Will Agricultural Infrastructure Construction Promote Land Transfer? Analysis of China’s High-Standard Farmland Construction Policy

Abstract

The construction of high-standard basic farmland is the cornerstone of high-quality agricultural development. In theory, the construction of high-standard farmland will affect changes in land management patterns but there is a limited amount of literature on the relationship between high-standard basic farmland construction and land transfer. Based on the panel data of 31 provinces in China, this study uses the continuous double difference method to analyze the impact of high-standard farmland construction policies on land transfer. The results show the following: the high-standard farmland construction policy implemented by the Chinese government can promote land transfer, which will significantly increase the proportion of land transfer area by 0.196 units. After robustness testing, it was found that this result is still reliable. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the construction of high-standard farmland has a stronger promoting effect on land transfer in major grain-producing areas, eastern and central regions, mountainous, and more economically structured planting areas. The mechanism test shows that the construction of high-standard farmland promotes land circulation through three paths: improving agricultural production conditions, improving factor utilization efficiency, and resisting disasters and increasing income. This study provides a valuable reference for improving the construction of high-standard farmland and promoting land circulation.