Estimation of Determinants of Farmland Abandonment and Its Data Problems

Abstract

Abandoned farmland is particularly problematic in developed countries where agriculture has a comparative disadvantage in terms of effective use of land resources invested over time. While many studies have estimated the causes of these problems, few have discussed in detail the impact of data characteristics and accuracy on the estimation results. In this study, issues related to the underlying data and the estimation of the determinants of farmland abandonment were examined. Most previous studies on farmland abandonment in Japan have used census data as the basis of their analyses. However, census data are recorded subjectively by farmers. To address this, surveys of abandoned farmland are being conducted by a third party, and the results are compiled into a geographic information system (GIS) database. Two types of datasets (subjective census data and objective GIS data) were examined for their estimation performance. Although the two sets of data are correlated, there are considerable differences between them. Subjective variables are compatible with subjective data, and objective variables are compatible with objective data (meaning that parameters are easily identified). Original data for analysis, such as policy variables, are compatible with objective data. In policy evaluation research, attention should be paid to objective data collection.

Depopulated and Abandoned Areas in Serbia in the 21st Century—From a Local to a National Problem

“…He noticed that the more arable land there is in a certain region, the greater the chance that certain plots will be abandoned. He also concluded that a well-functioning land market prevents land abandonment [19]. Kiziridis et al [46] analysed several sites in Greece that, due to abandonment, are experiencing a land cover transition.…”

“…With the non-use of land for food production, the country becomes dependent on external food markets. Thus, although it constitutes a small part of the budget of rural communities, agriculture has great political power [19]. In the case of Europe, the policy of revitalization of abandoned land and rural communities (Common agriculture policy) has four extreme scenarios for the period 2021-2027 [10]: productivism, neoliberalism, multifunctionalism and ecosystem revitalization.…”

Analysis of the Effect of Soil Erosion in Abandoned Agricultural Areas: The Case of NE Area of Basilicata Region (Southern Italy)

“…The drivers, such as soil quality, ecological vulnerability, and unfavorable pedological features, can be natural. They are also human-driven because they are linked to socioeconomic factors, demographic structure, and institutional frameworks [10][11][12][13][14]. Explanations of abandonment are multidimensional, and there is no clear division between drivers, as abandonment depends on the combination and iteration between the drivers mentioned above.…”