Abstract:

Promoting forestland transfer to achieve the scale of forestry operations is required for the development of modern forestry. The forestland transfer is the main content in the collective forest right system reform in China at present. Individual farmers, as a basic unit of forest production, should be the major participant in the forestland transfer. Based on a set of survey data of 222 farmers in 8 villages in Linan and Anji county, Zhejiang Province, this paper analyzed the features of farmers participation in the forestland transfer, from the scale, channels, constraint conditions to the transfer and so on, by using the cross-group statistical methods to analyze the affecting factors in the forestland transfer. The results showed that: the main suppliers in forestland transfer were those younger farmers; and the main demanders were those aged 40-60 years old farmers. Farmers with relatively poor-educated tent to take forestland, while better-educated farmers tent to rent out their forestland. The primary participants in the market of forestland transfer were village cadres. Forestland was transferred from the smaller families with fewer labor forces to the bigger families. Families whose member(s) were engaged in commerce or worked in governmental organizations or institutions had a higher proportion to rent out their forestland. Most farmers participating in forestland transfer usually had a higher family income. Primary suppliers in the forestland transfer were those who had a higher ratio of non-agricultural incomes; and the primary demanders were those who had a relatively lower ratio of non-agricultural incomes.

Key words: farmers, forestland transfer, affecting factors