Spatial Pattern of Farmland Transfer in Liaoning Province, China

Abstract

Farmland transfer (FT) is the key to achieving moderate agricultural scale management in China. Clarifying the spatial pattern of FT is important to improve FT strategies. In this study, the multinomial logit model was used to reveal the spatial pattern of FT in Liaoning Province, Northeast China. On this basis, the reasons for its formation were discussed, and suggestions were proposed. According to the statistical results, 39.7% of the sample peasant households participated in FT. Most of them live far from the regional core area. Regression analysis shows that the FT in Liaoning Province has a significant “core-periphery” spatial pattern. As the spatial distance between the residence and the regional core area (SDRRC) increases, the probability of FT rises for peasant households. Specifically, the odds ratios of farmland transfer out and farmland transfer in rise by 0.9% and 0.6% on average, respectively, for each 1 km increase in SDRRC. Widespread concurrent business and the increase in FT fees due to imperfect urbanization are the main reasons for the formation of the spatial pattern. We suggest that the promotion of FT requires high-quality urbanization in central cities, accelerating urbanization in medium and small cities and counties, implementing differentiated FT subsidy standards, and promoting new agricultural scale management models.