Coupling Coordination Analysis Between Farmland Transfer and Agricultural Eco-Efficiency in China

The transfer of farmland refers to the process of transferring land contracting and management rights, during which various changes occur in production entities, management behaviors, and management methods. This process fosters positive changes in grain yield and farmers’ income. However, there is no consensus on the ecological impacts of farmland transfer. The objective of this study is to explore the coupling and coordination relationship between the process of farmland transfer and regional agricultural eco-efficiency across 30 provincial units in China. The following conclusions can be drawn from the results: (1) The level of farmland transfer in China exhibits an overall upward trend, primarily influenced by the average farmland area per household in each region and the number of large grain producers, with Heilongjiang consistently maintaining the highest level. (2) The agricultural eco-efficiency value remains relatively stable at approximately 1.1, with high-efficiency areas concentrated in Beijing, Qinghai, Hainan, Shanghai, Fujian, and Guizhou, where lower agricultural carbon emissions are a significant influencing factor. (3) The coupling degree between farmland transfer and agricultural eco-efficiency in various provinces of China is predominantly in a state of adjustment, with the coupling coordination level improving year by year. However, the coupling coordination level does not demonstrate a clear “high-high” or “low-low” synchronous state with grain yield per unit area, indicating that the levels of farmland transfer and agricultural eco-efficiency have not yet established a robust interactive relationship with farmland production efficiency.