Study on the Affecting Factors of Land Circulation in Minority Areas of Ledong County, Hainan Province, China

Abstract

Land circulation can promote large-scale operations, improve land-use efficiency, and increase farmers’ income. Taking 186 rural households in Ledong County in Hainan Province, the study uses binary logistic regression to analyze the factors affecting farmers’ willingness to transfer land. The results show that age, education level, and family labor force were negatively correlated with farmers’ willingness to accept land circulation. Meanwhile, gender, nonagricultural population, source of family income, annual family income, infrastructure, and understanding of policy were positively correlated with willingness to transfer. Recommendations regarding strengthening the training and education of farmers, increasing publicity, improving farmers’ awareness of land circulation, promoting market supervision, enhancing the land circulation market mechanism, and improving the rural security system are proposed. Ledong should also strengthen policy support regarding the cultivation of new agricultural business entities, and establish an intermediary service platform for land circulation. This study, therefore, aims to provide a theoretical and practical basis for a farmland circulation mechanism and the large-scale operation of agricultural land in Ledong County.

1. Introduction

With ongoing economic development, industrialization, and urbanization, China’s household contract responsibility system, which is characterized by decentralized management, has become increasingly untenable to meet the development needs of large-scale, market-based modern agriculture. In recent years, a large amount of the rural labor force has transferred to nonagricultural industries and urban sectors. The phenomenon of land abandonment is becoming increasingly severe, and China’s rate of grain self-sufficiency is declining. Therefore it is urgent to promote land circulation and achieve large-scale agricultural production to improve grain production. Given the differences in society, policies, customs, culture, production, and lifestyle, farmers in different areas often exhibit drastic attitudes toward land circulation. Since China’s “reform and opening up,” its socioeconomic transformation and increasing industrialization have displaced agricultural production as the traditional mode of economic development. Further, with increasing urbanization, labor from the countryside has migrated to the cities, leading to insufficient labor for agriculture. Chinese agriculture now faces many obstacles, such as decentralized land-use management, low efficiency, and waste management [1]. Therefore, agricultural modernization has been proposed to improve production efficiency and achieve large-scale agricultural production. On 21 February 2021, the government issued the “Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Comprehensively Promoting Rural Revitalization and Accelerating Agricultural and Rural Modernization.” This was the eighteenth central government document related to agriculture and rural areas released since 2000. The aims of rural revitalization include accelerating agricultural modernization, improving farmers’ lives, promoting land circulation to achieve large-scale agricultural production, and adapting to the needs of the market economy. In particular, agricultural modernization requires improved land circulation.

Land circulation has been developed in China for more than 20 years, and the land system has always been an important issue for the government. China has issued various policies to promote land circulation. The different degrees of willingness of farmers are the key factors affecting an efficient land circulation [2]. However, farmers’ attitudes toward land circulation can be very different at times, in different regions, and under different cultural conditions. Many studies have investigated the land circulation issue. Examining cash crop planting sites in certain Chinese provinces, Rogers et al. found that land circulation was relatively low in certain regions, and participation varied greatly between the provincial and sub-provincial levels. Meanwhile, using generalized propensity scoring [3], Li et al. found that land circulation had important effects on poverty; specifically, while the rate of land circulation was low among farmers in poor villages, land circulation could help alleviate their poverty [4]. Kan suggested that China needs to relax restrictions on rural land market circulation to activate idle land resources [5]. Using an endogenous regression model, Udimal et al. found that out-migration, off-farm income, age, public infrastructure, and skills training positively affected land circulation decision-making; meanwhile, famine experience, whether to lend, education, and age had negative effects [6].

The main purpose of land circulation policy is to improve land-use efficiency [6]. Rząsa et al. found that the transfer of land from the government to rural commune areas in Poland positively affected rural social development [7]. Grubbström et al. found that land circulation is affected by farmers’ intrinsic values (e.g., family factors), which also affect the relationship between sellers and lessees/buyers [8]. Using structural equation modeling to analyze households in Chongqing, Zhao et al. found that the higher the grain price, the lower the willingness to transfer; however, natural disaster, rent, and the expectation of future employment increased willingness to transfer [9]. Meanwhile, using logistic regression, Zhang and Qian examined farmers’ willingness to transfer in Zhejiang Province in terms of farmers’ part-time jobs and found significant differences in willingness to transfer according to different types of jobs [10]. Wang and Lou studied three counties in Henan Province and found that instrumental rationality variables significantly affected land circulation willingness, while “hometown complex” had a significant effect on value rationality variables [11]. Studying land mobility in Heilongjiang Province, Chen et al. found that culture, age, gender, proportion of nonagricultural income, farmland, and land circulation contracts affected the willingness of rural households to transfer land [12]. Guo et al. studied the willingness of 220 farmers in Hongdong, Shanxi Province, to transfer farmland and found that educational levels, family income, and awareness of transfer contracts greatly affected willingness to transfer [13]. Lastly, analyzing 260 field survey data in Yunmeng County, Hubei Province, Liu et al. found that expected income after land circulation had the most significant effect on transfer willingness [14]. Li et al. found that occupational differentiation among farmers affected their willingness to circulate land [15]. Zhang et al. used surveys to analyze the factors affecting farmers’ land circulation willingness in Inner Mongolia [16]. They found that the following affected willingness to transfer: size of the family labor force, education, understanding of policy, pension insurance, frequency of communication with relatives and friends, land circulation cooperation organizations, land circulation market, land circulation procedures, family net income, land circulation training, network access, land disputes, distance from the town center, and land fertility.

