Big hands holding small hands: The role of new agricultural operating entities in farmland abandonment

It is crucial to address farmland abandonment to achieve Zero Hunger according to the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. However, quantitative research on this topic is relatively lacking. Based on a large sample of panel data from the Chinese Family Database, this study applies a panel Tobit model to examine the relationship between new agricultural operating entities (NAOEs) and farmland abandonment. The results show that NAOEs—professional operators, family farms, and agricultural cooperatives—are negatively and significantly associated with the ratio of abandoned farmland areas. This effect is achieved through channels such as promoting land leasing, providing technical guidance, and facilitating the sale of agricultural products. Additionally, NAOEs benefit more from China’s central and western regions, mountainous areas, villages with better land tenure security, and households with poorer human resource endowments. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers to ensure food security and promote sustainable development by cultivating various large-scale farming entities.