Land system reform should protect farmers' interests

|Editorial Note|Land has become an issue of increasing social concern as demand continues to surge in the midst of economic development,urbanization and industrialization.The crux of the issue is the land regime. China has a unique dualistic land regime under which the land market has not been well developed.Based on a review and commentary of the existing land polices,this article elaborates on the deficiencies inherent in China’s dualistic land rights system and land market and offers policy recommendations for promoting land system reform and market development.This study will help us gain an in-depth understanding of the problems in China’s land regime.

Understanding the Nexus between Climate Change, the Shift in Land Use toward Cashew Production and Rural Food Security in Ghana;the Experiences of Farmers in the Transition Zone of Ghana

This study summarises the findings from a study investigating rural small-holding farmers’experiences on the shift from food crop to cashew in the forest/savanna transitional agro-ecological zone of Ghana and its impact on rural food security.Using a mix method approach,the study sampled the views of 400 farmers from 9 farming communities in the Wenchi Municipality of Ghana via questionnaire and semi-structured interview and collated statistical data on crop production to trace the nexus between climate change,agrarian land-use decisions and food security.The study found evidence of increasing shift from food crop to cashew production.This was evidenced by increasing cashew cultivation and cashew output and decreasing total land acreage for food crops and increasing food insecurity of farmers.The findings revealed that about 71%of farmers had expanded their cashew farms and another 41.0%have turned their food crops’lands to cashew production.Besides cashew production,(57.0%)has overtaken the traditional food crop-maize(25.5%)production in terms of output.Instructively,the study found that the main motivation for the shift from food crop to cashew production is not only to maximise income in bulk,but also climate change adaptability issues.The study found that the cashew crop is resilient in adapting to the changing climate and less prone to pests’invasion compared to maize in the study District.The study found that food security among rural folks had been seriously compromised by the conversion of farmlands from food crop to cashew farming.Although,the study found that female farmers have higher consciousness to food security yet less motivated to shift from food crop to cashew crop production compared to men.Worryingly,females are the hardest hit group because of their low ownership of or access to farmlands and low voices of women in farmland use decision making in a men-dominant rural extended family setting of the study District.The study concludes that climate change adaptability concern has introduced a new set of risks including crop failure due to changing rainfall pattern and increasing incidence of pest invasions forcing the rural folks to compromise innovative indigenous farming focus and practices that have helped them to navigate extreme food poverty.This study,therefore,argues for improved food crop seeds tailored to the specific climatic context and innovative farming practices that beef-up small-holding farmers’capacity to navigate climate change to continually produce food crop to ensure rural food security and sustainability.

Problems and Solutions of Protecting Rights and Interests of Land-expropriated farmers during Urbanization--A Case Study of Henan Province

This paper discusses existing problems in protecting rights and interests of land-expropriated farmers' during urbanization,such as those farmers' failure to obtain benefits from land increment,difficult employment and imperfect social security system.Reasons for losses of farmers' rights and interests mainly include defects in land management and expropriation system,and uncoordinated development of urbanization and industrialization.However,the basic reason is urban and rural dual economic structure.On the basis of these situations,it puts forward solutions to protecting rights and interests of land-expropriated farmers:let land-expropriated farmers share land-increment benefits from land marketization;establish effective employment security system and perfect social security system,to make land-expropriated farmers share supply of public goods equal between rural and urban areas,and realize the inclusive growth balancing urban and rural areas.

Countermeasures for Establishing a Long-term Security Mechanism for Landless Farmers

In the process of urbanization,farmers will inevitably lose their land,which is resulted from the large-scale requisition of rural collective land.The imperfect social security system in rural areas has resulted in a large number of landless farmers being transformed into urban poor people.Therefore,proper resettlement of landless farmers and the establishment of a long-term security mechanism for ensuring the basic livelihood of landless farmers are important issues that need to be resolved in the process of China’s social and economic development.