Since land circulation heavily relies on farmers’ willingness to implement, there is a need to investigate the factors affecting such willingness. However, the factors affecting willingness to transfer land have shown obvious differences according to economic development levels and the specific conditions of different regions. The existing research on land circulation willingness has paid insufficient attention to underdeveloped areas and minority areas. This study chose Ledong Li Autonomous County (Ledong County) as the research area. Ledong County, located in the southwest Hainan Province, has a low level of economic development, and its scale of land circulation is relatively lower compared with other areas. Mostly populated by the Li people, it is one of the major ethnic minority enclaves in Hainan Province. Given that Ledong County is a minority area, this study selected it to examine the factors affecting farmers’ willingness to circulate land in terms of farmers’ behavior, cultural level, and policy awareness. This work can help promote more scientific land circulation, agricultural modernization and large-scale development, rural revitalization, and the improvement of farmers’ income. This study, therefore, aims to provide a theoretical and practical basis for a farmland circulation mechanism and the large-scale operation of agricultural land in Ledong County.

2. Data Sources and Study Area

2.1. Data Sources

Data were obtained from field surveys of farmers in Ledong County during the winter of 2021. A total of 200 questionnaires were issued, and 186 valid questionnaires were collected (93%). Of these, 186 random samples of households inhabited by ethnic minorities were selected in the following seven towns: 67 (36.0%) in Wanchong, 45 (24.2%) in Da’an, 31 (16.7%) in Baoyou, 16 (8.6%) in Gui, 7 (3.8%) in Jianfeng, 11 (5.9%) in Jiusuo, and 9 (4.8%) in Huangliu. Consent was acquired from all participants in this study in written form with the questionnaire. In addition, the researchers visited Ledong County’s Agriculture Bureau to grasp the specific situation of land circulation in the area.

2.2. Land Circulation in Ledong County

2.2.1. Overview of Ledong County

Ledong County is located in the southwest of Hainan Island, backed by mountains and facing the sea (Figure 1). Ledong County has jurisdiction over 11 towns and 188 administrative villages, covering an area of 2765.5 square kilometers, with a population of 540,000. Ledong County has a tropical monsoon climate, sufficient light, abundant heat, abundant rainfall, and an average annual temperature of 24 °C (http://ledong.hainan.gov.cn/). Ledong is a major agricultural county in Hainan Province, with the geographical advantage of the 18° north latitude. It makes full use of its rich tropical resources and as a national modern agriculture demonstration zone and a flagship agricultural base. The county government has aimed to rejuvenate the county by leveraging its locational advantages, promoting the competitiveness of core industries, and building the Ledong agricultural brand. It has, moreover, sought to form a modern agricultural spatial layout structure and develop new agricultural management to promote agricultural development.

2.2.2. Land Circulation in Ledong County

According to the Hainan Provincial Statistical Yearbook 2020, by the end of 2019, the county had a total population of 547,200 and a cultivated area of 302.93 km². As of July 2020, the Agriculture Bureau of Ledong County had recorded 1288 cases of land circulation, covering an area of 92.60 km², approximately 30.57% of cultivated land. Agricultural production in Ledong is currently characterized by small-scale decentralized operations.

Table 1. Land circulation of 11 townships in Ledong County.

Township	Area/km2	Proportion
Liguo	21.00	22.67%
Jiusuo	8.47	9.14%
Fulo	3.60	3.89%
Yinggehai	0.73	0.79%
Jianfeng	14.67	15.84%
Zhizhong	15.47	16.70%
Gui	11.60	12.52%
Baoyou	0.80	0.86%
Da’an	5.33	5.76%
Wanchong	1.93	2.09%
Huangliu	9.00	9.72%
Summation	92.60	100%

Data source: Ledong County Rural Agricultural Bureau.

shows that Liguo has the largest land circulation area and the largest amount of land circulation in Ledong. In 2020, the total land circulation area of Liguo exceeded 20 km², accounting for 22.67% of the total circulation area, which was followed by Zhizhong, accounting for 16.7%. The terrain of Ledong County is high in the north and low in the south, with various land types. Liguo, Jianfeng, Jiusuo, and other towns with large circulation areas are mainly distributed in the southwest coastal plain, with relatively developed economies and convenient transportation. Da’an, Wanchong, Baoyou, and other towns with relatively less land circulation are mainly distributed in the hills and mountains of the northeast, with inconvenient transportation and scattered plots. Under the combined action of various factors, the scale and benefit of land circulation between towns and streets are different and unbalanced. Overall, there is a higher circulation rate in the southern region than in the northern region.

