Suitability of rural living & work facilities, spatial behavior patterns of farmers and family income

Abstract

In recent years, China has put forward policies to improve rural infrastructure and promote the development of rural industries causing to dramatic transition in the living and employment conditions. Moreover, under the pressure of the high expenditure of living and the difficulty of finding jobs, new changes have taken place in the spatial behavior pattern of farmers' residence and employment. Based on a field survey of 839 observations in 123 villages in Poyang Lake basin, China, we developed indicators to evaluate the suitability of rural living facilities (SLF) and work facilities (SWF). Multinomial logit regression model was used to measure the relationship between SWF, SLF and the spatial behavior patterns of farmers. The results show that: (1) SWF development in rural areas lags behind SLF; (2) Higher SLF is most distributed in suburban areas; (3) Higher SWF is mostly distributed in suburban towns and characteristic towns; (4) The effects of SLF and SWF on the spatial behavior patterns of farmers are significantly positive; (5) Farmers in the urban-rural amphibious pattern usually obtain a higher income level, and also bring vitality to the countryside.