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From Survival to Sustainability and Back: Part-Time Employment and Farmers’ Arable Land Protection Behavior

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Lynn FrewerORCiD

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Abstract

Arable land protection (ALP) is of great significance for global food security, sustainable agriculture and ecosystem preservation. However, the promotion of ALP in China has not been effective, due to the mismatch between technology promotion and farmers’ actual needs in relation to adoption of ALP technologies. Understanding the behavioral logic of different types of farmers (who are usually classified by part-time or full-time employment status) and the differences in their preferences for ALP technologies. Existing research has indicated that part-time employment has a negative impact on farmers’ ALP behavior. However, the relationship between part-time employment and ALP behavior might not follow a linear negative correlation, but rather an inverted U-shaped pattern. . Data obtained from a rice-farmer survey across 10 counties within the Jianghan Plain (a primary rice-producing region in China) in 2021were analyzed using a Poisson regression model with a quadratic term. The results confirmed that a U-shaped relationship existed Differences in ALP behavioral preferences among different categories of farmers were assessed. Full-time farmers (where 10% or less of off-farm income contributed to total household income) showed a tendency to adopt Land Leveling Procedures (LLP), whereas part-time farmers (categorized as group I; with 10%-50% of off-farm income contributing to total household income) tend to favor enhancing Irrigation and Drainage Facilities (IDF), and application of Organic Fertilizers (ORF). In contrast, part-time farmers (categorized as group II, with 50%-90% of off-farm income contributing to total household income) do not favor adopting these specific ALP technologies, suggesting that part-time employment may continue to exert an adverse influence on farmers’ ALP adoption behavior. The impact mechanisms include the disturbance of farming time (DFT), increasing distances from home (IDH), reduction in arable land scale (RLS) and weakening of awareness in ALP (WAP). The results demonstrate varying degrees of impact, with IDH, RLS, DFT, and WAP being ranked in descending order

Publication metadata

Author(s): Yang G, Yue M, Jin S, Coles D, Frewer L

Publication type: Article

Publication status: In Press

Journal: Sustainability

Year: 2026

Acceptance date: 24/08/2026

ISSN (electronic): 2071-1050

Publisher: MDPI AG

Notes: Gold access

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