3. Methodology

Using SPSS 22.0, binary logistic regression was used to identify which factors had significant effects on farmers’ willingness to finish land circulation. Logistic regression is a statistical method mainly used to study the probability of an event. Farmers’ willingness to circulate land is the dependent variable. As binary variables, dependent variables (Y) take 1 or 0. Among them, Y = 1 represents willingness to transfer; Y = 0 represents unwilling to transfer. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the sample farmers; maximum likelihood was used to estimate the parameter values. Whether a significant influence existed between the independent and dependent variables was analyzed.

The binary logistic model is

$$\ln (\frac{p}{1-p})=\alpha +{\beta }_1{\chi }_1+{\beta }_2{\chi }_2+{\beta }_3{\chi }_3+\cdot \cdot \cdot +{\beta }_i{\chi }_i+\mu ,$$

(1)

where $p$ is the probability of willingness to circulate, $1-p$ is the probability of being unwilling to circulate, $\alpha$ is the constant, β is the regression coefficient, $\chi$ refers to the relevant factors affecting farmers’ willingness to circulate, and $\mu$ refers to the random error.

4. Results

4.1. Descriptive Statistical Analysis of Survey Samples

4.1.1. Individual Characteristics of Farmers

Basic farmer characteristics included gender, age, education level, and occupation. The survey showed the following: (1) Among the 186 surveyed farmers, 112 (60.2%) were male and 74 (39.8%) were female. (2) Of these, 61 were aged 20–31 (32.8%), 31 were aged 31–40 (16.7%), 48 were 41–50 (25.8%), 36 were 50–60 (19.4%), and 10 were over 61 (5.4%). (3) There were 74 people with only primary school education or below (39.8%), 43 with junior high school education (23.1%), 16 with senior high school education (8.6%), and 26 with technical secondary school or junior college education (14%). Finally, 27, or approximately 14.5%, had a bachelor’s degree or above. (4) Pure farmers are in the majority, with approximately 74 farmers involved in it (39.8%); 65 people (34.9%) are part-time mainly with farming; 31 (16.7%) people are slightly part-time with farming; and 16 farmers (8.6%) were no longer with farming. See

Table 2. Individual characteristics of interviewees.

Sample Characteristics	Classification	Number of People	Proportion
Gender	Male	112	60.2%
	Female	74	39.8%
Age	20–31 years	61	32.8%
	31–40 years	31	16.7%
	41–50 years	48	25.8%
	50–60 years	36	19.4%
	60 years and above	10	5.4%
Level of education	Primary school or below	74	39.8%
	Junior high school	43	23.1%
	Senior high school	16	8.6%
	Technical secondary school and junior college	26	14.0%
	Bachelor degree or above	27	14.5%
Occupation	Pure agriculture	74	39.8%
	Part-time jobs in agricultural activities	65	34.9%
	Slightly part-time jobs in agricultural activities	31	16.7%
	Nonagricultural	16	8.6%

Data source: questionnaire survey.

for details.

The data showed the following: (1) There were more males than females in the farmer household survey data. Men tend to have more decision-making power in deciding whether to participate in land circulation. (2) Most survey respondents were 20–35 years old. Younger people tend to be more willing to work outside the home. For the village labor force over age 40, the older people do not have the energy to engage in farming activities. (3) Education level was generally low. With limited education and skills, employment options are limited. Less education also corresponds to a lower willingness to accept land circulation. Meanwhile, those with more education are more advanced in their thinking and more willing and able to adapt to the urban living environment; most, therefore, work outside the city. (4) Among rural workers, most were engaged in pure concurrent-business planting and agriculture. Nonagricultural development accounted for only a small part. Since farmers rely on land for income, the promotion of land circulation is limited.

4.1.2. Household Characteristics of Farmers

The characteristics of farmer households include four aspects: family labor force, nonagricultural population, the main source of family income, and annual family income. The survey showed the following: (1) There were 41 households with 2 or fewer labor force participants (approximately 22%), 60 households with 3 to 4 labor force participants (approximately 32.3%), and 85 households with 5 or more labor force participants (approximately 45.7%). (2) There were nonagricultural laborers in 99 households (53.2%), 1 nonagricultural person in 55 households (29.6%), 2 nonagricultural people in 18 households (9.7%), and 3 or more nonagricultural people in 14 households (7.5%). (3) The largest number of households, 76 (40.9%), were engaged in planting; 21 (11.3%) households were engaged in the breeding industry, 52 (28%) households worked for local enterprises, 22 (11.3%) households worked out of town, and 15 (8.1%) households ran small businesses. (4) The income of 26 (14%) households was less than CNY 20,000. The income of 54 (29%) households was CNY 20,000–40,000, that of 59 (31.7%) households was CNY 40,000–60,000, that of 27 (14.5%) households was CNY 60,000–80,000, and that of 20 households (10.8%) was more than CNY 80,000 (

Table 3. Characteristics of interviewed peasant households.