Social Security of Land-losing Farmers in Urban Demolition——A Case of Hedong Village, Chengzhong District,Liuzhou City

Based on the survey of peasants from 40 households who are chosen at random and have lost their land in the Hedong Village of Liuzhou, the status quo of land expropriation and social security of land-losing peasants are expounded. The social security problems of peasants in urban demolition and peasantsh desperate demands are analyzed as follows. For example, the Main problems after the peasants losing their lands cover the substandard of resettlement, which can not maintain the former living standard; the source of income has changed and the relevant security mechanism has not been established; the peasants who have lost their land are in desperate need of more stable jobs and stable income. In view of the current situation, the countermeasures and suggestions for establishing social security mechanism for peasants who have lost their land are put forward. The measures cover establishing the subsistence allowances for land-losing peasants; establishing the guarantee system for aged people; building medical care system; providing employment and training opportunity, trying to increase the channels of employment for farmers and fostering the employment security system for peasants who have lost their land.

Social Security Programme for Farmers

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Challenges of Women Contributing to Food Security in Ghana： Perspectives of Women Farmers in Northern Ghana

Women contribution to all the four pillars of food security （food availability, accessibility, utilization, and sovereignty） has been well established in Ghana and many sub-Saharan African countries. However, the issue of sustainability of their contribution to the food security equation is still a dilemma. This study therefore examined the challenges and vulnerabilities associated with women farmers in accessing and controlling land for sustained agriculture in Northern Ghana. The study was mainly qualitative and utilized various participatory dialogue processes including focus group discussions and key informant interviews of selected women farmer groups, individual farmers, opinion leaders and traditional authorities in eight communities across four districts in three regions of Northern Ghana. The data was analysed thematically. Results of the study showed that women are disadvantaged in all the possible means of acquiring land for agricultural production-- inheritance, marriage, rent, shared cropping, outright purchase, and gift. It was evident that women have appreciable levels of access to land, but have low level of control of such lands for sustained food production. Several factors, such as low income, socio-cultural factors, climate change, mining, urbanization, low level of education, and low levels of awareness of property and inheritance rights, associate women＇s vulnerability to limited land in the study area. The findings of the study imply that any policy geared toward women empowerment in agriculture must not only target their access to land but also consider enhancing their control over agricultural land. The study therefore recommended that in order to increase food production and security in the study regions, there is the need to strengthen women＇s capacity to defend their land tenure rights and enhance their access and control over land within the context of natural resource management.

Practice and Research on Construction of Basic Life Security Program for Land-Expropriated Farmers in China

To set up basic life security program （BLSP） for land-expropriated farmers in the process of urbanization is an effective measure to solve existing issues in China. Theprogram, which Zhejiang Province initiated in the world, has great significance. Through deep investigation in ten cities, the thesis has normatively evaluated current situations, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of basic life security program for land-expropriated farmers in Zhejiang. Furthermore, it put forward some academic suggestions to further perfect and improve the system.

Contradiction between the Modernization of Agriculture and the Protection of the Interests of Farmers

Main modes of agricultural modernization in developed countries are summarized,as well as their impact on the interests of farmers. Among them,the America,Canada,Australia and other sparsely-populated countries adopt the labor force saving model based on large-scale mechanization during agricultural mechanization. Japan and other countries with many people and little land adopt the land saving model with high technology. And the Western European Countries use the intermediate model to exert the function of mechanization and technology. Interests security of farmers in rural land circulation is discussed,such as the unreasonable allocation of circulation rights,changing the land property and land use without authorization;undermining the long-term interests of farmers,and the unsolved social security problem of farmers. Interest guarantee of farmers during the process of agricultural industrialization is analyzed,pointing out that big household or leading enterprise usually occupies a favorable position in the cooperative. They use their advantages in share and management to raven the operation achievement of peasant households and to transfer risks. Due to the information asymmetry,farmers are at a weak position in the cooperation with leading enterprise. Interests protection of farmers in scale management is put forward,such as strengthening the subsidies for farmers,implementing a moderate scale management suitable for the situation of China,and establishing a fair and reasonable benefit affiliating mechanism among peasant household,cooperative and leading enterprise.

