For a developing country with a large rural population, to understand the rural households' energy consumption characteristic and energy consumption determinants for further public policy design is ...of increasing importance. Therefore, this paper provides a detailed analysis of the characteristics of rural households’ energy consumption. Simultaneously, based on the data of 1472 rural households from the Chinese General Social Survey of 2015, the energy consumption determinants of rural households are estimated by Tobit model. Results reveal that rural households with a healthy and old household head reduce the share of coal consumption, and household labors with an off-farm job and high level of education, and a large household size increase the share of LPG and electricity consumption. The good economic condition of rural households contributes to the reduction of biomass consumption. Given the results, the government should work for poverty reduction, subsidies for modern equipment purchase, policies of effective and renewable energy technologies, and educational investment in rural areas, which may help for a positive transition in energy consumption for rural households.
•Use a national survey data of 2015 on rural household energy consumption of China.•Display comprehensive characteristics of rural household energy consumption.•Comprehensively examine the factors affecting rural household energy consumption.
Renewable energy technology innovation can benefit the environment by promoting green productivity, as proposed by existing theoretical studies. However, recent uneven developments of both ...environmental performance and renewable energy technology among regions in China remind us to revisit the above theoretical link. In this paper, we relax the hypothesized homogeneity and linearity in traditional empirical models to investigate the effects of renewable energy technology innovation on China's green productivity. The results of the partially linear functional-coefficient models show that the effect of renewable energy technological innovation on green productivity is significant only when the relative income level of a province passes a critical turning point. Beyond the turning point, such an effect increases with the growth of relative income levels. Finally, we provide provincial specific policy implications based on the estimated nonparametric relationship between renewable energy technology innovation and green productivity.
•The PLFC model is employed to explore the heterogeneous effects of RETI.•The income level shapes the relationship between RETI and green productivity.•The positive role of RETI is found in China's well-developed provinces.
•Farmland is crucial production and food security.•Investigate internet’s impact on farmland rental activities in China.•Use 2018 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) survey data.•Findings show that ...Farmers with internet are more likely to lease out farmland.•Internet use via mobile phone significantly increases leasing out activities.
The farmland rental market plays a vital role in China. This study investigates the Internet’s influence on leasing out of the farmland by rural households. The study is based on the 2018 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) survey data and a binary logit model to explore the influence of internet use from four aspects, including whether the use of the Internet, the mode, the time, and the frequency of internet use grouped by different purposes. Findings show that household heads who use the Internet are more likely than non-users to lease out farmland. More intense internet use (more hours) is directly correlated with internet use in the farmland rental market. Using the Internet via mobile phone has a more significant impact on leasing out farmland than using it via computers. Further analysis shows that internet use significantly promotes rural households’ social networks and increases their likelihood of engaging in non-farm employment and business activities, thus contributing to farmland rental decisions. The government should improve the information infrastructure and provide skills training in information management in rural areas to promote farmland rental activities.
Abstract This study discusses the modernization of smallholder agriculture in China, where most farms are small, and farms' parcels are fragmented. The study puts forward a framework of agricultural ...modernization by vertical division of labor and specialized production in agriculture. We posit that hiring machinery services could be a pathway to connect smallholders with modern agriculture and achieve food security in China. Using household‐level data from China, this study examines how hiring machinery services affects farm productivity and rural households' welfare. Findings show that mechanization services increased rural Chinese families' food security and agricultural productivity. Hiring machinery services improves smallholders' income by influencing the input efficiency of maize production and increasing participation in off‐farm work. Our findings highlight the importance of technology to improve smallholder agriculture and food security, not only in China but also in other South and Southeast Asian countries.
The aging farming population has a significant influence on production agriculture, succession planning, successors, and farmland usage. Given recent trends in urban migration and increased ...opportunities for off-farm work, aging farmers increasingly face problems with farmland succession and usage in China. This study investigates the usage of farmland in the absence of a farm successor. Using multinomial logit regression model and data from rural households, we find that aging farmers without successors tend to have options for farmland usage. Specifically, the presence of a grain subsidy increases the likelihood of keeping the farmland in agriculture—albeit by hiring labor or leasing out farmland and decreases the likelihood of pooling farmland into farming cooperatives as shareholders. Off-farm work decreases the likelihood of using hired labor and leasing out farmland. Rich rural households are less likely to keep farmland idle. Large farm operators are more likely to lease out farmland. Finally, rural people with pension plans are more likely to pool their land in land cooperatives — a less-risky option.