Sample Characteristics	Classification	Number of People	Proportion
Family members in labor force	2 or fewer	41	22%
	3–4 persons	60	32.3%
	5 or more	85	45.7%
Nonagricultural persons	0 person	99	53.2%
	1 person	55	29.6%
	2 persons	18	9.7%
	3 or more persons	14	7.5%
Source of household income	Planting	76	40.9%
	Aquaculture	21	11.3%
	Working for local enterprise	52	28.0%
	Working out of town	22	11.8%
	Small businesses	15	8.1%
Annual income of the household	Less than CNY 20,000	26	14.0%
	CNY 20,000–40,000	54	29.0%
	CNY 40,000–60,000	59	31.7%
	CNY 60,000–80,000	27	14.5%
	CNY More than 80,000	20	10.8%

Data source: questionnaire survey.

).

The results are as follows: (1) The proportion of families with a labor force of more than five people was the largest. This indicates that the rural family population in Ledong County is relatively large. The situation of the family labor force directly determines the ability of farmers to carry out land management. Furthermore, the greater the family labor force, the more unfavorable it is for land circulation. (2) The majority of the families without farmers was 0. This indicates that there are few opportunities for residents in the rural areas of Ledong County to engage in other forms of employment. Participation in land circulation is therefore limited. (3) Most of the family income came from planting accordingly, while migrant workers and entrepreneurs were only a small part, which indicates that most farmers mainly rely on planting crops at home as their main source of income, which restricts the promotion of land circulation to a certain extent. Since farmers have no other sources of income, to improve their willingness to transfer, it is crucial to change or broaden their sources of income. (4) The income of the majority of families was between CNY 40,000 and CNY 60,000, and only a few families had an income of less than CNY 20,000 or more than CNY 80,000, which indicates that Ledong County is still dominated by traditional income, and a less notable wage gap is presented.

4.1.3. Other Characteristics of Farmers

Other characteristics of the interviewed farmers were related to infrastructure, whether to participate in old-age insurance, and understanding of policy. Specifically: (1) Of those surveyed, 37 people are unsatisfied with the infrastructure, accounting for 19.9%, the lowest proportion. A further 97 thought the infrastructure was basically satisfied, accounting for the highest proportion at 52.2%, while 52 thought the infrastructure was advanced, accounting for 28.0%. (2) The number of people participating in pension insurance was relatively small, with 83 people, accounting for 44.6%. The number of people who did not participate in pension insurance was the largest, with 103 people, accounting for 55.4%. (3) The number of people who were not familiar with the land circulation policy was the largest, with 104 people, accounting for 55.9%, followed by 57 who knew little (30.6%), 22 who knew some (11.8%), and 3 who knew a lot (1.6%). The survey results show the following: (1) Rural road construction was relatively good and convenient. Thus, enterprises can quickly reach villages to purchase agricultural products while farmers’ agricultural products can be transported out in a timely manner, more or less guaranteeing stable income. Thus, in the absence of special circumstances, farmers basically rely on their land, which, to a certain extent, is not conducive to land circulation. (2) Rural endowment insurance has not been adequately popularized, and most farmers did not participate in endowment insurance. Because of a lack of guarantees for the future, they are more dependent on land endowment, which is not conducive to land circulation. (3) Many farmers had a simple understanding of the land circulation policy, and some had not heard of it. This is attributable not only to the limited culture of farmers, but also to insufficient local government propaganda about land circulation.

4.2. Statistical Analysis of Land Circulation

4.2.1. Farmers’ Participation in Land Circulation

Of the 186 farmers surveyed, 77 had participated in land circulation, accounting for 41.4%; 109 had not participated in land circulation, accounting for 58.6%. Among the 186 farmers, 95 (51.1%) were willing to continue to participate in land circulation, and 91 (48.9%) were unwilling.

Most farmers were not enthusiastic about land circulation. Some who had previously participated were unwilling to continue to participate. This reflects some imperfections in the existing land circulation system, as well as gaps in farmers’ psychological expectations.

4.2.2. Analysis of Reasons for Participating in Land Circulation

• Reasons for participating in land circulation

Of the surveyed farmers, 77 had participated in land circulation. Those who were willing to participate because of the unified outflow of village collectives or governments accounted for the highest proportion, reaching 84.4%, followed by those who found it too difficult to farm (74.0%). Other reasons accounted for 37.7%. Among the main reasons for willingness to transfer land, most farmers surveyed wanted to meet their own food needs (85.7%), followed by helping relatives and friends (80.5%), and other reasons, accounting for 23.4% (

Table 4. Reasons for land circulation.

Indicators	Options	Members	Proportion
The main reason to transfer out	Higher income for migrant workers	34	44.2%
	Too difficult to farm	57	74.0%
	Higher benefits	52	67.5%
	Unified outflow of village collectives or governments	65	84.4%
	Others	29	37.7%
The main reason to receive transfer	More laborers available	43	55.8%
	To help relatives and friends	62	80.5%
	Increasing income obviously	45	58.4%
	Satisfy your own food needs	66	85.7%
	Others	18	23.4%

Data source: questionnaire survey.

