抄録
The purpose of this study was to analyze the choices made by farmers about migration and the supply of off-farm labor, devoting special attention to the effects of land availability on these issues. Because many extant econometric analyses have confirmed the close relationship between these two factors, we concentrated primarily on the following two aspects.
First, we examined how the development of a rural land-transfer market influenced the choices of individual peasants about off-farm labor. Because China offers a vast market in which the rights to land management can be transferred, huge differences between regions exist.
Second, we focused on the special conditions confronted by Chinese farmers and their reactions to these situations. In China, the right to use rural land is controlled by the collective government. In this context, however, farmers are able to allocate the labor resources of their family to maximize the income of their households. The basic household model asserts that farmers serve not only as agricultural laborers but also as land owners and consumers. Thus, the conditions of the agricultural land and factors such as other sources of family income can influence individual choices about labor. The impact of these choices depends on the status of each family member.
Our empirical analysis used micro-level data from three rural areas. These data were collected during the 2005 and 2007 household surveys in Xiaojin and Jiangyou Counties in Sichuan Province and the 2009 household survey in Fenghua City in Zhejiang Province. Finally, we will discuss the implications of our results for future policies, with an emphasis on the importance of the rural landrental market.
