Does a Migrant Relocation Program Aggravate Cropland Abandonment? A Case Study on Pingli County, China

Jingming Liu, Xin Zhou and Xianhui Hou ()
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Jingming Liu: School of Marxism, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Xin Zhou: College of Economics and Management, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Xianhui Hou: College of Economics and Management, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: Migrant relocation (MR) is an important way to solve social and ecological problems. Current studies have mainly used the sample survey method to analyze the social and economic benefits of migrant relocation from a micro perspective but less from a global perspective to analyze the impact of migrant relocation on cropland abandonment (CA). Therefore, in order to balance regional cropland utilization and poverty alleviation, this paper aimed to analyze the impact of a MR program on cropland abandonment (CA) on a macro scale. The results showed that during 2011–2020, the relocation scale and resettlement scale of the MR program in Pingli County were 10.691 km 2 and 4.535 km 2 , respectively. MR programs can be divided into three types, namely, out-migration, in-migration, and vacant, accounting for 67.98%, 30.90%, and 1.12%, respectively. The amount of CA is 35.910 km 2 . There was a threshold effect of the impact of MR on CA. Specifically, when MR ≤ 0 or MR > 0.258%, it has an inhibitory role on CA; when 0 < MR ≤ 0.258%, it promotes the occurrence of CA. Therefore, policy makers need to accurately assess the current situation of villages and adopt a phased and regional strategy to avoid the CA caused by large-scale relocation. These findings not only contribute to the sustainable use of cropland in the study area but also have significant implications for effective governance and poverty eradication in other poor and ecologically fragile regions around the world, such as Africa and Brazil.

Keywords: rural relocation program; poverty alleviation; cropland abandonment; Southern Shaanxi (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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