Title: Characteristics and Differences of Agricultural Inputs in Metropolitan Suburb:A Case Study in Pinggu Distract of Beijing
Abstract: The direction and intensity of household-based agricultural input not only reflect the characteristics of the economic behavior of the farmers,but also determine the direction of regional agricultural development to a certain degree.The farmers in the suburbs of big cities have more choices of land-use than those in the rural areas,therefore,the production factors of the former are more complicated and changeable than the latter,and thus become more typical.Based on the questionnaire survey of 116 farmer households in Pinggu District of Beijing in 2003,this paper analyzes the characteristics and differences of the labor and capital inputs of farmer households in metropolitan suburbs,The result shows that owing to the variance of anticipant income among different agricultural industries,there are great variations in labor force quality and quantity as well as the level and structure of material inputs that household invested.Calculated through the established Labor Quality Input Index Model,it is found that the level of the quality of labor inputs of the farmer households in non-agricultural sectors is better than that in agricultural sector.And it is better in cash crops than that in grain crops.The ranking of input level from high to low is: non-agricultural industries,other cash crops,and livestock,and vegetable land,orchard and grain crops.At the same time,there is an obvious trend that labor force is shifting from agriculture sector to nonagricultural sector and from grain crops growing to cash crops growing.The part-time farmers have much more time to engage in the non-agricultural sectors,and the farmers mainly engaging in agricultural industries have shifted gradually from the plantation of grain to that of orchard and vegetables.As for the level and combination structure of farmer households input,the ranking of the capital inputs from high to low is: orchard,vegetable land,grain crops.The material inputs ranking from higher to lower is: vegetable land,orchard,grain crops land.In both cases,the condition of cash crops is far better than that of the grain crops.Based on the above analysis,this paper comes into the following conclusion that strengthening of the support and guidance to farmers in the suburbs of metropolises and stabilizing of farmers' market expectation will help the farmers avoid market risks,optimize the allocation of agricultural resources and increase the farmers' income finally.Such measures are of significant importance to the healthy development of the agriculture in the suburbs of metropolises.
Publication Year: 2007
Publication Date: 2007-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 1
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