The impact of rural laborer migration and household structure on household land use arrangements in mountainous areas of Sichuan Province, China

Rural household land arrangements under different household divisions of labor were investigated in Sichuan Province, a typical mountainous area of Western China. Survey data were used to construct multinomial logistic regression models of the relationships between the attributes of land plots, farmers' households, and land arrangement behaviors. In this study, (1) a total of 1839 land plots available to 240 farmers were sampled. Among these, 79.61%, 15.88% and 4.51% were cultivated, transferred or abandoned, respectively. (2) There are significant correlations between farming household structure and migration income, as well as land arrangement behaviors. Specifically, the more laborers (Labor) there are, the higher the ratios of farming laborers (Agriculture) and part-time laborers to laborers (Pluriactivity), greater numbers of elderly individuals aged 64 + engaged in household agricultural production (Old), the greater the possibility that farmers would choose family farming. The higher the ratio of migrant labor income to total household income (Ratio), the greater the possibility that farmers would choose land transfer or land abandonment. The higher the ratio of non-agricultural laborers to the laborers (Non-agriculture), the greater the possibility that farmers would choose land transfer. This study furthers our understanding of rural household land arrangement behaviors in mountainous areas in the context of China's unique land rights system and high rates of labor migration.