Why Have China’s Poverty Eradication Policy Resulted in the Decline of Arable Land in Poverty-Stricken Areas?

Rong Ran, Lei Hua, Tingrou Li, Yejing Chen and Junfu Xiao ()
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Rong Ran: School of Public Policy and Administration, Chongqing University, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400044, China
Lei Hua: School of Public Policy and Administration, Chongqing University, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400044, China
Tingrou Li: School of Public Policy and Administration, Chongqing University, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400044, China
Yejing Chen: School of Public Policy and Administration, Chongqing University, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400044, China
Junfu Xiao: School of Economics and Business Administration, Chongqing University, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400044, China

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: Arable land resources are the basic livelihood security for people in poverty-stricken areas, and poor people are prone to uncontrolled expansion of arable land and exogenous ecological damage to secure their livelihoods. To avoid this vicious cycle, China’s poverty eradication policy requires greater management and restoration of arable land in poverty-stricken areas, but it is unknown what impacts it may bring. Therefore, this study examines the impact of policy implementation on arable land by the Difference-in-Differences (DID) model and uses the mediating and moderating models to test the policy’s mechanism on arable land. The results reveal that the policy significantly reduces the arable land, and the results remain robust, controlling for potential endogeneity variables and robustness tests. What’s more, the results of the mediating and moderating effect models indicate that the reduction of arable land is mainly due to the increase of unit yield, guiding the local people to abandon degraded land and to carry out ecological restoration, thus reducing the arable land area and achieving sustainable development. Finally, recommendations are proposed from the perspective of human-land coordination.

Keywords: arable land; China’s poverty eradication policy; poverty-stricken areas; difference-in-differences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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