).

On the one hand, the main reason for farmers’ willingness to participate in land circulation was the unified transfer of village collectives or the government. This is because it is difficult for farmers to transfer their own land. Moreover, with people migrating out for work and therefore leaving the land uncultivated, the land is entrusted to others to avoid waste and to obtain additional income. On the other hand, the cost of farming is rising. However, the rent from land circulation is higher than the income from farming, and farmers are therefore more willing to transfer land without engaging in farm work, thereby obtaining higher rent. According to the survey, few farmers in Ledong County had transferred land, and only a small area had been transferred. Therefore, the main reason for receiving land transfer from others was to meet their own food needs or to help relatives or friends who go out to work while obtaining a small increase in income.

• Reasons why farmers do not participate in land circulation

Of the 186 farmers surveyed, 109 did not participate in land circulation. The largest number, 75, did not participate because they had no other employment opportunity except farming, accounting for 68.8%. Because they had the ability to farm, 59 people did not need to transfer, accounting for 54.1%. Meanwhile, 42 people (38.5%) believed that the income of transferring out is lower than farming. A total of 37 people (33.9%) wanted to transfer out, but the village collectives did not agree; 46 people (42.2%) were concerned about transferring out because income could not be guaranteed; 36 (33%) were concerned that if they transferred out, when they wanted to farm, it would be difficult to take the land back; and 43 (39.4%) had the other reasons. Among the main reasons for not transferring out, 63 farmers (57.8%) were worried that income would not be guaranteed after contracting other people’s land; 64 (58.7%) thought the price of transferring was too high; 63 (57.8%) thought the earning from farming was too low, and the increase in the land area would have little effect on income; and 60 (55%) thought the land burden was too heavy to contract. Finally, 43 (39.4%) said that no one was willing to transfer or gave other reasons.

According to the data, farmers still have great concerns about land circulation. Most farmers regard farming as their basic source of income and the guarantee of future survival; thus, they are very dependent on land. Farmers are worried that their income will not be guaranteed after they are transferred out. This shows that farmers have no other skills except farming or are unwilling to go out for work, which places great limitations on them. They are too satisfied with the status quo. In addition, most farmers think that income from farming is low, and the burden of contracting land is too heavy. Thus, they are more willing to choose employment in secondary and tertiary nonfarming industries. The fear that income will not be guaranteed after contracting other people’s land reflects a lack of confidence in land circulation among farmers and low enthusiasm for transfer. Most farmers hold an attitude of wait-and-see or refusal.

• Farmers’ participation in land circulation processes

This study investigated farmers’ participation in land circulation in terms of land circulation processes, the means of transfer, the means of signing contracts, time limits on transfer, and the price of transfer. A total of 77 surveyed farmers participated in land circulation. (1) Of these, 18 people (23.4%) believed that the process of land circulation is easy, and 27 people (35.1%) felt that it is generally difficult. Further, 25 (9.1%) found it troublesome, accounting for 32.5%, and 7 found it very troublesome. (2) Regarding the means of land circulation, 31 farmers (40.3%) participated in land circulation spontaneously, 40 (51.9%) were involved in rural organizations or coordination, and 6 (7.8%) were involved in specialized rural economic cooperation organizations. (3) Regarding land circulation contracts, 44 people had oral agreements, accounting for the largest proportion (57.1%). Only 33 (42.9%) farmers had written agreements. (4) Among the 77 (5.2%) farmers who participated in land circulation, there were 4 people within 1 year, 18 (23.4%) people within 1 to 3 years; 9 (11.7%) people within 4 to 9 years; and 41 people over 10 years (59.7%). (5) Of the farmers surveyed, 19 (24.7%) had a transfer price of less than CNY 500/hm², 35 (45.5%) had a transfer price of CNY 501–1000/hm², 18 (23.4%) had a circulation price of CNY 1001–1500/hm², and 5 (6.5%) had a circulation price of more than CNY 1501/hm².

This shows the following: Farmers’ participation in land circulation is still relatively low, and their expectations for land circulation are not high, mainly driven by village collective organizations. This also shows that village committees and local governments need to play their role and increase publicity. Oral agreement was the main means of circulation. This indicates that village committees or local governments have not standardized land circulation, and there are management defects. The distribution span of the years of land circulation and the number of people is large, showing that farmers hold a tentative attitude about land circulation. They first transfer land only for a few years and observe the operational benefits to decide whether to transfer the next time as well as the transfer time. Thus, to a certain extent, the terms of land circulation reflects the attitude of farmers toward transfer. The price of rural land circulation in Ledong County is generally low. According to the survey, price is mainly affected by traffic conditions and geographical location, and the low price is mainly attributable to the proximity to mountainous areas and the small-scale operation of crops.

