Identifying Social-ecological Driving Mechanisms of Farmland Transfer at the County Scale in Central Yunnan Urban Agglomeration, China

Farmland transfer is an important land policy for reducing agricultural fragmentation and improving land use efficiency. Many studies have investigated the driving forces of farmland transfer at the farmers’ scale. However, the overall spatial distribution and driving mechanisms of farmland transfer at the county scale has been less quantified. In this study, we evaluated farmland transfer and its spatial pattern in Central Yunnan Urban Agglomeration (CYUA) of China by using statistical data at the county scale in 2020. A social-ecological indicator system, comprising natural endowment, social indicators, economic indicators, and landscape patterns, was established to explore the relationship between farmland transfer and its driving factors. Additionally, a heuristic structural equation model (SEM) was employed to disentangle direct and indirect drivers of farmland transfer. The results indicated that significant spatial clusters of farmland transfer, with high transfer rates concentrated in highly urbanized areas and low transfer rates prevalent in traditional ethnic minority regions. Farmland transfer is primarily driven by soil quality, landscape patterns, terrain, and social-economic rurality. Specifically, higher soil quality and improved landscape connectivity facilitate farmland transfer directly, while gentler slopes promote farmland transfer indirectly by supporting better educational opportunities and fewer minority population. Improving rural vocational training and optimizing landscape patterns through land consolidation and redistribution are important in the mountainous areas. This study can provide valuable analytical framework for farmland management for other mountainous regions.