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Land
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The Impact of Rural Out-Migration on Land Use Transition
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The Impact of Rural Out-Migration on Land Use Transition

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land Environmental and Policy Impact Assessment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 8306

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kenichiro Onitsuka

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Guest Editor
Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Interests: rural governance; rural planning; sustainable rural development
Dr. Corinthias P. M. Sianipar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Interests: renewable energy; technological change; multi-actor systems; land-use planning; circular economy; climate change adaptation; digital agriculture
Dr. Mrittika Basu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Interests: rural water security; ecosystem services; human well-being; disaster-induced migration; water resource management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Rajarshi Dasgupta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Hayama, Japan
Interests: landscape planning; spatial planning; ecosystem services; natural resource management; climate change adaptation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to our Special Issue ‘The Impact of Rural Out-Migration on Land Use Transition’. In rural areas, agricultural production activities in which local residents have long been engaged have created a mosaic of various land uses, providing rich biodiversity, multifunctionality and ecosystem services. The Japanese term “satoyama” is now widely used internationally as a term to represent secondary nature. However, in both developed and developing countries, the low profitability and the hard physical labor of agriculture, as well as the lack of job opportunities other than agriculture have caused a population out-flow, especially among young people, raising concerns about the sustainability of agriculture and the decline of its indirect roles and services. While rural out-migration and land use transition in rural areas have been studied widely, it is important to know the mechanisms between them for practical solutions.

This Special Issue aims to understand the relationship between population outflow, a socioeconomic phenomenon, and its impacts on land use or Nature, which have been common challenges in countries around the world. Contributions at the intersection of land use and rural studies are especially welcome, but contributions from other fields related to human-environment interaction are also highly welcome. Regional and scalar diversity in contributions is also desired.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. We are interested in contributions that link population out-flow to changing land uses, through either empirical research or conceptual/theoretical works. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Preference for agriculture among young rural residents;
  • Livelihood vulnerability and resilience;
  • Labor out-migration;
  • Land use transition and prediction of multi-functional roles of agriculture;
  • Relationship of eco-system service and aging and declining population;
  • Challenges to tackle rural out-migration.

Dr. Kenichiro Onitsuka
Dr. Corinthias P. M. Sianipar
Dr. Mrittika Basu
Dr. Rajarshi Dasgupta
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • rural areas
  • out-migration
  • land use transition
  • multi-functional roles of agriculture
  • ecosystem service
  • biodiversity
  • satoyama
  • labor shortage
  • aging
  • depopulation

