Local perceptions of the conversion of cropland to forestland program in Jiangxi, Shaanxi, and Sichuan, China

Numerous land-use policies have been implemented in China in recent decades for ecological restoration and conservation to reduce environmental disasters and promote environmental sustainability. Many of these policies follow a top-down approach to implementation and as such, emphasize the hierarchical control within government structures. An understanding of local perceptions of land-use policies is important if the disconnect between policy makers and the target population is to be reduced and if program support is to improve. This study aimed to help improve local implementation, attitude toward, and engagement by examining the influence of socio-economic characteristics on the target population’s (local farmers) perception of the conversion of cropland to forestland program (CFPP) land use policy in Jiangxi, Sichuan, and Shaanxi provinces. It uses logistical regression models, with robust aspects of perception including confidence, support, transparency, prospects, fairness, and willingness to participate. Results indicate that social aspects as well as economic aspects are most important in influencing farmers’ perceptions towards the CFPP. The farmers who have received technical support, rural male habitants, educated, and non-middle-aged farmers exhibit more positive perceptions of the program and are much more likely to support it, whereas farmers without any technical support or formal education, and female and middle-aged farmers are less likely to support the program. Importantly, this study also reveals the differences in responses, experiences and perceptions of the farmers living across different provinces. These empirical results provide insight into the influence of socio-economic characteristics on the perception of farmers towards land-use policies, which has important implications for designing targeted policy instruments and increasing farmer support for these policies. This knowledge can be harnessed and further evaluated in future research to improve citizen engagement, support, and understanding in order to help ecological restoration and conservation objectives be more effectively achieved.