The Impact of and Mechanism behind High-Standard Farmland Construction in Farmland Abandonment: A Moderated Mediating Analysis

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Literature Review

The literature review effectively contextualizes the study within the broader discourse on farmland abandonment (FA) and high-standard farmland construction (HSFC), acknowledging the role of economic migration, land transfer, and agricultural labor dynamics. However, to strengthen the review, it would be beneficial to more explicitly connect the dots between the reviewed literature and the specific research gap this study aims to fill, highlighting why the integration of new economics of labor migration theory and the focus on the Yangtze River Basin’s rice-producing region are critical to advancing understanding in this field.

Research Design

Given the constraints of conducting empirical research using field surveys, the adoption of the Tobit model and the careful consideration of mediating and moderating factors demonstrate a thoughtful approach to addressing the complexities of HSFC's impact on FA. The use of primary data from 838 farmers provides a solid empirical basis. However, to refine the design without expanding the geographical scope or temporal duration, the study could benefit from: (1) a more nuanced exploration of the within-region variability in FA, perhaps by stratifying the sample based on village characteristics or agricultural productivity levels, and (2) incorporating sensitivity analyses to account for potential unobserved heterogeneity that might affect the generalizability of findings.

Conclusion and Innovation

The conclusion aptly summarizes the key findings and underscores the policy relevance of the study, particularly regarding the facilitation of agricultural labor transfer and the enhancement of ASS. The integration of economic migration theories and the empirical evidence provided constitute a notable contribution. However, to reinforce the novelty, it is crucial to emphasize the unique insights gained from focusing on a representative province, such as the role of ASS in mitigating the effects of labor out-migration in a context where smallholder farming predominates. Moreover, discussing potential policy interventions that specifically target the identified mediators and moderators could strengthen the practical utility of the study.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The language proficiency of the paper is assessed as being of a high academic standard, reflecting a strong command of English suitable for scholarly publication. The text employs precise technical vocabulary pertinent to the field, such as "farmland abandonment (FA)," "high-standard farmland construction (HSFC)," "agricultural socialization services (ASS)," and "agricultural labor transfer distance (ALTD)," which demonstrates a specialized understanding of the subject matter.

The syntax is varied, combining simple declarative sentences with complex structures, including conditional clauses, which contributes to a clear and nuanced presentation of ideas

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This study empirically analyzes the important role of high-standard farmland construction in suppressing farmland abandonment, reveals the intermediary role of agricultural socialization services in this process, and examines the regulating role of agricultural labor transfer distance. This provides policymakers with valuable insights into how to more effectively implement high-standard farmland construction policies to curb farmland abandonment. The paper still has some issues that need to be clarified, as follows:

1. In this study, the proportion of abandoned farmland area to the total household contracted farmland area was used to measure the FA ratio. How was the area of ​​abandoned farmland obtained? How is wasteland defined in the paper? Please explain clearly.

 

2. Is it reasonable to define the degree of farmland fragmentation in the article as the number of plots (blocks) of farmland contracted by households? Should the degree of farmland fragmentation be divided by the area of the subject of the assessment? 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing of the English language is required.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article itself is interesting, and it deals with actual problems. I do not have many comments, just only on the methodology part. I do not understand the necessity of descriptive statistics in Table 1. The other comment goes to Figure 3, where the description of the figure should be more detailed as it does not describe the chart - the colour scale is not explained, and the chart itself is not self-explanatory. 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The English should ideally be improved and corrected by native speakers. 

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf