Impacts of Land Tenure Reform on Rural Development A Case Study on Village Relocation and Large Scale Farming of Four Villages in Feicheng, China

Introduction In the economic, social, political, and cultural context of China, rural development was stepping into a totally new stage which exerts deep impacts on livelihood, environment, and culture of people who live in villages in rural areas after the coming of new millennium year, especially after the “increasing vs. decreasing balance” land use policy adopted by the Chinese government in response to the acute contradiction between arable land protection and rapid industrialization and urbanization. Strong demand of land for urbanization and industrialization is the driving force of Village Relocation (VR) which resulted in Large Scale Farming (LSF).

Based on sample survey data gathered from 100 households of four reallocated v i l lages in Fe icheng Shandong province, this paper focuses on four different VR and LSF projects in a time series, identifies the prerequisites of village reconstruction and LSF. Through the study on history of land tenure reform of China, it is pointed out that LSF would be a resul t of new countryside construction. It then highlights the main problems that have taken place during the period of planning and implementation, analyses the impacts of VR and LSF in the perspectives of economy, society, environment and culture. Finally, based on the f ind ings, key areas for

intervention are proposed in short, mid and long terms of the future. Objectives The overall objective of the present s t u d y i s t o c o n t r i b u t e t o t h e understandings of the impacts of land tenure reform on rural development and local practices in China. And examine the effects of the “HOOK Policy” in rural development. The study consists of four specific objectives: 1. To develop a critical understanding of VR and LSF by analyzing their basic prerequisites and clarify the relationship between VR and LSF.

In the context of food security and arable land protection strategies of China, four prerequisites of VR and LSF have been formulated under the “HOOK Policy” of Increase vs. Decrease Land Use Balance between Urban and rural Areas. Based on interviews and questionnaires, the problems of VR and LSF are put forward according to three phases: before, during and after implementation. Before implementation there are two problems as not adequate

compensation and the restricted time of one project . From four angels, economical, social, environmental and cultural, the impacts of VR and LSF on rural develop was discussed. The impacts are not an issue of white or b l a c k , b o t h a d v a n t a g e s a n d disadvantages are presented in this thesis. However, the impacts of VR and LSF on rural development are versatile and profound.

2. To identify the characteristics of VR and LSF, and to find the main problems that have taken place during the period of planning and implementation of these projects. 3. To find out the impacts of VR and LSF on social, economical development as well as environmental, cultural impacts on rural areas. 4. To contribute to the development of land policy and land tenure reform of China by discussing the improved measures for VR and LSF towards sustainable development. Hypothesis Land tenure reform towards giving more land rights to the farmers should stimulate the production for farm land. So the hypothesis of this thesis goes

further as follow. Under the context of the “HOOK Policy” of increase vs. decrease land use balance between urban and rural areas, VR and LSF are results of four factors namely; land tenure reform, new t e c h n o l o g y, u r b a n i z a t i o n a n d industrialization, and willingness of people. Furthermore, the relationship between VR and LSF are very close, and VR is a strong motivated factor for LSF. Conclusions/Recommendations VR and LSF are distinctively Chinese phenomenon that has resulted from the dual-track structure of urban and rural socioeconomic development in China, following the introduction of economic liberalization reforms in 1978.

Based on prerequisites, problems and impacts, the improvements were laid out after that. For different terms as short term (in 1-3 years), midterm (in 3-5years) and long term (in 5-10years) s e v e r a l r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s a r e p roposed. For shor t te rm, the recommendations focus on providing solutions to some urgent problems which can be solved in a short time. For midterm, the recommendations are

mainly about plans as development plan and land use plan which emend every f ive years. For long term, the recommendations were proposed a c c o r d i n g t h e r e q u i r e m e n t o f sustainable development. As table 6.1 s h o w s , c o m p a n i e d w i t h e v e r y recommendations, the targets, feasible measures, short assessment and responsible authorities were also clarified in the thesis.

Master’s Thesis by Guoqiang An (China)

References FBoLR  (Feicheng  Bureau  of  Land  and  Resources),Land  Use  Database,  2010.  FAO.   (2002).   Land   Tenure   and  Rural  Development.   Retrieved   2012  йил  DEC.   from  FAO:  hHp://www.fao.org/docrep/005/Y4307E/y4307e00.htm#Contents

Source: Author, Based on Land Use Database (FBoLR,2010) Source:  Author