The impact of farmland circulation on the carbon footprint of agricultural cultivation in China

Farmland circulation will lead to the modernization and large-scale development of agricultural production, which reduces the carbon footprint of agricultural cultivation. Based on the microscopic perspective of farmers, this research uses the data from the Fixed Observation Points of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in China in 2009 to 2015 and examines the impact of farmland circulation on the carbon footprint of agricultural cultivation using the fixed-effect model. In addition, heterogeneity analysis is conducted. The results show that farmland circulation has an impact on the carbon footprint of agricultural cultivation. Specifically, the transferred farmland significantly reduces the carbon footprint while there are heterogeneities in the effect of farmland circulation on the carbon footprint of agricultural cultivation due to the different regions or the variable education levels of the head of households.