Optimizing Agricultural Input and Production for Different Types of at-Risk Peasant Households: An Empirical Study of Typical Counties in the Yimeng Mountain Area of Northern China

Yuanhe Yu, Liang Wang (), Jinkuo Lin and Zijun Li ()
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Yuanhe Yu: College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China
Liang Wang: Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water and Soil Conservation and Environmental Protection, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, China
Jinkuo Lin: College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China
Zijun Li: College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-22

Abstract: Using typical counties in the Yimeng Mountain area of northern China as an example, this paper analyzed the household and agricultural input characteristics of different types of peasant households using survey data from 262 farm households. The target minimization of the total absolute deviations (MOTAD) model was applied to determine the optimal combinations in the allocation of agricultural input factors and production for different types of at-risk peasant households to obtain the ideal agricultural income. The relevant results are twofold. (1) The agricultural input behaviors of different types of peasant households vary significantly. The highest levels of agricultural land, labor, and yield-increasing and labor-saving inputs included I part-time peasant households ( I PTPH ), followed by full-time peasant households ( FTPH ), while the input levels of II part-time peasant households ( II PTPH ) and non-agricultural peasant households ( NAPH ) with higher levels of non-agricultural employment gradually decreased. In general, an increase in peasant households’ part-time employment revealed an inverted U-shaped trend in the agricultural input level, with a trajectory of I PTPH > FTPH > II PTPH > NAPH . (2) The current agricultural inputs and production combinations of different types of peasant households have room for improvement. It is necessary to adjust agricultural inputs and optimize production combinations to obtain target incomes. Overall, all types of peasant households must streamline labor inputs and increase capital inputs, except for I PTPH , for which capital inputs should be reduced. Following optimization, economic crops gradually replace grain crops, and the optimal agricultural incomes of peasant households will be improved. The study results provide practical policy insights for reducing agricultural production risks and improving agricultural production incomes.

Keywords: peasant household; risk state; agricultural input; production combination; optimization; target MOTAD model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (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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