Agricultural Location and Crop Choices in China: A Revisitation on Von Thünen Model

Hongyun Han (), Zhen Yuan and Kai Zou
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Hongyun Han: School of Public Affairs, China Academy for Rural Development, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Zhen Yuan: School of Public Affairs, China Academy for Rural Development, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Kai Zou: School of Public Affairs, China Academy for Rural Development, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 11, 1-13

Abstract: Growing populations and rapid urbanization have put tremendous pressure on the food supply. The rural hinterland around cities is an important source of the urban food supply chain. Facing the constraints of China’s land stock, reasonable use of land space and optimization of agricultural crop structure is crucial to meet the food demand. Von Thünen Model, which is fronted by a 19th-century German economist, outlines a rural landscape of commercial farmers growing agricultural products for local markets while proposing basic patterns and principles of land use in agriculture. Using data from China’s OVOP (“One village, One product”), this paper analyzes the agricultural location and crop choices around two levels of cities (provincial capital cities, and county-level cities) by using Thünen’s theory. The results showed that crop density did decrease as the distance to urban increased. Crop rings are present in the vicinity of both metropolitan and county-level cities, distributed according to crop intensity. Evidence from China suggests that agricultural location and crop selection still follow the basic principles of the Thünen model. Planners and policymakers should refocus on the Von Thünen model to utilize land space and optimize agricultural production scientifically and efficiently.

Keywords: agricultural location; crop choices; Von Thünen Model; OVOP; one village, one product (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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