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Institutional innovation and policy support to facilitate small‐scale farming transformation in China
Author(s) -
Huang Jikun,
Ding Jiping
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.29
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1574-0862
pISSN - 0169-5150
DOI - 10.1111/agec.12309
Subject(s) - china , land consolidation , renting , agriculture , consolidation (business) , business , transaction cost , scale (ratio) , service (business) , land reform , agricultural economics , economies of scale , natural resource economics , economics , geography , finance , marketing , political science , cartography , archaeology , law
While the Asian food economy has been experiencing significant transitions, it is widely believed that little transformation has occurred in farm land operation. However, the recent rapid emergence of middle and large‐size farms in many regions of China is striking, as is the increase in size of operational units. The overall goal of this article is to understand small‐scale farm transformation in China based on a unique dataset surveyed in Northeast and North China. The results show that the institutional innovation through establishing land transfer service centers to promote land rental markets and reduce transaction costs, policy support to speed up land consolidation, and farm mechanization services are major driving forces in the recent evolution of China's farm operations. The article concludes with policy implications on small‐scale farming transformation in China and the rest of world and identifies research issues for further study.