Evaluating Impact of Farmland Recessive Morphology Transition on High-Quality Agricultural Development in China

Recessive morphology transition (RMT) involves the smooth transition of farmland property rights, input structure, quality, and function. China's agriculture has changed from a period of high-speed growth to a period of high-quality development. Compared with dominant morphology transition (DMT) characterized by quantitative focus, it is of more practical significance to explore the impact of RMT on high-quality agricultural development (HAD). This paper firstly constructed a multidimensional index system to quantify HAD. Based on analysis of the impact mechanism of RMT on HAD, a spatial econometric model was established to explore the impact by making use of the panel data of 27 provinces in China from 2003-2017. The results indicated that RMT and HAD both have positive geospatial correlation. Furthermore, the spatial econometric model provides more accurate results of the impact of RMT on HAD than panel models. If the RMT in a local province increases by 1%, HAD could be augmented by 0.13%. Likewise, RMT has a strong positive spatial spillover effect on HAD. If the RMT in a certain province increases by 1%, HAD could add 1.22% in neighboring provinces. The analysis suggests that spatial coordination of farmland use is an important foundation for constructing high-quality development association of regional agriculture. It is necessary to strengthen intergovernmental cooperation in the process of farmland recessive morphology transition and high-quality agricultural development.