Policy Needs for Social Security in the Process of Citizenization of the Peri-urban Farmers:A Case Study of Hefei City

We conduct a survey of transformational towns and villages in High-tech Development District, Yaohai District and Shushan District, Hefei City. Using data, we analyze the "sideline effect" and inherent contradiction of transformational cities, research the policy needs for social security and its trend in the citizenization process of the peri-urban farmers. On this basis, we construct the social security policy system that can adapt to the accelerated process of urbanization. Finally, we put forth the following recommendations for the social security policy in the citizenization process of the peri-urban farmers: distinguishing different groups' policy needs for social security; attaching importance to people's dynamic policy needs for social security in urbanization; focusing on the adaptability of social security policy transformation in urbanization; attaching importance to the social psychosocial environment of social security policy transformation in urbanization; achieving the trinity of non-farm conversion, urbanization and citizenization in the process of urbanization; strengthening the government's dominant position in the building of social security policy system.

Analysis on the Current Situation of Social Security for Landless Farmers Under the Background of Urbanization

With the rapid development of China's social economy,the economy of various regions has rapidly improved.At the same time,people are paying more attention to the issue of farmers' social security.In order to realize the rapid development of regional economy and form a relatively stable social order,there is a need to improve the social security system of farmers so as to ensure that more people acquire basic social security rights.On this basis,based on the background of urbanization,this article studies the social security status of landless farmers in R city,and analyzes the old-age security as well as the medical insurance of landless farmers in R city.

Climatic and non-climatic factors driving the livelihood vulnerability of smallholder farmers in Ahafo Ano North District,Ghana

Smallholder farmers in Ahafo Ano North District,Ghana,face multiple climatic and non-climatic issues.This study assessed the factors contributing to the livelihood vulnerability of smallholder farmers in this district by household surveys with 200 respondents and focus group discussions(FGDs)with 10 respondents.The Mann–Kendall trend test was used to assess mean annual rainfall and temperature trends from 2002 to 2022.The relative importance index(RII)value was used to rank the climatic and non-climatic factors perceived by respondents.The socioeconomic characteristics affecting smallholder farmers’perceptions of climatic and non-climatic factors were evaluated by the binary logistic regression model.Results showed that mean annual rainfall decreased(P>0.05)but mean annual temperature significantly increased(P<0.05)from 2002 to 2022 in the district.The key climatic factors perceived by smallholder farmers were extreme heat or increasing temperature(RII=0.498),erratic rainfall(RII=0.485),and increased windstorms(RII=0.475).The critical non-climatic factors were high cost of farm inputs(RII=0.485),high cost of healthcare(RII=0.435),and poor condition of roads to farms(RII=0.415).Smallholder farmers’perceptions of climatic and non-climatic factors were significantly affected by their socioeconomic characteristics(P<0.05).This study concluded that these factors negatively impact the livelihoods and well-being of smallholder farmers and socioeconomic characteristics influence their perceptions of these factors.Therefore,to enhance the resilience of smallholder farmers to climate change,it is necessary to adopt a comprehensive and context-specific approach that accounts for climatic and non-climatic factors.

Analysis of Hidden Danger in Farmer's Rights and Interests during Farmland Transfer——An Evaluation of Rights Safeguarding Effect of Farmland Transfer Contract

Taking Shuangliu County,Chengdu City,China as an example,evaluation index system for the rights protection effects of farmland transfer is established contract from three aspects of basic information,transfer agreement and legal safeguards in the contracts.According to the investigation data,weight of evaluation index is determined by both entropy weight and Analytic Hierarchy Process.Comprehensive index method is used to evaluate the rights protection effects of farmland transfer contract in the flat dam,high hill and low hill in Shuangliu County,Chengdu,China.Result shows that the transfer agreement of farmland and the basic information of contract greatly affect the rights protection effects of farmland transfer contract.There are differences in the five indices of the information of the signature of contract,pricing for payment,time limit for farmland transfer,transfer mode of farmland,and use range of farmland transfer.During the farmland transfer in reality,there are three hidden dangers in farmer's land rights and interests,which are the ill-formed transfer behavior,the relatively low income of farmers from farmland transfer,and the quality decline of farmland and difficult full reclamation in transfer period.Based on the evaluation result and investigation data,countermeasures are put forward to improve the rights protection effects of farmland transfer contract.

