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Regional rural and structural transformations and farmer's income in the past four decades in China

Jikun Huang (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China) (China Center for Agricultural Policy, School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China)
Pengfei Shi (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China) (University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China)

China Agricultural Economic Review

ISSN: 1756-137X

Article publication date: 7 January 2021

Issue publication date: 1 June 2021

627

Abstract

Purpose

The purposes of this paper are to analyze the path and speed of rural transformation (RT) and explore the relationship between farmer's income and RT as well as structural transformation (ST) and typology of RT in the past four decades in China.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the major indicators of RT and ST, graphic illustration is used to analyze the relationships between these indicators and farmer's income using the time-series and cross-provincial data in 1978–2017.

Findings

While China has experienced significant RT and ST, the levels and speeds of these transformations differed largely among provinces. Higher and faster RT and ST are often positively associated with the higher and faster growth of rural income. Based on this study, a general typology of rural and structural transformations and rural income is developed. The likely impacts of institutions, policies and investments (IPIs) on RT are discussed.

Originality/value

The authors believe that the findings of this study provide the insights on regional RT and ST and policy implications to increase farmer's income through facilitating and speeding up RT and ST with appropriate IPIs during the rural transformation.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (71934003), the National Social Science Foundation of China (19ZDA002), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD: 2000000866) and Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ADP/2017/024).

Citation

Huang, J. and Shi, P. (2021), "Regional rural and structural transformations and farmer's income in the past four decades in China", China Agricultural Economic Review, Vol. 13 No. 2, pp. 278-301. https://doi.org/10.1108/CAER-11-2020-0262

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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