The impact of rural out-migration on land use transition in China: Past, present and trend

• Autores: Ruishan Chen, Chao Ye, Yunlong Cai, Xiaoshi Xing, Qiong Chen
• Localización: Land use policy: The International Journal Covering All Aspects of Land Use, ISSN 0264-8377, ISSN-e 1873-5754, Nº. 40, 2014, págs. 101-110
• Idioma: inglés
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• Dialnet Métricas: 22 Citas
• Resumen

  • Although rural out-migration has significantly transformed land use at the local to regional scale, the links between rural out-migration and land use change are not well understood. This paper connects Zelinsky's mobility transition model to land use transition theory and identifies the impacts of rural out-migration on land use transition. It then explores the significant influences of rural out-migration on land use transition in China. Since the introduction of economic reforms in 1978, China has undergone rapid and significant changes. Extensive rural out-migration has transformed China from a land-attached agricultural society to an urban and industrial society. This has produced several contrasting land use trends: increased land demand in urban areas at the expense of high-quality cultivated land, increased number of total settlement areas and emerging �hollowed villages� in the countryside. China's policies addressing these problems could benefit to other developing countries, such as restricting frontier clearing through land zoning and other ecological protection policies; encouraging nonmigrants to adjust their agricultural land holdings; protecting nonmigrants� interest through subsidizing agricultural land, and improving rural infrastructure and farmers� living conditions. Rural out-migration is thus a critical element in addressing the fundamental question of land use�how to balance the land demand for economic development, food security and conservation. This article explores the impacts of rural out-migration on land use change, analyzes the process of migration and land use transition and then examines how rural out-migration affects land use transition in China. This paper also explores future land use change in China, by considering the trend of rural�urban migration and the dynamics of population transition. In so doing, we try to link current rural out-migration dynamics and land use change to facilitate future research and policy considerations. We propose that in order to facilitate policymaking, further research should take a multiscale perspective: cross-country research should be based on an understanding of the dynamics and issues of rural out-migration and land use change in developing countries with different characteristics; country-level research should focus on land use change and problems caused by rural out-migration and its spatial characteristics; and community and household-level research should examine the effects of out-migration of household or household members on agricultural and other land use change.