Safeguarding Farmer Workers' Rights and Interests——An interview with Ye Jingyi, professor of Beijing University Law School

Farmer workers are a new powerful workforce that has sprung up amid China＇s reform and door opening and in the process of the country＇s industrialization and urbanization. They have made great contributions to urban prosperity, rural development and their country＇s modernization. At present, however, farmer workers face numerous difficulties and problems in income, work safety, social security, vocational training, the schooling of their children and living conditions. To safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of farmer workers, the State Council in March 2006 issued Ideas of the State Council on Solving Farmer Workers-related Problems. In the document, the State Council promises to strengthen and improve leadership over work regarding farmer workers and prioritize the solving of farmer workers-related problems.

Land-losing Farmers' Citizenization in the Process of Urbanization

Starting from the status of citizenization of land-losing farmers,problems in the citizenization are analyzed,such as the difficulty in land-losing farmers' economic life after turning into citizens,employment difficulties of land-losing farmers after living in the city,and the prominent problems in social security of land-losing farmers.Causations for the citizenization problems of land-losing farmers are analyzed.Firstly,institutionalized rejection is the root of the obstacle in citizenization of land-losing farmers.Secondly,exclusion from social security system is a fundamental reason.Thirdly,exclusion of land-losing farmers from both urban citizens and themselves is the subjective factor.Fourthly,exclusion of land-losing farmers from urban employment is the objective factor.Based on these,countermeasures are put forward:formulating a reasonable price of land transfer;establishing a reasonable land compensation and benefit-sharing mechanism;setting up a multi-level social security system for land-losing farmers;increasing the human capital investment in land-losing farmers to enhance their employment status;and improving the cultural quality of land-losing farmers to realize the change in lifestyle.

Geospatial Technology Potentials in Reawakening the Consciousness of Soil Distribution in Nigeria’s North-Central Region and Mediating the Herdsmen-Farmers Conflicts

The pervasive herdsmen-farmers conflicts in the north-central region of Nigeria have changed the narrative of Nigeria’s enduring ethnic crises to ideologies, which are in-controvertibly sinister. The consequences of this tension, which has defied possible military responses, political, religious and cultural strategies are potentially devastating, not just for Nigeria, but the whole of West African region. Since the particular nature of these conflicts increasingly highlights the significance and inevitability of land resources for crops farming and cattle rearing, it is imperative to create awareness of the elemental nature of soils, especially their diversities in these conflict-prone areas. This study’s objective was to produce a Geographic Information System (GIS) based digital soil map (DSM) of the north-central region of Nigeria, and to delineate soil distribution and unique properties. Based on this study, the DSM offers a quick access to quantitative soil data covering the study area. It indicates that soil mapping units 15d, 18d and 24b are dominant, and constitute about 40% of the local arable lands. The broad pattern of distribution of these soils reflects both the climatic conditions and the geological structure of the region. The soils are highly weathered with limited capacities to supply essential nutrients needed by crop plants. These issues raise a number of questions, most of which focuses on the best possible way to maximize these soils to accommodate both crop farming and cattle rearing. It is our hope that taking the advantage of GIS to stimulate the knowledge and consciousness of soil distribution in the region will place the weight where it is appropriate in terms of food security through crops production and cattle rearing, and hence forge a more realistic pathway to reconciliation and conflict resolution.

