Abstract
Research on the sustainable livelihoods of rural households is of great significance to mitigating rural poverty and reasonable land expropriation policy helps to realize better livelihoods and sustainable development. Scholars have conducted considerable research on the relationships between land expropriation and farmers’ livelihoods. However, few quantitative studies have used the characteristics of villages as control variables to systematically analyze the impact of land expropriation on farmers’ livelihood capital and strategy in the mountainous and hilly regions of China. This study uses the Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Model (PLS- SEM) to systematically explain the impact of land expropriation on farmers’ livelihoods in mountainous and hilly regions of Sichuan in 2013, with the characteristics of the village including income, accessibility and terrain as control variables. The analysis uses both representative sample data of 240 rural households and spatial data calculated using a 30 m Digital Elevation Model (DEM) by Geographic Information System (GIS). Results are as follows: (1) The land expropriation characteristics are negatively affected by village accessibility. Villages with worse accessibility tend to have fewer land parcels and less land area expropriated. Additionally, land that is expropriated from inaccessible villages tends to receive less compensation. (2) Natural capital is negatively affected by number and area of land expropriation. Natural capital is not only directly affected by village accessibility, but also indirectly affected by village accessibility through the mediating effect of the number and area of land parcels expropriated. (3) Physical capital is positively affected by compensation for land expropriation, and negatively affected by village accessibility through compensation for land expropriation. The worse a village’s accessibility/location is, the less compensation it will receive for land expropriation, resulting in lower physical capital. (4) Financial capital is negatively affected by village accessibility indirectly through compensation for land expropriation. The better the village’s accessibility is, the greater is its compensation for land expropriation and, hence, the greater is its financial capital. (5) Social capital is directly and negatively affected by the number and area of land parcels expropriated, and is indirectly and positively affected by village accessibility through the number and area of land parcels expropriated. This study enhances our understanding of the characteristics of land expropriation and rural households’ livelihood as well as the impact of land expropriation on rural households’ livelihood. These findings provide reference for the formulation of proper policies related to land expropriation and the improvement of rural households’ livelihoods in the mountainous and hilly regions of China.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bao H, Peng Y (2016) Effect of land expropriation on land-lost farmers’ entrepreneurial action: A case study of Zhejiang Province. Habitat International 53: 342–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2015.12.008
Bebbington A (1999) Capitals and capabilities: A framework for analyzing peasant viability, rural livelihoods and poverty. World development 27: 2021–2044. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-750X(99)00104-7
Bhandari PB (2013) Rural livelihood change? Household capital, community resources and livelihood transition. Journal of Rural Studies 32: 126–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2013.05.001
Borras SM, McMichael P, Scoones I (2010) The politics of biofuels, land and agrarian change: editors’ introduction. Journal of Peasant Studies 37(4): 575–592. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2010.512448
Chambers and Conw Y (1992) Sustainable Livelihoods, Practical Concepts for the 21st Century IDS Discussion 296.
Chan N (2003) Land expropriation compensation in Chinaproblems and answers. International Real Estate Review 6(1): 136–152.
Chen H (2013) Occupational Differentiation and Influencing Factors of Land-lost Farmers during Urbanization. China Population Resources and Environment 23: 72–69 (in Chinese)
Chen RS, Ye C, Cai YL, et al. (2014) The impact of rural out migration on land use transition in China: Past, present and trend. Land Use Policy 40: 101–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2013.10.003
Ding SJ, Zhang YY, Ma ZX (2016) Study on the Change of Livelihood Capacity of Land-expropriated Farmers — Based on the Improvement of Sustainable Livelihood Framework. Agricultural Economics 6: 25–34.
Erie. Welwan (Translation) (1940) Land Economics 1–50.
Gan XC, Sun H (2015) Review on social insurance of land-lost farmers. Rural Economy 87(2): 42–48 (in Chinese)
Gao X, Xu A, Liu L, et al (2017) Understanding rural housing abandonment in China’s rapid urbanization. Habitat International 67: 13–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2017.06.009
Ghatak M, Mookherjee D (2014) Land expropriation for industrialization and compensation of displaced farmers. Journal of Development Economics 110: 303–312.