4.3. Affecting Factors of Farmers’ Willingness

Many factors affect farmers’ willingness to transfer land. Since Ledong County is a minority area, this study investigated farmers’ own factors, family factors, and other factors. Farmers’ own factors include gender, age, education level, and so on; farmers’ family factors include family labor and family income sources, among others. Other factors include infrastructure and policy awareness. Based on existing research results and this study’s questionnaire data, this study proposes that there are small differences in the economic environments of farmers within the same research area. Therefore, this study focused on explaining farmers’ willingness in terms of three aspects: their own factors, family factors, and other factors. The following predictions were made.

First, the basic characteristics of farmers include gender, age, education level, occupation, and other factors. (1) Gender of farmers (X₁): men often play the role of family decision-maker and are more willing to accept new things; thus, their willingness to circulate land is stronger than that of women. (2) Age (X₂): the older the farmers are, the more traditional their ideas, and the lower their acceptance of new things. In addition, they tend to love the land, so the older they are, the lower their willingness to transfer. (3) Education level (X₃): farmers with more education are more knowledgeable, more willing to explore new things, and have a wider range of employment. Thus, the higher the education level, the stronger the willingness to transfer.

Second, the characteristics of rural households include family labor force, family engaged in nonagricultural work, the main source of family income, family income, and other factors. (1) Family labor force (X₄): the situation of the family labor force directly determines whether farmers have the ability to carry out land management; the larger the family labor force, the lower the willingness to transfer. (2) Nonagricultural workers (X₅): the more nonagricultural workers in the family, the less dependent the family is on land, and the stronger the willingness to transfer. (3) The main source of family income (X₆): if most of the family income comes from planting, and working and entrepreneurship only account for a small part, then the family mainly relies on planting crops at home as the main source of income. Their willingness to transfer is low. However, if the family mainly has nonagricultural or part-time income sources, their willingness to transfer is high. (4) Household annual income (X₇): with a higher annual income, income mainly comes from large-scale agricultural operation or nonagricultural work. Large-scale agricultural production and nonagricultural production are more conducive to land circulation. Therefore, the higher the income, the higher the willingness to transfer.

Finally, other characteristics of farmers include infrastructure and policy awareness. (1) Infrastructure (X₈): if rural road facilities are well constructed, and the transportation of farmers’ agricultural products is convenient, their willingness to transfer is low. (2) Degree of policy understanding (X₉): the more clearly farmers understand land circulation policies, the more willing they are to transfer land.

Based on the data for the 186 farmers in Ledong County, nine explanatory variables were selected as independent variables, which are described below (

Table 5. Description of independent variables of land circulation.

Variable Type	Variable Information	Variables	Variable Description
Characteristics of farmer household	Gender	X1	1 = male; 2 = female
	Age	X2	1 = 20–31 years; 2 = 31–40 years; 3 = 41–50 years; 4 = 50–60 years; 5 = 60 years and older
	Level of education	X3	1 = primary school and below; 2 = junior high school; 3 = high school; 4 = technical school and colleges; 5 = bachelor degree and above
Characteristics of family	Members of family labor force	X4	1 = 2 members or less; 2 = 3–4 members; 3 = 5 and above
	Nonagricultural members	X5	1 = 0 person; 2 = 1 person; 3 = 2 persons; 4 = 3 and above
	Source of family income	X6	1 = planting industry; 2 = aquaculture; 3 = work in local enterprises; 4 = work in other places; 5 = temporary business
	The annual income of the family	X7	1 = less than CNY 20,000; 2 = CNY 20,000–40,000; 3 = CNY 40,000–60,000; 4 = CNY 60,000–80,000; 5 = more than CNY 80,000
Other characteristics	Infrastructures (traffic construction)	X8	1 = incomplete; 2 = basically complete; 3 = completed
	Understanding the policy	X9	1 = do not know; 2 = a little; 3 = better; 4 = very well

).

4.4. Calculation with Model

The analysis indicated that the main factors in this study showed significant influence, indicating that the analysis of the results has statistical significance.

Table 6. Model fitting information statistics.

	The Logarithmic Likelihood	Chi-Square	Degrees of Freedom	Significant
	257.765
Model	186.004	71.761	27	0.000

shows the model fitting. Its chi-square value is 71.761 and its significance is less than 0.05, indicating that some of the independent variables are significantly related to the dependent variables.

Table 7. Parameter estimation results of binary logistic regression model.

