Does land tenure systems affect sustainable agricultural development?

Abstract

The current study aims to investigate the agricultural investment differences among three kinds of land lease agreements and their effect on farmers' decisions regarding sustainable growth in terms of soil conservation and wheat productivity, using cross-sectional data from rural households in Punjab, Pakistan. The "multivariate Tobit model" was used for the empirical analysis because it considers the possible substitution of investment choices and the tenancy status' endogeneity. Compared to agricultural lands on lease contracts, landowners involved in agribusiness are more likely to invest in measures to improve soil and increase productivity. Moreover, the present study has also identified that the yield per hectare is much higher for landowners than sharecroppers, and thus, the Marshall's assumption of low efficiency of tenants under sharecroppers is supported.