加入合作社对家庭农场适度规模经营的影响

Impact of Joining Cooperatives on the Realization of Moderate Scale Operation of Family Farms

本文在探讨家庭农场适度规模经营两种理论观点之争的基础上,基于中国社会科学院农村发展研究所2020年中国乡村振兴综合调查(CRRS)数据,采用普通最小二乘法(OLS)系统考察了家庭农场加入合作社的规模扩大效应及其作用机制。研究发现:首先,加入合作社能够扩大家庭农场经营规模,推动家庭农场适度规模经营。经测算,当前中国家庭农场最优经营规模为188亩,因而家庭农场经营规模仍有扩大的空间。其次,家庭农场加入合作社的规模扩大效应存在异质性,收入水平高、社会资本水平低和自有机械化水平低的家庭农场加入合作社的规模扩大效应更明显。再次,加入合作社扩大家庭农场经营规模主要来自内部服务获取机制和外部资源获取机制,且合作社所提供的销售服务和金融支持对家庭农场经营规模扩大具有更强的促进效应。最后,耕地细碎化程度负向调节家庭农场加入合作社的规模扩大效应,耕地细碎化不利于加入合作社的家庭农场扩大经营规模。本文的研究为推动家庭农场适度规模经营,促进其与合作社融合发展提供了理论指导和决策依据。

The realization of moderate scale operation of family farms is the proper meaning of agricultural and rural modernization,and is also a realistic need for the change of agricultural production mode in the new period.However,there is still a theoretical dispute in existing literature about whether the family farm is to take the road of factor endowment or take the road of economies of scale,and the balance between factor endowment effect and economies of scale effect of family farms has not been found.There is still a lack of empirical measurement of the optimal scale of operation of family farms.Based on data from the 2020 China Rural Revitalization Comprehensive Survey(CRRS)conducted by the Rural Development Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences(CASS),this paper examines the scale expansion effect of family farms joining cooperatives and its mechanism.The study finds:Firstly,joining cooperatives can expand the scale of family farms and promote the moderate scale operation of family farms.According to the estimation,the optimal scale of family farms in China is 188 mu,and there is still space for the expansion of family farms’scale of operation.Secondly,there is heterogeneity in the scale expansion effect of family farms joining cooperatives,and the effect is more obvious after family farms with higher income levels,lower social capital and lower own mechanization join cooperatives.Thirdly,the increase in the scale of operation of family farms by joining cooperatives mainly comes from the internal service mechanism and the external resource acquisition mechanism,and the marketing services and financial support provided by cooperatives have a stronger effect on the expansion of the scale of operation of family farms.Finally,the scale expansion effect of family farms joining cooperatives is negatively regulated by the degree of farmland fragmentation,and farmland fragmentation is not conducive to the expansion of the business scale of family farms joining cooperatives.Compared with previous literature,this paper has the following two contributions.Firstly,it points out that joining cooperatives is an effective breakthrough point for family farms to balance factor endowment effect and economies of scale effect,and explores the basic motivation and theoretical logic of family farms joining cooperatives,as well as specifies the mechanisms and paths for family farms to access resources by joining cooperatives.Secondly,it examines the impact of joining cooperatives on the moderate scale operation of family farms,and based on this,measures the optimal scale of operation of family farms in China,and explores the future development path of family farm operation in China.This paper provides a balanced way for family farms to face the theoretical controversy over development paths,provides theoretical guidance for promoting family farms to realize moderate scale operation and high‐quality development,and also provides policy inspiration for promoting the integrated development of family farms and cooperatives.