		B	S.E.	Wald	df	Sig.	Exp(B)
Characteristics of household	Gender (X1)	0.051	0.373	7.932	1	0.005	1.350
	Age (X2)	−0.772	0.239	10.447	1	0.001	0.462
	Education level (X3)	−0.637	0.203	9.883	1	0.002	0.529
Characteristics of family	Household working members modify translation results (X4)	−0.520	0.233	4.976	1	0.026	0.595
	Members of nonagricultural (X5)	0.626	0.205	9.280	1	0.002	1.870
	Source of family income (X6)	0.385	0.145	7.083	1	0.008	1.470
	The annual income of the family (X7)	0.496	0.166	8.966	1	0.003	1.643
Other characteristics	Infrastructures (traffic construction) (X8)	0.709	0.267	7.050	1	0.008	2.032
	Understanding the policy	0.747	0.245	9.316	1	0.002	2.110
	Constant	0.091	1.427	0.004	1	0.949	1.095

shows the results obtained after data processing by binary logistic regression. The backward LR method was used to incorporate all effective factor variable data into the regression equation. A significance test of the regression coefficient was carried out to eliminate insignificant variables, so that the regression coefficients of all variables in the equation met the significance requirements. Finally, the effect of changes in the nine independent variables on the change in farmers’ willingness to circulate land was obtained.

Through stepwise regression and screening results, nine factors passed the significance test and remained: gender, age, education level, household working population, nonagricultural population, family income source, annual household income, infrastructure, and policy understanding.

4.5. Quality Testing and Interpretation

From the output results of the model, the results of the explanatory variables are X₁ = 0.005, X₂ = 0.001, X₃ = 0.002, X₄ = 0.026, X₅ = 0.002, X₆ = 0.008, X₇ = 0.003, X₈ = 0.008, and X₉ = 0.002. Their probability values are all less than 0.005. This shows that these variable factors had a significant effect on farmers’ willingness to circulate land. Moreover, the omnibus test results of the model coefficients are as follows: chi-square is 60.126, degree of freedom is 9, significance is 0.005, and the total accuracy of the predicted value is 74.7%, indicating that the overall predicted effect of the model is relatively good. The likelihood fitting was as follows: the logarithmic likelihood value of −2 was 197.602, the Cox and Snell R-squared value was 0.276, and the Nagelkerke R-squared value was 0.369. The results of the Hosmer–Lemeshow tests were as follows: the chi-square value was 8.418, the degree of freedom was 8, and the corresponding p-value of significance was 0.394, which is greater than 0.05, indicating that the model had an ideal fitting degree to the data.

As shown in Table 6, logistic regression was used to analyze the data, and the following results were analyzed based on the regression results.

The coefficient of gender (X₁) was 0.051, and its significance was 0.005, showing a positive correlation. Men generally play the role of the head of the family, with higher decision-making power, stronger acceptance ability, and a willingness to take risks. Compared with women, men tend to pursue a stable life; thus, they are more willing to transfer land than women.

The coefficient of age (X₂) was −0.772, and its significance value was 0.001, showing a negative correlation, in line with the expected effect. As farmers grow older, they develop a deep affection for the land in their region. In addition, the older they become, the more traditional they become, and the less likely they are to accept new things. At the same time, the older they become, the worse their health and energy. On the contrary, the younger they are, the greater their ability to accept the environment, the more willing they are to work outside, and the less willing they are to work at home. Thus, the younger the age, the stronger the willingness to transfer.

The coefficient of education level (X₃) was −0.637, and its significance was 0.002, showing a negative correlation with participation intention. This shows that the more educated farmers are, the more advantages they have in knowledge and skills. Most tend to work outside the home and do not want to work at home. In addition, those with higher education usually have a stronger ability to adapt to the environment and new policies, and they have a clearer and more thorough understanding of policies related to land circulation. Their willingness to transfer is thus higher.

The coefficient value of the family working population (X₄) was −0.520, and its significance was 0.026, showing a negative correlation with participation intention. This shows that when other variables remain unchanged, the larger the household labor population, the more labor that is available for land management, which is not entirely conducive to land circulation. Therefore, the larger the household labor force, the lower its willingness to transfer.

The coefficient value of nonagricultural population (X₅) was 0.626, and its significance was 0.002, which is positively correlated with participation intention. This shows that there are three factors affecting the ratio of a nonagricultural population to the intention to circulate land under the condition that other variables remain unchanged. First, the more nonagricultural members of the family, the larger the nonagricultural income ratio of the family, and the less dependent the family is on agriculture and the rural area. Second, the more people engaged in nonagricultural activity, the more the family’s agricultural labor force has been transferred, and the greater the lack of agricultural labor force for the family. Thus, their willingness to circulate land is stronger.

The coefficient of family income source (X₆) was 0.385, and its significance was 0.008. This shows that when other variables remain unchanged, when pure planting is the main source of household income, households have a high dependence on land, pay more attention to the survival and security function of land, and thus have low willingness to transfer. Conversely, when the household depends more on nonagricultural income, willingness to transfer is stronger.

The coefficient value of annual household income (X₇) was 0.496, and its significance was 0.003, indicating a significant influence. This shows that when other variables remain unchanged, the higher the annual income of the family, the higher its willingness to transfer. They have more financial resources and have higher requirements for quality of life. They are not inclined to cultivate land. Some families with nonagricultural sources of income are more likely to transfer their land to other counties than to significantly increase their land.

