

Does Internet use help reduce rural cropland abandonment? Evidence from China

Relationships between labor migration and cropland abandonment in rural China from the perspective of village types

Research on the association between rural households’ livelihood capitals and livelihood strategies has long been of interest in geography, management, economics, ecology and other disciplines. However, the existing micro-empirical studies are mostly small-scale surveys of rural households; there are much fewer large-scale investigations at the national level. Meanwhile, few empirical studies have analyzed the sensitivity of rural households’ livelihood strategies to various types of livelihood capitals in different types of villages, from the perspective of village type. This study uses survey data from 8031 rural households in 226 villages from 27 provinces (cities) of China; the villages were divided into three types: plain villages, hilly villages and mountainous villages. The livelihood capitals and livelihood strategies of rural households in different types of villages were examined, and ordinal logistic regression models were construed to explore the sensitivity of rural households’ livelihood strategies to various types of livelihood capitals in different types of villages. The results revealed that: (1) the sample of rural households had similar livelihood asset structures and livelihood strategy selections across the different types of villages. Among them, human capital was the most important livelihood asset for rural households, while rural households had the lowest dependence on natural capital; off-farm work was the main livelihood strategy for rural households, followed by on-farm work, while the proportion of households engaged in part-time work was the smallest. (2) Rural households’ livelihood strategies had different sensitivities to various types of livelihood capitals, and there were also differences in the sensitivities among different types of villages. For the total sample, as well as the hill and mountain village sub-samples, human and financial capitals had significant positive impacts on livelihood strategy, while nature and social capitals had significant negative impacts on livelihood strategy; physical capital had no significant impact on livelihood strategy. For the plain village sub-sample, human and physical capitals had significant positive impacts on livelihood strategy, while nature capital had a significant negative impact on livelihood strategy; financial and social capitals had no significant impacts on livelihood strategy. This study enhances our understanding of the characteristics of rural households’ livelihood capital structures and livelihood strategy selections as well as the sensitivity of rural households’ livelihood strategies to various types of livelihood capitals among different types of villages in China. These findings provide reference for the formulation of policies related to the improvement of rural households’ livelihoods in different types of villages.

Sensitivity of Livelihood Strategy to Livelihood Capital: An Empirical Investigation Using Nationally Representative Survey Data from Rural China

Impact of land fragmentation on marginal productivity of agricultural labor and non-agricultural labor supply: A case study of Jiangsu, China

The impact of rural laborer migration and household structure on household land use arrangements in mountainous areas of Sichuan Province, China

Based on survey data collected in 2016 from 100 villages across five provinces in China, this paper uses binary logistic model to explore the main factors related to the supply and quality of rural residential solid waste collection (RRSWC) services, especially focusing on the role of village population structure characteristics. It is indicated from the results that village population structure characteristics are significantly correlated with RRSWC services; specifically: (1) the total registered population of village households is significantly positively correlated with the supply of RRSWC services, however, the correlation between the registered population and the quality of RRSWC services is negative and the more the labors working and living outside the village, the less likely the village is to provide RRSWC services; (2) the villagers' educational levels and RRSWC services show no significant correlativity at the present stage; (3) the preferential policies brought by population structure advantage play a positive role in the supply of RRSWC services but is not clearly related to the quality of RRSWC services, especially in the villages with a larger minority population. In addition, the study finds that, the economic development level of a village and the characteristics of village leaders are also positively correlated with the supply and quality of RRSWC services and; the natural and traffic conditions have no significant correlation with RRSWC services. This study can act as a reference for the further promotion of the development of RRSWC services in China.

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/11/2352/pdf

A Study of the Relationships between the Characteristics of the Village Population Structure and Rural Residential Solid Waste Collection Services: Evidence from China.

Aging and rural labor migration have become two major demographic features in China. Using data of 400 rural households in Sichuan, China in 2015, this study constructs an ordered probit model containing instrumental variables to analyze the effect of rural labor migration on the health of the elderly in the family, from the perspective of the gender structure of migrant labor. The results indicate that the overall impact of labor migration on the elderly’s health is positive, and labor migration in the family has different effects on the health of the elderly by gender. Specifically, the results indicate the following: (1) the joint migration of both male and female labor or the migration of only male labor in a household can have a positive impact; (2) if only female labor migrates, the impact is negative; and (3) although the effect is negative, the migration of only female labor has a more prominent impact on the elderly’s self-rated health, whereas the migration of only male labor has a more significant effect on the elderly’s activities of daily living. Our findings suggest that the differential influence of labor migration by gender on rural elderly health should be considered to ensure the welfare of the elderly.

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/20/5763/pdf

Sha Cao

Papers

The impact of rural laborer migration and household structure on household land use arrangements in mountainous areas of Sichuan Province, China

A Study of the Relationships between the Characteristics of the Village Population Structure and Rural Residential Solid Waste Collection Services: Evidence from China.

The Impact of Rural Labor Migration on Elderly Health from the Perspective of Gender Structure: A Case Study in Western China