{
  "abstract": "Under the dual pressures of increasing fragmentation of farmland and profound changes in the agricultural labor force, the problem of abandoned farmland in rural China has become increasingly prominent, posing a serious threat to food security. Previous studies have mainly focused on the impact of socioeconomic factors on farmland abandonment behavior; however, there remains a lack of systematic investigations into the underlying mechanisms through which farmland fragmentation influences farmers’ land-use decisions. Therefore, this study applies behavioral theory to construct a “fragmentation–mechanization–abandonment” analytical framework to analyze the potential mechanisms of land-use decision-making. Using micro-level household survey data from multiple provinces across China, we conduct empirical tests through Probit models and Karlson Holm and Breen (KHB) mediation effect analysis. Our findings include: (1) Farmland fragmentation significantly increases the probability of farmland abandonment, which remains robust across multiple tests. (2) Farmland fragmentation indirectly influences abandonment behavior through the mediating variable of agricultural mechanization level, but this mechanism plays only a partial mediating role. (3) Heterogeneity tests indicate that the positive effect of farmland fragmentation is significantly stronger among households with low access to finance than among those with high access to finance. This influence is also stronger among households with high farmland accessibility. This study indicates that abandonment governance requires moving beyond a singular focus on land consolidation and shifting toward a synergistic approach that combines differentiated regional strategies with targeted support for smallholders. From a micro-mechanism perspective, this study provides empirical evidence for targeted implementation of land consolidation and livelihood support for smallholders, offering important policy implications for achieving agricultural modernization.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Research Center for Coordinated Development of Enterprises and Environment, Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences in Hubei Province, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China",
    "School of Management, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China",
    "School of Public Administration, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China",
    "School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China",
    "School of Public Affairs, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Peng Cheng",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6498-1640"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yue Wang",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0098-5359"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Ke Liu",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8343-0449"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Xuesong Kong",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3290-025X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Houtian Tang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yu Cheng",
      "orcid": "0009-0001-0172-3388"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jinrun Chen"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3nfnezb49gvys.bib",
  "cited_by": 6,
  "doi": "10.3390/land15071315",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "3nfnezb49gvys",
  "issns": [
    "2073-445X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.3390/land15071315",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1111|Land Rights and Reforms"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7169842700",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/15/7/1315/pdf?version=1784645855",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-07-21",
  "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3nfnezb49gvys.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:26:50Z",
      "native_id": "W7169842700",
      "source": "openalex",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3390/land15071315"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "openalex:1111|Land Rights and Reforms",
      "subfield": "hydrology-soils"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Why Do Farmers Leave Land Idle? Unpacking the Role of Farmland Fragmentation and Mechanization Constraints in Farmland Abandonment Behavior",
  "title_text": "Why Do Farmers Leave Land Idle? Unpacking the Role of Farmland Fragmentation and Mechanization Constraints in Farmland Abandonment Behavior",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T13:21:09Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3nfnezb49gvys",
  "venue": "Land",
  "versions": []
}