Gu P, Ma X (2013) Investigation and analysis of a floating population’s settlement intention and environmental concerns: A case study in the Shawan river Basin in Shenzhen, China. Habitat International 39: 170–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2012.12.005
Guo SL, Lin L, Liu SQ, et al. (2019) Interactions between sustainable livelihood of rural household and agricultural land transfer in the mountainous and hilly regions of Sichuan, China. Sustainable Development 27: 725–742. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.1937
Guo SL, Liu SQ, Peng L, et al. (2014) The impact of severe natural disasters on the livelihoods of farmers in mountainous areas: a case study of Qingping Township, Mianzhu City. Natural Hazards 73(3): 1679–1696. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-014-1165-9
Hair JF, Ringle CM, Sarstedt M (2013) Partial least squares structural equation modeling, rigorous applications, better results and higher acceptance. Long Range Plan 2: 1–12 (in Chinese)
He S, Liu Y, Webster C, et al. (2009) Property rights redistribution, entitlement failure and the impoverishment of landless farmers in China. Urban Studies 46: 1925–1949. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098009106015
Hodge I (1984) Uncertainty, irreversibility and the loss of agricultural land. Journal of Agricultural Economics 35(2): 191–202. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-9552.1984.tb02046.x
Hu CZ, Huang XJ (2011) Analysis of Farmers’ Sustainable Livelihood and Willingness to Land Expropriation — A Case Study of Household Survey in Typical Villages of South and North Jiangsu Provinces. Guangdong Land Science 17(2): 57–61 (in Chinese)
Hu J, Su N (2007) Study on Safeguarding the Rights and Interests of Non-Voluntary Land-lost Peasants in Urbanization — A Case Study of Wuhan, Hubei Province. Journal of Rural Economics and Science 18(6): 11–12 (in Chinese)
Huang T, Xie JC, Ge QS (2017) Livelihood differentiation between two villages in Yesanpo Tourism District in China. Journal of Mountain Science 14(11): 2359. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-017-4390-3
Huang XJ, Chen ZG, Zhong TY (2009) Land Economics. Science Press, Beijing (in Chinese).
Hui ECM, Bao H (2013) The logic behind conflicts in land expropriations in contemporary China, a framework based upon game theory. Land Use Policy 30(1): 373–380.
Hui ECM, Bao HJ, Zhang XL (2013) The policy and praxis of compensation for land expropriations in China, An appraisal from the perspective of social exclusion. Land Use Policy 32(3):309–316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2012.11.004
Husen AT (2017) Land rights and land grabbing in Oromia, Ethiopia. Land Use Policy 70(3): 247–255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.10.024
Kawanaka T (2014) Making democratic governance work: how regimes shape prosperity, welfare, and peace. The Developing Economies 52(1): 88–90. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139061902
Lai YN, Peng Y, Li B, Lin YL (2014) Industrial land development in urban villages in China, a property rights perspective. Habitat International 41: 185–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2013.08.004
Landesa (2011) China’s Farmers Benefitting from Land tenure Reform. Available at http://www.landesa.org/where-we-work/china/research-report-2010-findings-17-province-china-survey.
Li H, Huang XJ, Kwan MP, et al. (2015) Changes in farmers’ welfare from land expropriation in the process of rapid urbanization. Land Use Policy 42: 635–641. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2014.09.014
Li H, Wu Y, Huang X, et al. (2017) Spatial-temporal evolution and classification of marginalization of cultivated land in the process of urbanization. Habitat International 61: 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2017.01.001
Liu CW, Li XB (2006) Regional disparity in the changes of agricultural land use intensity in China during 1980–2002. Journal of Geographical Sciences 16(3):286–292.
Liu GS, Wang HM, Cheng YX, et al. (2016) The impact of rural out-migration on arable land use intensity: Evidence from mountain areas in Guangdong, China. Land Use Policy 59: 569–579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2016.10.005
Liu JQ, Luo R, Shi JC (2007) Study on the Social Security System of Land-lost Peasants from the Perspective of Sustainable Livelihood — Based on the Survey of Chengdu. Population Research 31(4): 27–34. (in Chinese)
Liu SQ, Zhang HQ, Xie FT, et al. (2013) Current situation and influencing factors of pluriactivity in mountainous rural areas of Sichuan province, China. Journal of Mountain Science 10(3): 445–454. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-013-2415-6
Liu YS (1995) Analysis on relativity of land location and land benefit in city. Journal of Shaanxi Normal University (Natural Science Edition) 23(1): 95–100 (in Chinese)
Liu Y, Fang F, Li Y (2014) Key issues of land use in China and implications for policy making. Land Use Policy 40: 6–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2013.03.013
Liu YS, Liu Y, Chen YF, Long HL (2010) The process and driving forces of rural hollowing in China under rapid urbanization. Journal of Geographical Sciences 20(6): 876–888. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-010-0817-2
Long HL (2014) Land use policy in China: Introduction. Land Use Policy 40(1): 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2014.03.006
Long H, Li Y, Liu Y, et al. (2012) Accelerated restructuring in rural China fueled by ‘increasing vs. decreasing balance’ land use policy for dealing with hollowed villages. Land Use Policy 29: 11–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2011.04.003
Long HL, Tu SS, Ge DZ, et al. (2016) The allocation and management of critical resources in rural China under restructuring: Problems and prospects. Journal of Rural Studies 47: 392–412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2016.03.011
Lyoba H (2006) Challenge of adopting World Bank Operational Policies on Morogoro dump construction site. Unpublished Dissertation, School of Real Estate Studies, Ardhi University.