An Assessment of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy and the African Union Security Architecture:Neo-conservative Perspectives

The beginning of the 21st century witnessed a strategic shift in Nigeria’s foreign policy.After the return of Nigeria to civilian rule in 1999,new multilateral diplomacy had to be embarked upon towards the promotion of democracy,peace,and security in Africa.One notable and distinctive feature of the country’s foreign policy from the inception of the Fourth Republic(1999)has been its promotion of African stability through the democratisation process.Nigeria has consistently used the African Union(AU)to pursue an agenda which can be described as neo-conservative,in restoring democracy,peace,and security,in Africa.Given this,this paper examines the neo-conservative foreign policy objectives and the role of the Nigerian state within the African Union security architecture towards the nurturing and advancement of democracy,peace,and security since the return to the civilian rule in 1999.

Motivations,enablers and barriers to the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices by smallholder farmers:Evidence from the transitional and savannah agroecological zones of Ghana

This paper examined the prioritized climate-smart agricultural practices by smallholder farmers,the motivations of adopting climate-smart agricultural practices,the enablers to the successful adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices,and the barriers to the successful adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices in the transitional and savannah agroecological zones of Ghana.Specifically,we employed ethnographic research using participatory approaches,including two stakeholder workshops and household surveys with 1061 households in the transitional and savannah agroecological zones of Ghana.The weighted average index(WAI)and problem confrontation index(PCI)were used to rank smallholder farmers’perceived enablers to the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices and the barriers affecting climate-smart agricultural practices,respectively.Results suggest that the majority of the respondents used a suite of climate-smart agricultural practices,including the timely harvesting of produce and storage,emergency seed banking,appropriate and timely weed and pest control,and early planting as practices to build climate resilience.The majority of smallholder farmers primarily employed climate-smart agricultural practices to improve household food security(96.2%),reduce pests and diseases(95.6%),and obtain higher yields and greater farm income(93.2%).Findings also show that secured land tenure system arrangement,understanding the effects of climate change,and access to sustainable agricultural technologies were ranked the first,second,and third most important enablers to the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices with the WAI values of 2.86,2.75,and 2.70,respectively.Key barriers to the successful adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices included incidences of pests and diseases(PCI=2530),inadequate access to agricultural credit(PCI=2502),high cost of improved crop varieties(PCI=2334),and limited government support with farm inputs(PCI=2296).Smallholder farmers need to be better supported through the provision of appropriate institutional and policy arrangements together with improved land management extension advice to overcome these barriers and facilitate the more effective implementation of climate-smart agricultural practices in Ghana.

Institutional Arrangement to Improve Farmers' Enthusiasm

On the basis of summarizing theories related to public goods,with the aid of trend curve of China's annual grain yield from 1978 to 2010,in combination with grain policies at that time,empirical analysis is carried out on institution as key factor influencing the farmers' enthusiasm,showing that there is highly positive correlation between institutional change and grain production.In order to raise farmers' production enthusiasm and ensure the national grain security,this paper puts forward appropriate countermeasure systems from the point of view of innovating grain production policies.The countermeasure systems include:firstly,innovate agricultural operation institution;secondly,improve agricultural personnel cultivation mechanism;thirdly,complete financial investment system;fourthly,set up grain security protection system;and finally,build risk support system.

Land Expropriation and Constitutional Protection of Farmers' Rights

One of the reasons for many social tragedies resulted from land expropriation in China is failure of the constitution to bring into play its due functions in standardizing land expropriation power of the government and protecting farmers' rights.In the existing land expropriation system,government is not only a policy maker of land expropriation,but also a "referee" of dispute over land expropriation.Government' land expropriation power and land-expropriated farmers' rights become out of balance.As a result,some local governments do not attach importance to farmers' rights,making land-expropriated farmers dissatisfied and consequently leading to some social tragedies unfavorable for harmony and stability.To fundamentally settle disputes over land expropriation and realize win-win of farmers' right and state interest,it should bring into full play functions of the constitution through protecting farmers' right to participate in land expropriation and establishing constitution evaluation mechanism.