The coefficient value of infrastructure (X₈) was 0.709, and the significance value was 0.008, indicating that with other variables unchanged, the more perfect the rural road construction, the better the farmers’ ability to transport and sell their agricultural products. Thus, farmers attach more importance to the land and have a lower willingness to transfer.

The coefficient of policy understanding (X₉) was 0.747, and its significance was 0.002, indicating good significance. This shows that when other variables remain unchanged, farmers have a better understanding of policies and therefore have a higher willingness to transfer.

5. Conclusions and Discussion

5.1. Conclusions

Based on this study of farmers in Ledong County, the following conclusions can be drawn:

Farmers’ participation in land circulation is relatively low, and their willingness to accept land circulation are not high, mainly driven by village collective organizations. In terms of transfer contracts, most of them adopt oral agreements, which have certain risks. Most farmers have a tentative attitude towards land transfer and a lack of trust in policies.

Farmers’ age, education level, and household labor force had a negative effect on farmers’ willingness to participate in rural land circulation. Factors such as gender, nonagricultural population, source of family income, annual household income, infrastructure, and policy understanding had positive effects on farmers’ willingness to participate in rural land circulation. From the overall results, the age of farmers had the greatest effect on the negative factors. Policy knowledge had the greatest influence on positive factors.

The standardization of village committee institutions plays an important role in farmers’ participation in decision-making regarding land circulation. Based on the findings regarding the means of land circulation, land circulation process, and contract methods, land circulation management in Ledong County is scientifically insufficient, farmers lack an understanding of land circulation, and the government compensation is weak. As a result, land circulation procedures are not standardized for farmers.

The main modes of land circulation in Ledong County were found to be through lease, subcontract, and exchange. There are few forms of equity, lease, professional cooperatives, and large farming households. The industrial cooperation and assistance mode of “leading enterprises + cooperatives + poor households” is gradually developing. The circulation channels are mainly rural organization or coordination, and spontaneous transfer by farmers was found to account for a small proportion. The transfer period span is large, and farmers are still in the exploratory stage. The overall scale of land circulation was found to be relatively low. In most areas, small-scale decentralized operations were dominant, and the land circulation price was generally low.

5.2. Discussion

Land circulation can change rural production relations, develop large-scale management, strengthen collective economies, overcome obstacles to agricultural development, improve land-use efficiency, and increase grain output [17].

Hopefully, the following measures are proposed to improve farmers’ enthusiasm for rural land circulation. Improve the rural social security mechanism, and improve the education of farmers. Land is an important part of the rural social security mechanism [18]. The more farmers rely on land to ensure their livelihood, the more unfavorable it is for land circulation. Therefore, we should explore a more reasonable rural social security mechanism to reduce farmers’ worries, reduce their dependence on land, and promote their participation in land circulation. Farmer’s age and level of education strongly influence land circulation. We should therefore improve the level of agricultural technology, focus on training in nonagricultural skills, improve the penetration of nine-year compulsory education, improve teaching in rural primary and middle schools, and overcome the age barrier.

Give play to the leading role of village committees and improve publicity policy. Village watchdog services for farmers involved in land circulation decision-making play an important role. Collective economic organizations can improve their own management mechanisms, make management more standardized, and improve farmers’ organizational trust. We should strengthen policy propaganda, make full use of various channels of publicity, promote the land circulation concept to farmers, change traditional farmer attitudes, enhance cognition of land circulation policy, seize the opportunities afforded by high-efficiency tropical agriculture, and explore more effective land circulation policies.

Establish a fair and reasonable rural land circulation market and improve risk-prevention mechanisms. This study found that most farmers were irregular in land circulation. For example, many only had oral agreements without paper contracts, resulting in various disputes. Local governments and village committees should strengthen the supervision of local land circulation to reduce risks. They should actively guide the flow of procedures and standards to combine the governance with the market. First, standardized management should be carried out on land circulation, and farmers should follow scientific transfer procedures to protect the interests of all parties. Second, the following approaches are recommend as such: strengthen team construction in local circulation disputes, implement registration systems, strengthen management, provide standardized land circulation contracts to farmers, and improve the tracking of circulation to prevent disputes.

Cultivate new agricultural business entities. There is a need to break the barriers and ramp up the circulation scale. First, foster new agricultural operating entities in ethnic minority areas, such as high-efficiency agricultural projects, large farming and breeding households, and leading enterprises. In addition, industrial cooperation and the assistance mode (leading enterprises plus cooperatives and poor households) can drive farmers to develop regular model industries so they can enjoy both land rent and shared dividends. Second, as a large agricultural county, secondary and tertiary industries in Ledong County remain relatively undeveloped. However, it is a tropical tourist area with natural advantages for the development of agricultural products to further deepen tourism services. In terms of the local development of rural industry, agricultural product logistics, and leisure agriculture, rural tourism provides a broad space to promote the development of secondary and tertiary industry, which will increase employment opportunities and further lengthen the industrial chain. Lastly, in terms of labor force transfer, the transfer of surplus rural labor force will be promoted after land is circulated to cooperatives and other new agricultural operating entities, providing support for land circulation.