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 15207 KiB  
Article
Rural Shrinkage: Depopulation and Land Grabbing in Chilean Patagonia
by Pablo Mansilla-Quiñones and Sergio Elías Uribe-Sierra
Land 2024, 13(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13010011 - 19 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1060
Abstract
One current global problem is the shrinkage of rural areas, which is expected to become an increasingly recurrent dynamic caused by the transformations in land uses and forms of habitation of the contemporary era. Patagonia is a suitable case study to understand the [...] Read more.
One current global problem is the shrinkage of rural areas, which is expected to become an increasingly recurrent dynamic caused by the transformations in land uses and forms of habitation of the contemporary era. Patagonia is a suitable case study to understand the processes and challenges exposed by rural shrinkage, which not only addresses population loss but also the causes and consequences that transform rural territories. Its remote geographical location and climate conditions make it a complex place for human settlement. The objective is to describe the relationship between the agrarian structure and rural population decline in Chilean Patagonia. Taking a mixed methodological approach that combines the geohistorical review of settlement processes and the use of statistical procedures with census data, the presence of significant inequalities in the distribution of land and the accumulation of areas in large properties is discussed. The loss of rural population was identified, which may be driven by unequal access to land favoring concentration for extractive activities such as large-scale sheep farming, hydrocarbons and biofuels production. This prompts the exodus of young people to urban centers in search of work and education because land grabbing limits economic options, and rural depopulation reduces service coverage without timely responses from political institutions. This has caused the rural shrinkage in territories with demographic imbalances, with high aging and masculinization rates that hinder the repopulation of these areas, which have historically suffered from underpopulation. In conclusion, population strategies in these areas based on extractivism and a strict land ownership regime have not facilitated permanent human settlement but have instead complicated it more. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Rural Out-Migration on Land Use Transition)
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27 pages, 5250 KiB  
Article
The Impact of the Rural–Urban Migration of Chinese Farmers on the Use of Rural Homesteads: A Threshold Model Analysis
by Rui Yao, Jianping Ye and Lei Song
Land 2023, 12(7), 1356; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12071356 - 06 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1165
Abstract
China’s urbanisation process is unique compared to that of other developed economies in that while the rural population is migrating to the cities in large numbers, the area of rural homestead use also continues to increase. This research uses macro data and a [...] Read more.
China’s urbanisation process is unique compared to that of other developed economies in that while the rural population is migrating to the cities in large numbers, the area of rural homestead use also continues to increase. This research uses macro data and a threshold model to further analyse this phenomenon of “farmers leaving while rural homestead increasing”. Specifically, we focus on the mechanisms of action, development patterns and regional differences in the impact of the rate of rural–urban migration (RRUM) on the rate of increase in the area of rural homesteads (IARH), and discuss the spatial spillover effects of the impact between the two. The results of the research show that: (1) There is an “inverted U-shaped” double threshold effect on the impact of RRUM on IARH. (2) Rural population density and regional urban–rural income disparity are used as threshold variables, respectively, resulting in a sudden change in the relationship between RRUM and IARH. (3) The threshold effect of RRUM on IARH mainly exists in the central and western regions, non-minority nationality areas, non-provincial capital cities and non-resource-based cities. (4) The RRUM can not only directly affect the local IARH, but also indirectly affect the surrounding areas through spatial spillover effects. Our research provides critical insights for policy makers on the reform of the rural homestead system and urbanisation development strategies in different regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Rural Out-Migration on Land Use Transition)
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18 pages, 10155 KiB  
Article
Township, County Town, Metropolitan Area, or Foreign Cities? Evidence from House Purchases by Rural Households in China
by Chengxiang Wang, Zehua Pang and Chang Gyu Choi
Land 2023, 12(5), 1038; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12051038 - 09 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1298
Abstract
In the context of China’s New Urbanization Strategy, it is of great practical significance to study rural–urban population migration from the perspective of house purchases by rural households. In this paper, the Huai’an Rural Survey Dataset (872,414 households) was used to study the [...] Read more.
In the context of China’s New Urbanization Strategy, it is of great practical significance to study rural–urban population migration from the perspective of house purchases by rural households. In this paper, the Huai’an Rural Survey Dataset (872,414 households) was used to study the heterogeneity of rural households’ house purchases in different classes of urban destinations, and its influencing factors were analyzed with GeoDetector. The results show that the urban house purchase destinations preferred by farmers were county towns, townships, foreign cities, and metropolitan areas, indicating that in situ urbanization has become the main path of urbanization for farmers in Huai’an. Among the environmental influencing factors, the rural environment had the greatest influence on house purchases locally (in the township and county town), and this influence decreased with the outward shift of house purchase destinations. The housing environment, the settlement environment, and the population and family environment were the main environmental impact elements. The natural environment and the policy environment had little influence on the house-purchasing behavior of farmers, and the location environment was critical in exotic locations (metropolitan areas and foreign cities). Therefore, this paper argues that a higher demand for housing is growing in China’s less developed rural areas, creating a situation in which the metropolitan area is the core and the county town is the main contributor. In terms of policy improvements, it is important to pay more attention to small cities such as counties and to offer housing concessions and welfare to “new citizens” from rural areas, as well as to significantly improve the housing, earnings, and public service environment for those who prefer to stay in the countryside. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Rural Out-Migration on Land Use Transition)
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24 pages, 2926 KiB  
Article
How Does Land Transfer Impact the Household Labor Productivity in China? Empirical Evidence from Survey Data in Shandong
by Baomin Cui, Lingling Tang, Jianxu Liu and Songsak Sriboonchitta
Land 2023, 12(4), 881; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12040881 - 13 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1123
Abstract
As the transfer speed of land use rights accelerates, the production efficiency of farmer households keeps increasing as well. Based on field survey data of 1368 farmer households in Shandong in 2019, this paper applied the average treatment effect (ATE) and propensity score [...] Read more.
As the transfer speed of land use rights accelerates, the production efficiency of farmer households keeps increasing as well. Based on field survey data of 1368 farmer households in Shandong in 2019, this paper applied the average treatment effect (ATE) and propensity score matching (PSM) to investigate the impact of land transfer on the productivity of farmer households. The results indicate that land transfer has a positive effect on the overall labor productivity of farmer households participating in land transfer. The impact of land transfer on productivity has an obvious asymmetry between transfer-in households and transfer-out households. More specifically, land transfer-in plays a greater role in promoting participants’ overall labor productivity, while land transfer-out has some positive effect on non-agricultural productivity. This study is of great significance in improving the overall welfare level of farmer households and promoting the reform and high-quality development of farm businesses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Rural Out-Migration on Land Use Transition)
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Review

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16 pages, 292 KiB  
Review
A Critical Examination of Rural Out-Migration Studies in Ethiopia: Considering Impacts on Agriculture in the Sending Communities
by Mengistu Dessalegn, Liza Debevec, Alan Nicol and Eva Ludi
Land 2023, 12(1), 176; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010176 - 05 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2496
Abstract
Labor migration is a complex phenomenon, yet while much attention has been paid to understanding the drivers of migration, there is a huge knowledge and policy gap regarding the effects of migration on people and communities left behind. We sought to explore the [...] Read more.
Labor migration is a complex phenomenon, yet while much attention has been paid to understanding the drivers of migration, there is a huge knowledge and policy gap regarding the effects of migration on people and communities left behind. We sought to explore the impacts of rural outmigration on migrant-sending communities in Ethiopia. This remains an understudied topic when it comes to research on migration in Ethiopia. Our investigation is based on a critical review of the migration literature pertaining to Ethiopia and, more broadly. We pursued a holistic analysis of the multidimensional aspects of migration. There are indications that rural outmigration impacts involve issues related to remittances, household food security, agricultural labor use, farmland management, and rural infrastructure development. Our analysis revealed that there had been few systematic studies and limited analyses regarding the impacts of outmigration on agriculture and the livelihoods of rural people and households left behind. Instead, Ethiopia’s migration literature largely deals with migration’s causes, including environmental factors, climate variability, agricultural pressures, livelihood stresses, and changing aspirations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Rural Out-Migration on Land Use Transition)
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