The cropland intensive utilisation transition in China: An induced factor substitution perspective

Xinli Ke, Jing Chen, Chengchao Zuo and Xiaoqian Wang

Land Use Policy, 2024, vol. 141, issue C

Abstract: Understanding the transition process of cropland-use intensification can help reconcile the relationship between food demand and ecological conservation. The transition of cropland-use intensification is a trend developing in the continuous reorganisation and optimization of factor inputs with the changes in socio-economics, policies and institutions. From the induced factor substitution perspective, a transition of cropland-use intensification occurs when the agricultural entities adjust the structure of factor inputs in response to changes in the relative prices of production factors. This paper established an analytical framework for identifying the transition of cropland-use intensification and conducted an empirical study based on evidence from China between 1978 and 2019. The empirical study revealed a four-phase transition process of cropland-use intensification in China, named the ‘labour-force-driven intensification’, the ‘yield-increasing-factors-driven intensification’, the ‘labour-saving-factors-driven intensification’, and the ‘innovation-driven intensification’. This paper also investigated the transition trajectory of cropland-use intensification in nine different agricultural zones and explored the influencing factors that contributed to the heterogeneity of the transition trajectory among different zones. Furthermore, this paper discussed the policy initiative to accelerate the transition of cropland-use intensification to the fourth stage to benefit the ecological environment and farmers’ livelihood and ultimately be of great significance in promoting the sustainable development of agriculture in China.

Keywords: The transition of cropland-use intensification; Induced factor substitution; Heterogeneity; Market mechanism; Price signal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:141:y:2024:i:c:s0264837724000802

DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2024.107128

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