Grassland Transfer and Its Income Effect: Evidence from Pastoral Areas of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Zeng Tang, Shiqi Guan, Menglin Zhao, Lijia Wang, Ying Liu and Yubing Fan ()
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Zeng Tang: State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, China Grass Industry Development Strategy Research Center, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China
Shiqi Guan: School of Economics, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing 102206, China
Menglin Zhao: State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, China Grass Industry Development Strategy Research Center, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China
Lijia Wang: State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, China Grass Industry Development Strategy Research Center, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China
Ying Liu: School of Management, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China
Yubing Fan: State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, China Grass Industry Development Strategy Research Center, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 11, 1-20

Abstract: Under the condition of different endowment factors of herders and imperfect market mechanisms, grassland transfer can promote the redistribution and rational utilization of grassland resources, which has a crucial impact on herders’ livelihood. This study fully examined how the grassland rental market improves herders’ income and to what extent, using unbalanced panel data with 560 herder households in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau pastoral areas. A fixed effect model was used as the baseline model. The instrumental variable approach and propensity score matching method were utilized to address the endogeneity problem and sample selection bias. Finally, the mediating effect model was used to analyze the path mechanism of grassland transfer in/out on herder income. The results showed that the total household income increased significantly after participating in grassland transfer. Grassland rent-in increased livestock income, and grassland rent-out increased non-livestock income. After correcting for the selection bias, the income effect of grassland transfer became larger. The grassland rent-in increased the livestock income by promoting production investment. Grassland rent-out increased the non-livestock income by promoting non-pastoral employment.

Keywords: grassland transfer; herder income; PSM; instrumental variable; Qinghai–Tibet plateau (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:11:p:2020-:d:969861

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