Impact of Value Perception on Farmers’ Willingness to Participate in Farmland Fallow: A Case-Study in Major Grain-Producing Areas of Hubei and Hunan, China

Abstract

The major grain-producing areas will be the key areas of future China fallow. It is important to explore the influence of farmers’ value perceptions on their fallow willingness in these areas. We analyzed this impact of value perception by using an ordered PROBIT model and survey data from the major grain-producing areas of Hubei and Hunan, China. The conclusions of this study are as follows: (1) A considerable proportion of farmers are willing to participate in farmland fallow, while a considerable proportion of farmers are neutral; (2) farmers’ value perceptions of farmland fallow have a significant positive impact on their fallow willingness; (3) farmers’ ages and education levels have a positive impact on farmers’ willingness to directly participate in farmland fallow, while per capita farmland area has a negative impact; (4) the key factors for successful fallow are solving the problem of non-agricultural employment of farmers and appropriately formulating fallow mode, scale, and subsidy standards. This study proposes that the government can develop farmers’ good value perceptions of fallow through appropriate subsidies and adequate publicity to strengthen their fallow consciousness.