Agricultural Land-Use Transition and Procedural Justice: Evidence from a Systematic Literature Review and a Case Study in Taiwan

Abstract

As just transition debates extend into agricultural land use, this study examines landscape transition in Huwei Township, Taiwan, through a procedural justice lens. To address severe land subsidence, the state has promoted a shift from paddy rice cultivation to dryland farming, but the transition remains politically contested. Based on a systematic review of 55 empirical studies (2020–2026) and 12 semi-structured interviews, the study identifies a key mismatch in problem attribution: official accounts emphasize irrigation, whereas farmers point to urban development pressures and infrastructure burdens. The findings also show that cultivation-decoupled subsidies enable landowners to capture compensation while shifting operational risks onto tenant farmers and other vulnerable groups. The study argues that a socially sustainable transition depends on incorporating local knowledge and redesigning subsidy eligibility and risk-sharing rules to strengthen procedural justice, representativeness, and accountability.