Land Circulation And Regional Differences From The Perspective Of Rural Settlements And Household Livelihood Capitals

As a source of livelihood and intergenerational assets for rural households,agricultural land has spawned different industrial development models.It occupies a stable position in the process of rural development and carries the functions of stimulating economic growth,reducing poverty and strengthening food security.However,rapid urbanization and supporting infrastructure construction are consuming high-quality productive agricultural land.At the same time,the imbalance of urban and rural economic and social development promotes the circular or permanent non-agricultural transfer of the rural young generation in pursuit of high-quality living conditions and high levels of income.Major changes have taken place in the internal and external situation of agricultural development,and the non-agricultural,non-food,inefficient use and even abandonment of agricultural land is gradually evolving into a global social and economic phenomenon.Facing these challenges,agricultural intensification is an important strategy to mitigate agricultural land loss and strengthen food security.Land circulation is considered to be an effective means to alleviate land fragmentation and reduce the inefficient use of agricultural land.It has multiple functions,such as rebuilding urban-rural space and promoting the transfer of rural surplus.As the main body of rural resource allocation,rural household determine the spatial pattern of rural settlements,shape the rural living environment,and directly manage land resources.However,it is still difficult for many households to give up the multiple functions carried by agriculture land,resulting in the phenomenon of leaving the home without leaving the land.The inconsistency between land circulation and urban-rural transformation raises concerns about food security,urban expansion,agricultural land protection and environmental degradation.Therefore,mastering the land circulation decision-making mechanism and scientifically guiding the orderly use of agricultural land are of great significance to ensuring food security.This study argues that households leaving agricultural land is associated with households’ access to private capital and enjoyment of high-quality living environments.In addition,rural human settlements as a public resource should be distinguished from private household livelihood capital under different decision-making and management dynamics.From the perspective of the coupling interaction between agricultural labor transfer and land use,it constructs a theoretical framework for land circulation behavior based on the coupling interaction between rural-scale human settlement environment and farmer-scale livelihood capital,using employment choice as the intermediary.Empirical research is also carried out to explore the driving mechanism of land circulation behavior in figurative areas.On this basis,Multi-Group SEM verifies the consistent expression of the theoretical framework of land circulation behavior in different regions,so as to identify the regional differentiation path and provide reference for the smooth implementation of rural revitalization.The main conclusions are as follows:(1)Proposed the coupling expression of rural human settlement and household livelihood capital in the process of land circulationBased on basic theories(rural revitalization,farmers’ livelihoods,and human-land relationship)and research methods(SLF,LESA,and SEM),this study identifies the explanatory variables of rural human settlements,household livelihood capital,employment choices,and land circulation behavior.Among them,human settlements,as a space closely related to people’s daily life,is the sum of farmers’ production and life services.By synthesizing the natural environment,artificial environment and social environment,this study selects six indicators to quantify it from infrastructure,public services and social governance.Livelihood capital often means more livelihood options and greater resilience to shocks and risks,which is critical to household development.Based on the sustainable livelihood framework,this study selects 15 indicators to quantify livelihood capital from five dimensions: human-,nature-,physical-,financialand social-capital.As important livelihood decisions,agricultural income,industrial and commercial income,and migrant work are selected to explain employment choices.In order to avoid the misjudgment of land circulation degree by equal-area swap and free transfer,this study selects circulation behavior,circulation area and circulation income to measure land circulation from the starting point and purpose of circulation.On this basis,this study connects the key paths,including the direct role and indirect role(through employment choice)of human settlements on land circulation,the direct role and indirect role(through employment choice)of livelihood capital on land circulation,and the comprehensive role of human settlements,livelihood capital and employment choice on land circulation,thus constructing a theoretical model of land circulation behavior.