Agricultural land use intensity and its determinants: A case study in Taibus Banner, Inner Mongolia, China

Abstract

Based on rural household survey data from Taibus Banner, in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, this study separately categorizes agricultural land use intensity into labor intensity, capital intensity, the intensity of labor-saving inputs, and the intensity of yield-increasing inputs, and then analyzes their determinants at the household level. The findings reveal that within the study area: (1) labor intensity is higher and capital intensity is lower than in the major grain-producing and economically developed areas of eastern and central China; (2) the most widely planted crops are those with the lowest labor intensity (oats) and capital intensity (benne); (3) there are marked differences in agricultural land use intensity among households; a major factor affecting land use decision-making is the reduced need for labor intensity for those households with high opportunity costs, such as those with income earned from non-farming activities which alleviates financial constraints and allows for increased capital intensity. As a result, these households invest more in labor-saving inputs; (4) households with a larger number of workers will allocate adequate time to manage their land and thus they will not necessarily invest more in labor-saving inputs. Those households with more land to manage tend to adopt an extensive cultivation strategy. Total income has a positive impact on capital intensity and a negative impact on labor intensity. Households that derive a higher proportion of their total income through farming are more reliant upon agriculture, which necessitates significant labor and yield-increasing inputs. Finally, the authors contend that policy makers should clearly recognize the impacts of non-farming employment on agricultural land use intensity. In order to ensure long-term food security and sustainable agricultural development in China, income streams from both farming and non-farming employment should be balanced.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

agricultural land use intensity / labor intensity / capital intensity / opportunity cost of farm workers / Taibus Banner

Dr. Haiguang Hao obtained his Ph.D. in Physical Geography Sciences from the Institute of Geographic Science and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is currently a post-doctoral in the IGSNRR. His main fields of scientific interest include land use change and its effects on the environment. E-mail: [e-mail]

Dr. Xiubin Li obtained his Ph.D. in the Department of Geography from the University of Hong Kong, M.S. degree from the Institute of Geographic Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Bachelor’s degree in Geography from Beijing Normal University. He is currently a professor at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research fields include land use and land cover change. E-mail: [e-mail]

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant NO. 41161140352).

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg