Rural household participation in and satisfaction with compensation programs targeting farmland preservation in China

Abstract

The Chinese government attempts to use fiscal compensation mechanisms to promote farmland conservation and to protect rural communities. Policy experiments consisting of monetary or insurance compensation programs are conducted in 17 provinces to support farmland conservation. These programs seek to curb farmland loss, retain rural landscape, and to protect farmland resources. The policy effects of the programs are dependent on the active participation of and the degree to which rural households are satisfied with the policies. To evaluate the policy effects, we conducted surveys on rural households in Chengdu, Suzhou, and Shanghai in 2012 and 2015. Our findings indicate that farmer respondents' satisfaction with the compensation programs has become increasingly significant over time. The overall effects of farmer households' participation in farmland conservation were enhanced by the fiscal compensation programs. However, different localities had divergent outcomes. Farmers' policy satisfaction was higher in Chengdu than in Suzhou and Shanghai. We argue that economic development may affect how farmers view these fiscal compensation programs in rural conservation. Preferential policies should be implemented in the less-favored and developing regions where agricultural production has comparative advantages.