Food Security and Farm Land Protection in China

The Advantages of Ambiguity? Development, Rule Formation and Property Rights During Transition in China

“…The Land Administrative Acts of 1998 and 2004 suggest peasants own collective land (Liu et al, 2012;Mao, 2012) iii ; although interpretations differ (Dongtao & Ouyang, 2012). Land cannot be lawfully transferred except to the state, which may then be able to transfer it to other uses, including private.…”

“…Chinese government continues to roll out land registration across the country, and collective property protection is seen to be improving over time (Mao, 2012).…”

“…Farmers can combine subsidence and commercial farming on private plots with collective and commercial farming on a larger scale. Usage rights can be contracted out, with the majority agreement of the collective (Mao, 2012), and rental markets have become increasingly important. As such, cooperative collectively-owned farming coexists with modern industrial farming.…”

“…Hess (2010) shows in his study of 'nail houses' resisting forced expropriation, how local resistance can force higher prices and other concessions. Mao (2012) (Mao 2012, 81). In the absence of legal protection for property rights, some local state ownership also provides protection for marginalised groups, with local and other elites in completion with other central and other local elites, and SOEs providing social services (Szelenyi, 2012).…”

“…iii The Law on the Contract in of Rural Land (2002) allows contract rights with a term of 30 years for agricultural land (Mao, 2012).…”