Research on the Path of Rural Revitalization under the Background of Land Contracting: From the Perspective of Village and Town Planning and Agricultural Land Utilization Efficiency

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jmsd.202512516

Author(s)

Yali Li1, Chengting Zheng2

Affiliation(s)

1Land Consolidation and Reserve Center, Bishan District, Chongqing, China 2Rural Revitalization School, Fuzhou University of International Studies and Trade, Fuzhou, China

Abstract

This study investigates how rural land contract extensions influence agricultural land-use efficiency within the framework of China’s rural revitalization strategy. Using Mile Village in Bishan District as a case study and applying simple regression analysis, the research explores the roles of tenure stability, participatory planning, and digital coordination. Results show that households with secure thirty-year contracts achieve higher efficiency, while participatory practices and digital tools further strengthen outcomes by enhancing transparency and inclusiveness. Control variables, including household structure, credit access, and irrigation, also shape efficiency. Robustness tests confirm the stability of results. The findings highlight the importance of institutional stability and governance innovation in achieving sustainable rural revitalization.

Keywords

Rural Revitalization; Land Contracting; Village Planning; Agricultural Land-Use Efficiency

References

[1] Feng, Z., Robinson, G. M., & Tan, Y. (2025). Rural Revitalization in China: Reversing Rural Decline and Eliminating Poverty. Geography Compass, 19(7), e70039. [2] Xiong, Z., Huang, Y., & Yang, L. (2024). Rural revitalization in China: Measurement indicators, regional differences and dynamic evolution. Heliyon, 10(8). [3] Liu, Y., Qiao, J., Xiao, J., Han, D., & Pan, T. (2022). Evaluation of the effectiveness of rural revitalization and an improvement path: A typical old revolutionary cultural area as an example. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(20), 13494. [4] Wang, Y., Wen, Q., Ge, D., & Zhang, B. (2023). Rural Land Use Progress and Its Implication for Rural Revitalization in China. Land, 12(11), 2064. [5] Yin, Q., Sui, X., Ye, B., Zhou, Y., Li, C., Zou, M., & Zhou, S. (2022). What role does land consolidation play in the multi-dimensional rural revitalization in China? A research synthesis. Land Use Policy, 120, 106261. [6] Li, P. (2003). Rural land tenure reforms in China: Issues, regulations and prospects for additional reform. Land Reform, Land Settlement, and Cooperatives, 11(3), 59-72. [7] Feder, G., & Feeny, D. (1991). Land tenure and property rights: Theory and implications for development policy. The world bank economic review, 5(1), 135-153. [8] Jacoby, H. G., Li, G., & Rozelle, S. (2002). Hazards of expropriation: tenure insecurity and investment in rural China. American Economic Review, 92(5), 1420-1447. [9] Deininger, K., Jin, S., Xia, F., & Huang, J. (2014). Moving off the farm: land institutions to facilitate structural transformation and agricultural productivity growth in China. World Development, 59, 505-520. [10] Zhang, J., & Chen, Q. (2022). The impact of farmland tenure security on China’s agricultural production efficiency: a perspective of agricultural production factors. Sustainability, 14(23), 16266. [11] Ma, X., Heerink, N., Feng, S., & Shi, X. (2017). Land tenure security and technical efficiency: new insights from a case study in Northwest China. Environment and Development Economics, 22(3), 305-327. [12] Sun, Y., & Jin, X. (2024). How to Extend China’s Rural Land Contracts for Another 30 Years: A Psychological Ownership Perspective. Land, 13(8), 1167. [13] Chang, H., Ai, P., & Li, Y. (2018). Land tenure policy and off-farm employment in rural China. IZA Journal of Development and Migration, 8(1), 9. [14] Lu, M., Qi, Y., Zhang, J., & Zhu, D. (2023). The impact of rural credit on cultivated land use efficiency: An empirical analysis using China rural revitalization survey data. Land, 12(11), 1969. [15] Wang, J., Etienne, X., & Ma, Y. (2020). Deregulation, technical efficiency and production risk in rice farming: evidence from Zhejiang Province, China. China Agricultural Economic Review, 12(4), 605-622. [16] Zhu, J., Ke, X., & He, L. (2025). How collectively owned operating construction land marketization affects rural industrial convergence: Empirical evidence from a rural land institutional reform in China. Land Use Policy, 157, 107662. [17] Zhang, W., Wei, H., & Haroon, M. (2024). Assessing rural land use in contemporary China: Data compilation and methodology. Heliyon, 10(11).