Can Large-Scale Land Management Guarantee Food Security? Evidence from China

Abstract: Food security is a critical issue for countries, and land scale management plays an important role in ensuring food security. However, there is limited research that measures the impact of large-scale land management on food security from the perspective of contiguous transfer. This paper uses data from the China Rural Revitalization Survey (CRRS) in 2020 to construct a theoretical analysis framework of "contiguous transfer - land plot enlargement - grain production increase" and empirically analyze the impact of land scale management on grain production. The results show that: (1) the expansion of both operation scale and plot size can promote grain production, and the largest plot size has a greater effect on grain production than operation scale. (2) In the case of contiguous transfer, connected transfer promoted grain production more than patchy transfer. Compared with plain terrain, contiguous transfer in non-plain terrain promotes grain production more. (3) The effect of mechanization on grain production was not consistent across production stages, and the use of machinery in the mid-production fertilization stage had the greatest effect on grain production. Based on this study, it is proposed that: (1) farmers should take into account both the scale of operation and the scale of plot when transferring land, so that the maximum plot area can be expanded as much as possible. (2) The government should encourage farmers to realize land scale operation in various forms and fully promote continuous transfer, especially connected transfer. (3) When adopting socialized machinery services, the operating entity may give priority to the medium-term production link to maximize its benefits