Individual and Village Level Factors Affect Farmers’ Satisfaction with Sustainable Rural Development Practices: Evidence from Guangdong Province in China

Abstract

Farmers are the most important stakeholders in the sustainable development of rural areas. Studying farmers’ satisfaction with sustainable rural development (SRD) practices can help us to understand how to mobilize farmers’ enthusiasm and initiative, such that they can play a major role in SRD. This study aimed to identify the factors influencing farmers’ satisfaction with SRD practices. Based on the survey data of 599 farmers in 57 villages in the Guangdong Province, Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM) was used to identify the influencing factors of farmers’ satisfaction with SRD practices in Guangdong Province at the individual and village levels. This study found that there was spatial heterogeneity in farmers’ satisfaction with SRD practices in the Guangdong Province, and factors at the individual level and village level jointly affected the farmers’ satisfaction. At the individual level, farmers’ college education, identity of Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and participation have positive predictive effects on farmers’ satisfaction. At the village level, the improvement of public services, village infrastructure, and grassroots governance has a positive predictive effect on farmers’ satisfaction. However, the improvement of the village living environment and the income of the village’s collective economy were not significant determinants of farmers’ satisfaction. The results provide practical implications for policymakers to guide farmers to actively participate in SRD practices.