Impact of different rural land consolidation modes on farmers' dependence on ecosystem services

Abstract: Implementing rural land consolidation projects (RLCP) is believed to be an intervention that is effective at alleviating the problem of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers", as well as optimizing the spatial pattern and service functions of ecosystem. Evaluation on ecological benefits of RLCP depends on the value of ecosystem services, as well as the effective assessment of farmers well-being change caused by policy choices or farmers' activities, integrating and quantifying farmers' net income from ecosystem services is the key to providing scientific and effective decision-making for the relationship balance between farmers well-being and ecosystem services. In recent years, some places carried out RLCP in new agricultural business entities-dominant mode, which was different from local government-dominant mode. This study aimed to analyze the impact of different RLCP modes on the dependence on ecosystem services from the micro-perspective of farmers. Based on the construction of index system of farmer dependence on ecosystem services (IDES), we investigated 483 farmers of 4 counties and cities in Hubei Province for livelihood data of 2014 and 2017, and then integrated and quantified the net income from ecosystem services and dependence on ecosystem services of farmers. Difference-in-differences model was employed to analyze the difference of farmers' net income from ecosystem services and dependence on ecosystem services between consolidated areas and unconsolidated areas, and that between new agricultural business entities-dominant mode areas and local government-dominant mode areas. The results indicate that: 1) The income from provisioning service, regulating services, cultural services, ecosystem services and other social-economic activities increased by 33.20%, 5.34%, 35.09%, 32.12% and 33.23% respectively in consolidated areas after consolidation. The income increased by 53.06%, 5.40%, 33.33%, 49.33% and 42.40% respectively in new agricultural business entities-dominant mode areas. The income increased by 6.46%, 5.25%, 38.89%, 8.24% and 27.02% respectively in local government-dominant mode areas, while they increased by 17.01%, 4.66%, 22.34%, 16.85% and 22.98% respectively in unconsolidated areas at the same time; 2) The index of provisioning service, regulating services, cultural services and ecosystem services changed by -28.60%, -21.05%, -6.45% and -26.91% in consolidated areas after consolidation, they changed by -36.57%, -24.69%, -16.24% and -34.52% respectively in new agricultural business entities-dominant mode areas, they changed by -18.97%, -17.27%, +16.42% and -17.59% respectively in local government-dominant mode areas, while they changed by -8.34%, -13.39%, -4.10% and -8.36% respectively in unconsolidated areas at the same time. Implementing RLCP is an effective way to optimize farmers' income structure and reduce farmers' dependence on ecosystem services, which increases the share of socio-economy income and reduces the share of ecosystem-service income, and the effect of new agricultural business entities-dominant mode is more obvious than that of government-dominant mode. There is still much room for improvement in local government-dominant mode to optimize farmers' income structure and reduce farmers' dependence on ecosystem services. This study provides approach and method for linking ecosystem services and farmers well-being at micro-scale, as well as policy implication for reasonable and continuous promotion of RLCP.