Mcdowell C, & de Haan A (1997) Migration and sustainable livelihoods: A critical review of the literature. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1578-2190(09)70112-X
Meyer WB, Turner BL (2011) Changes in Land Use and Land Cover: A Global Perspective. Cambridge University Press, New York and London.
Moser CON. (1998) The Asset Vulnerability Framework, Reassessing Urban Poverty Reduction Strategy. World development 26(1): 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-750X(97)10015-8
Mullan K, Grosjean P, Kontoleon A (2011) Land tenure arrangements and rural-urban migration in China. World Development 39: 123–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2010.08.009
National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBSC) (2014) China statistical yearbook. Beijing, China Statistics Press (in Chinese)
Nguye NQP (2015) Urban land grab or fair urbanization? Compulsory land expropriation and sustainable livelihoods in Hue, Vietnam.
Ong L (2014) State-led urbanization in China: skyscrapers, land revenue and “concentrated villages”. China Quarterly 217: 162–179. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0305741014000010
Peng L, Lin L, Liu SQ, et al. (2016) Interaction between risk perception and sense of place in disaster-prone mountain areas: a case study in China’s Three Gorges Reservoir Area. Natural Hazards 85(2): 777–792. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-016-2604-6
Pils E (2014) Contending conceptions of ownership in urbanizing China. In: Hualing, F., Gillespie, J. (Eds.), Resolving Land Disputes in East Asia. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Song Y, Wang MY, Lei X (2016) Following the money: Corruption, conflict, and the winners and losers of suburban land Expropriation in China. Geographical Research 54: 86–102. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-5871.12158
Shan L, Yu AT, Wu Y (2017) Strategies for risk management in urban-rural conflict, two case studies of land expropriation in urbanising China. Habitat International 59: 90–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2016.11.009
Taehoon H, Choongwan K, Kim H (2012) A decision support model for improving a multi-family housing complex based on CO2 emission from gas energy consumption. Journal of Environmental Management 112: 67–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.06.046
Vilumb AA (2007) Effect of rural land expropriation on rural livelihoods- A case of Kikondo and Mwalusa sub-Village. Unpublished Dissertation, School of Real Estate Studies, Ardhi University.
Wang C, Yang Y, & Zhang Y (2011) Economic development, rural livelihoods, and ecological restoration: Evidence from China. Ambio 40: 78–87. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-010-0093-5
Wilmsen B, Webber M, Yuefang D (2011) Development for whom? Rural to urban resettlement at the three Gorges dam, China. Asian Studies Review 35: 21–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2011.552707
Wu CP (2013) Study on Female Re-employment among Land-lost Peasants- A Case Study of a Suburban Village. Population and Development 5: 17–22 (in Chinese)
Wu YZ, Peng Y, Zhang XL, et al. (2012) Development priority zoning (DPZ)-led scenario simulation for regional land use change, the case of Suichang County, China. Habitat International 36(2): 268–277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2011.10.011
Xie Y, Jiang QB (2016) Land arrangements for rural-urban migrant workers in China: Findings from Jiangsu province. Land Use Policy 50: 262–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.10.010
Xu DD, Guo SL, Xie FT, et al. (2017) The impact of rural laborer migration and household structure on household land use arrangements in mountainous areas of Sichuan Province, China. Habitat International 70: 72–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2017.10.009
Xu DD, Zhang JF, Liu SQ, et al (2015) Household livelihood strategies and dependence on agriculture in the mountainous settlements in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China. Sustainability 7(5): 4850–4869. https://doi.org/10.3390/su7054850
Yan JZ, Yang ZY, Li ZH, et al. (2016) Drivers of cropland abandonment in mountainous areas: A household decision model on farming scale in southwest China. Land Use Policy 57: 459–469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2016.06.014
Zhang T (2000) Land market forces and government’s role in sprawl: The case of China. Cities 17: 123–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0264-2751(00)00007-X
Zhang Y, Li XB, Song W (2014) Determinants of cropland abandonment at the parcel, household and village levels in mountain areas of China: Amulti-level analysis. Land Use Policy 41(4): 186–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2014.05.011
Zhang Y, Xiong YS, Pan SL (2009) Analysis on the Realization of Social Security for Land-lost Peasants in Wuhan Urban Agglomeration. China Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning 5: 18–22 (in Chinese)
Zhou Y, Fu SP (2012) Influence of Livelihood Assets on Landlost Peasant’s Self-employment- Based on Survey Data in Yangling, Shaanxi Province. Journal of Huazhong Agricultural University (social Sciences Edition) 3: 80–84. (in Chinese)
Acknowledgement
This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 41601 614, 41571527, 41771194) and supported by the Fun damental Research Funds for the Central Universities (grant number JBK1902059).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Guo, Sl., Li, Cj., Wei, Yl. et al. Impact of land expropriation on farmers’ livelihoods in the mountainous and hilly regions of Sichuan, China. J. Mt. Sci. 16, 2484–2501 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-018-5017-z
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-018-5017-z