(2)Identify the dominant factors and relevance feedback of land circulation behavior decision-makingBased on the research objects and statistical characteristics,this study selected2089 households nationwide to conduct an empirical study on the theoretical framework of land circulation behavior with the help of micro farmer data.Based on verifying the validity of the theoretical model,the driving mechanism of land circulation behavior was identified.The results show that the discriminant validity,structural validity,and adaptability of the model reach acceptable levels,which verifies the rationality of the variables and structure of the structural equation model of land circulation behavior.Among them,the positive and significant effects of infrastructure(β=0.679,P < 0.01),public services(β=0.763,P < 0.01)and social governance(β=0.823,P < 0.01)provide directions for the improvement of human settlements.Similarly,human capital(β=0.649,P < 0.01),natural capital(β=0.636,P < 0.01),physical capital(β = 0.861,P < 0.01),financial capital(β=0.694,P < 0.01),and social capital(β=0.698,P < 0.01)accumulation is an important aspect of the improvement of livelihood capital.Human settlements(β=0.159,P<0.01)and livelihood capital(β=0.130,P<0.01)work together to facilitate land flows,while facilitating land inflows.However,their role o on employment choices is manifested as heterogeneity,that is,improved human settlements contribute to the return of rural populations(β=-0.297,P<0.01),while the accumulation of subsistence capital accelerates the transfer of non-farm labor(β=0.862,P<0.01).Needless to say,households with shifts in non-farm labor tend to flow out of their land to realize the value of their capital(β=-0.711,P<0.01).(3)Explain the mechanism of mediation of employment choicesThis study assumes that employment choice plays an important mediating role in the decision-making process of land circulation behavior,and its mediation effect is tested by Bootstrap sampling.The results show that the accumulation of livelihood capital can directly increase the possibility of land inflow(β=0.130,P < 0.01),but it indirectly reduced farmers’ dependence on land by stimulating non-agricultural employment(β=-0.613,P < 0.01),thus reversing the promoting effect of livelihood capital on land inflow(β=-0.483,P<0.01).The improvement of the rural human settlement has promoted the inflow of agricultural land(β=0.159,P<0.01)and can also indirectly increase the willingness of labor to flow into agriculture(β=0.211,P<0.01)by creating comfortable living and production conditions,thereby accelerating land inflow(β=0.370,P<0.01).On the whole,the role of human settlements,livelihood capital and employment choices on land circulation is negative and significant(β=-0.113,P<0.01).Therefore,the employment choice can play a significant intermediary role in the decision-making of land circulation by enhancing the direct role of the human settlement,weakening or even reversing the direct role of livelihood capital.(4)Locate the regional differentiation path of the land circulation behavior mechanism modelIn order to explore the cross-regional validity of the mechanism model of land circulation behavior,this study divides the samples into eastern,central,and western groups according to differences in resource endowments,location conditions and macro-control.The model group invariance test and the structural model identity evaluation are used to locate the critical path of differentiation with the help of the critical coefficient ratio.The results show that the measurement model has cross-regional group validity,but its structural path coefficients are not consistent.In the process of land circulation,the role of social governance in the western region is relatively weak,the central region has obvious advantages in terms of nature capital and physical capital,and the financial capital and social capital in the eastern region play a more important role.From the perspective of the integrated path,the direct role of livelihood capital and human settlements on land circulation(promoting land inflows)and the indirect role of livelihood capital(promoting land outflows)are consistent among groups,but the improvement of human settlements in the western region has not attracted farmers to agriculture(as opposed to the eastern and central regions),making the willingness of the region to stay away from agriculture more pronounced.(5)Put forward the path of rural land circulation governance under the background of rural revitalization strategyBased on the interaction path and regional differences of human settlements,livelihood capital,employment choices and land circulation behaviors,this study believes that in the face of the practical dilemma of idle and inefficient use of arable land,as well as the needs of rural revitalization,urban-rural integration development and new urbanization construction,we should fully consider the actual needs of farmers as rural subjects and direct beneficiaries,from strengthening the cultivation of agricultural talents and improving the rural living environment in order to achieve intensive agricultural development and sustainable development of rural areas.Regionally differentiated support policies have been formulated to improve the capital accumulation of farmers,so as to provide support for improving land use efficiency,creating a good living environment and increasing farmers income.