The impact of social trust differences on farmland abandonment - evidence from China

The rapid development of a market economy and labor mobility has resulted in the widespread abandonment of farmland. The global and national abandonment of farmland undermines food security and environmental sustainability. Using data from 7,938 farm households in 29 Chinese provinces, we used Ordinary Least Squares models to quantitatively assess the effects of farmers' specific and general trust on farmland abandonment. Increasing specific trust reduces farmland abandonment, with neighborhood mutual aid serving as a mediator. However, increasing general trust significantly increases farmland abandonment, with labor mobility serving as a mediating factor. In addition, the degree of marketization and the growth of farmland transfer markets reduced the association between farmers' trust and farmland abandonment. This study expands our understanding of the relationship between farmers' trust and the abandonment of farmland. It will also encourage policymakers to promote the level and degree of marketization of farmland transfers to establish specific trust, thereby reducing farmland abandonment and enhancing food security and agro-environmental sustainability.