Involution Effect: Does China’s Rural Land Transfer Market Still Have Efficiency?

Abstract

Sustainable agricultural economic growth emphasizes the improvement of agricultural technical efficiency. This paper examines the impact of the rural land transfer market on agricultural technical efficiency by constructing a theoretical framework of the impact mechanism of the rural land transfer market on agricultural technical efficiency. The data of rural land transfer market in 30 provinces from 2005 to 2020 in China were used in this paper, and the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and Tobit model equation linkage was applied. The results showed: (1) In terms of time differences, the rural land transfer market had a significant stimulating and involution effect on agricultural technical efficiency. In 2006–2015, the rural land transfer market had a significant stimulating effect on agricultural technical efficiency, and, in 2016–2020, the rural land transfer market entered the stage of involution, and the rural land transfer market had a involution effect on agricultural technical efficiency. (2) In terms of regional differences, the stimulating effect of the rural land transfer market on agricultural technical efficiency was mainly concentrated in the main grain producing areas, and the involution effect was mainly concentrated in the non-main grain producing areas. (3) The involution effect of the rural land transfer market exceeded the stimulating effect, which made the rural land transfer market have a inhibition effect on agricultural technical efficiency from a comprehensive view of the overall trend.