Based on the household-level dataset of 1472 rural households in China in 2015, this paper provides detailed patterns of electric appliance usage in rural China and examines the factors affecting it ...by using a multinomial logit model. Results reveal that rural households with higher per capita incomes, with large household size and dwelling areas, are more likely to purchase energy-efficient-labeled appliances than families with lower incomes, with small household size and dwelling areas. Rural households with higher education but relatively low incomes may be hampered in their purchase of energy-efficient appliances. Households using biomass are less likely to purchase appliances in general and energy-efficient labeled washing machine and TVs in particular. Findings suggest that providing subsidies to rural households for energy-saving appliances in rural China may encourage the choice of energy-efficient appliances.
•Examine factors affecting electric appliance usage in rural China.•Investigate the use of energy-efficient-labeled appliances.•Used data from 1472 rural Chinese household and multinomial logit model.•Households with higher income, large family and houses buy energy-efficient appliances.•Educational attainment can help adoption of energy-efficient appliances.
Urbanization and aging of the agricultural population lead to the insufficient supply of agricultural labor and land being idle in rural China, calling for the farmland lease market to maintain ...sustainable and efficient use of farmland. However, rural households tend to agree on an uncertain term for farmland leasing in/out, which leads to low efficiency and land loss in agriculture. Therefore, using the survey data collected from 2704 rural households and a logistic regression model, we examine the effects of risk faced by the rural households on the likelihood of the uncertain term for farmland leasing. Results reveal that a large share of labor with low education and high income increase the likelihood of an uncertain term for farmland leasing out activities, while a high disaster frequency, a high education of household and a high share of agricultural income increase the probability of an uncertain term for farmland leasing in activities. Additionally, leasing farmland to/from relatives or neighbors, informal contracts, low rent and the lack of pension insurance also increase the likelihood of the uncertain term for farmland leasing out/in activities. Findings suggest that more attention should be paid to education, agricultural insurance and social security system in rural areas.
•Analyzes the impact of agricultural mechanization on the local Chinese economy.•Identification is based on a Bartik-type IV.•Mechanization led to a decline in local gross domestic product.•There are ...adverse effects of mechanization o the development of local industries and service sectors.•Mechanization changes the sector’s production structures and lowers its total output value.
In this study, we analyze the impact of agricultural mechanization on the local Chinese economy from 2010 to 2020. Findings based on panel data and instrumental variable methods show that agricultural mechanization led to a significant decline in the local gross domestic product. In particular, agricultural mechanization changes the sector’s production and lowers its output value. Agricultural mechanization has reduced the need for labor to such an extent that young Chinese tend to seek jobs in the non-farming sector, leading to a fall in the local agricultural labor supply and household consumption, adversely affecting the development of local industries and service sectors. Mechanization has also led to cash crops being increasingly replaced by grain crops, reducing the total agricultural output. Finally, this paper presents some policy suggestions for agricultural production and rural development.
This study investigates the impact of direct grain subsidy and off-farm labor supply on farmland leasing options in China, using multinomial logit and farm household-level data. Results show that the ...grain subsidy has a significant and positive effect on both leasing out and leasing in farmland in rural China. Rural households with an increased share of full-time off-farm workers are more likely to lease out farmland and less likely to lease it in. Older operators and households with less educational attainment are less likely to lease in farmland. Large farms are likely to both lease out and lease in farmland. Finally, the Land Shareholding Cooperative System (LSCS) plays an important role in China's farmland leasing market.
•Investigate the impact of direct grain subsidy and the off-farm labor supply on farmland leasing options in China•We use multinomial logit and farm household-level data from nine provinces.•Grain subsidy has a significant and positive effect on both leasing out and leasing in farmland in rural China.•Rural households with an increased share of full-time off-farm workers are more likely to lease out farmland and less likely to lease it in.•Land Shareholding Cooperative System (LSCS) plays an important role in China's farmland leasing market.
Using China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this study investigates factors associated with the choice of farmland leasing strategies and the impact of leasing options on farm performance. Particular ...attention is given to off-farm employment and farm subsidies. Additionally, the study applies a selectivity-based approach to assess the relationship between farmland leasing choices and farm businesses’ performance. Off-farm employment, older and educated operators, large farms and old-age pension plans increase the likelihood of leasing out farmland. Part-time off-farm employment, grain subsidies and mechanised farms increase the likelihood of leasing in farmland. Finally, the selectivity correction terms in the value of crop production are significantly negative in the choices of farmland leasing, indicating the presence of sample selection effects. Accounting for selectivity is essential to ensure unbiased and consistent estimates.
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