Land tenure stability and adoption intensity of sustainable agricultural practices in banana production in China

Abstract

Unstable land tenure may hamper cleaner agricultural production in developing countries by discouraging farmers from adopting sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs). This study attempts to examine the impact of land tenure stability on farmers' adoption intensity of SAPs in agricultural production, using the data collected from banana farmers in China. The Endogenous Switching Regression (ESR) model is employed to address the self-selection bias of sample farmers. The results show that land tenure stability exerts a statistically significant and positive impact on farmers' adoption intensity of SAPs. Specifically, farmers who cultivate higher proportion of their own farmland are more inclined to use SAPs in banana production, and the higher stability of land use rights can increase farmers' adoption intensity of SAPs by 30.55% on average. The effect of land tenure stability on farmers’ uptake of SAPs appears heterogeneous among farmers with different farmland sizes and in different regions. Further, a positive association between the use of SAPs and land productivity has been identified in banana farms of China. Our findings highlight the importance of secure land rental market for sustainable agriculture in developing countries, and more supporting programs are expected from policymakers to encourage farmers to adopt SAPs in farming practices.