The Farmers Of Agricultural Land Transfer Decision-making Behavior Study

Since 1980s, with the implementation of China's household responsibility system, the market of farmland transfer for the rights to use farmland has gradually formed and developed. To promote the development of farmland market, and to optimize the resources allocation, all levels of governments debut many laws, regulations and policies. However, the anticipated purposes fail to be obtained and abundant farmland transfer does not follow. Until the mid of 1990s, the rate of China's farmland transfer remains low. From the end of 1990s till now, with the rapid development of national economy, the tendency of farmland transfer is speeding up, whereas the rate of farmland transfer is still low compared with other developing countries, there is no fundamental change in farmer's micro-miniature farmland management, and the phenomenon of land uncultivated still exists in some areas. Thus, it is a key issue how to develop the farmland market and speed up the farmland transfer, reduce land uncultivated, enlarge the scale of farmland, and ultimately enhance China's agricultural competitiveness on the world market. Studies on developing the farmland market and speeding up the farmland transfer are not only meaningful in theory but also important in practice.At present, domestic and overseas scholars has made much research on farmland transfer of China and obtained much achievements which mainly focuses on the farmland transfer and its influential factors. Few studies focuses on decision behavior of farmland transfer from farmers' aspect, especially on the process of decision behavior, decision reason and the forming mechanism of decision behavior. Based on theory of planned behavior related to management and social psychology, combined with domestic and foreign theory of farmers' behavior, and research achievements of farmland transfer, this thesis studies the condition and features of farmland transfer in China, especially in Jiangxi province and regards it as the beginning and the background of carrying out the thorough study of farmer's farmland transfer decision. Afterward it puts forward a hypothesis of farmer's farmland transfer decision-making behavior theoretical model. Then it empirically analyses the influential factors which impact on farmer's behavior of farmland transfer and its forming mechanism, validates the hypothesis, based on the survey data in Jiangxi province. Fourthly, through two case studies this thesis analyzes farmer's farmland transfer decision behaviors and its process. Research results are obtained by the empirical study above and some policy-making suggestions for promoting farmers' farmland transfer are put forward. At last it puts forward some suggestions. This thesis is made up of five parts.The first part (including chapter 2) is literature summary, it summarizes the domestic and foreign literatures related to farmers' farmland transfer .The summary mainly includes the present status and way of farmland transfer as well as itsinfluential factors. Then the thesis reviews the literatures on behavior theory, fanners' behavior theory, farmers' behavior of farmland transfer. Through it, we find that most of the literatures on farmland transfer are concentrated on the developing countries. Compared with other countries, the rate of farmland transfer in China is somewhat lower. The main ways of farmland transfer is farmland tenure. Some research result is not identical with each other, for example, whether farmland adjustment hinders the growth of farmland market. The present research mainly focuses on the farmland transfer and its influential factors, few focuses on the study of the process of farmland transfer decision behavior, and its forming mechanism.The second part is an empirical analysis of farmland transfer of China and Jiangxi Province. In chapter III, it analyses the trend, manners, regional difference, features, and existing problems of farmland transfer in China and Jiangxi province by using statistical data .The result of the research shows that farmer's farmland transfer behavior shows an accelerating trend recently, with the ways various, the participants pluralistic diversified, while the rate remains low. There exists regional difference, with economic level, income, resource endowments as the key element. In some areas, there still exists irregular farmland transfer behaviors and the rights to use farmland can not be protected effectively.The third part is the construction of theoretical model of empirical study on farmers' farmland transfer decision behavior. Using Theory of planed behavior and farmers' behavior theory for reference, the thesis constructs farmers' farmland transfer decision behavior model. In the model attitudes are used as the mediator variables of farmers' farmland transfer behavior, variables such as farmers' behavior objectives, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, etc, are used as antecedent variables, variables such as farmers' s resource endowments, transaction costs of farmland, tenure security, etc, are used as the moderator variables. In this way it constructs a theretical model of farmers' farmland transfer decision behavior.The fourth part (chapter 5,6,8) is an empirical analysis of behavior decision. Based on the theoretical models put forward in part three, it carries out empirical studies on farmers' farmland transfer behavior. Firstly, using compound surveying method, it surveys some latent variables such as fanners' farmland transfer behavior objective, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavior control, and farmers' resource endowments, etc. It also analyses internal consistent reliability of items. Secondly, it carries our empirical analysis on farmers' attitude of farmland transfer and its influential factors. Thirdly, based on the norm of mediator variables, using hierarchy regression method, it verifies farmer attitude toward farmland transfer. Fourthly, it analyses interaction of moderator variables (such as farmer's resource endowments, transaction costs, farmland tenancy price, etc) and farmers' farmland transfer attitude on farmers' farmland transfer behavior. Finally, through case study, this thesis reviews farmer's decision behavior. Through empirical analysis, This thesis finds outthe structures of farmer's goals and the motivations of farmers' farmland transfer, illustrates the forming mechanism of farmer's farmland transfer behavior, researches on the whole process of farmer's farmland transfer decision behavior and validates the effects of latent variables such as transaction costs, tenure security, resource endowments, etc. on farmer's farmland transfer behavior, which are main contributions of the thesis.The fifth part is results and policy implications, the author summarizes the main conclusions and generates some policy implications.