Can Land Circulation Improve the Health of Middle-Aged and Older Farmers in China?

Abstract

Compared with the urban aging population, the rural aging population in China is larger, and is subject to a lower per capita income, lower social security coverage, and insufficient security capacity. Therefore, ensuring the health of middle-aged and older farmers is an inevitable requirement for maintaining the stability of rural areas and society. This study uses data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS) 2018, an ordered probit model and instrumental variable approach to empirically analyze the effect of land circulation out on the physical health of middle-aged and older farmers over 45. The results indicate that land circulation out positively and significantly affects farmers’ health. Again, farmer’s non-agricultural work and household income play a significant role in this positive relationship between land circulation out and farmers’ health. Thus, the promotion of non-agricultural work for farmers and household income enhancement could alleviate household budget constraints while increasing health investment. The findings provide policies advocating for rural health development from land circulation perspectives.