AGRICULTURE LAND USE EFFICIENCY IN RAPID URBANIZED CHINA, 2006–2022

Researchers worldwide have examined the intricate aspects of land use efficiency. Despite their efforts, a clear consensus remains elusive, especially in comparing the efficiency of construction and agricultural land in the context of Chinese rapid urbanization. This study uses the Malmquist index to conduct a detailed analysis of Total Factor Productivity (TFP), technological progress, technological efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency for agricultural and construction land across 31 provinces in China from 2006 to 2022. The findings reveal fluctuating but generally stable TFP in China’s agricultural sector during this period. A closer examination of TFP shows that technological progress has a more significant impact than technical efficiency. The technical efficiency of agricultural land, driven mainly by pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency, highlights a crucial aspect of the Chinese agricultural sector. In contrast, construction land in China experienced steady TFP growth throughout the same period. The analysis indicates that the technical efficiency of construction land relies heavily on pure technical efficiency. A province-specific analysis from 2006 to 2022 shows that Shanghai experienced a unique decline in agricultural land TFP compared to the previous year, while all other provinces showed an upward trend. Similarly, Heilongjiang and Jiangxi recorded decreases in construction land TFP compared to the previous years, whereas other provinces showed overall improvements.