Abstract
China has experienced rapid urban expansion and agricultural land loss, and the land conversion has accelerated in central provinces since the mid-1990s. The goal of this paper is to examine the relative importance of socioeconomic and policy factors on the urban conversion of agricultural land in Henan Province, China. Using panel econometric models, we examine how socioeconomic and policy factors affect agricultural land conversion at the county level across three time periods, 1995–2000, 2000–2005, and 2005–2010. The results show that both urban land rent and urban wages are essential factors that positively contribute to the conversion of agricultural land. It is also found that per capita GDP is correlated with more urban development and agricultural land loss. Consistent with expectations, agricultural financial support is negatively correlated with agricultural land conversion, suggesting a policy success. Finally, the decomposition analysis illustrates that urban wages are the most influential positive factor and agricultural financial support is the most influential negative factor affecting the urban conversion of agricultural land.
Highlights
China has experienced rapid urban transformation since its economic reforms in the 1980s, represented by significant changes in the demographic composition and large-scale expansion of the urban landscape [1]
We used panel econometric models to examine the socioeconomic and policy factors that drive the urban conversion of agricultural land at the county level in Henan Province, China
The results show that both urban land rent and urban wages are essential factors that positively contribute to the conversion of agricultural land
Summary
China has experienced rapid urban transformation since its economic reforms in the 1980s, represented by significant changes in the demographic composition and large-scale expansion of the urban landscape [1]. Urbanization was concentrated in coastal regions in the early period of the economic reforms, rapid urban land expansion began to take place in the vast inland region due to the “Go West” Policy, a policy shift propagated by the central government that aimed at directing industrial and economic development from the coastal areas to the interior regions since the mid-1990s [8]. This has further resulted in massive losses of agricultural land in the central provinces of the country [9,10]. An understanding of the mechanisms and linkages of urban expansion and agricultural land loss is critical in order to alleviate the tension between urban and agricultural land uses, and to achieve the twin goals of urban growth and preservation of farmland and natural ecosystems
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