Research on Peasants' Awareness of Farming and Willingness for Farmland Circulation:A Case Study of Two Villages

Through participatory rural appraisal(PRA),a random survey was conducted of 239 farmers from 2 typical villages in Hongta District,Yuxi City,Yunnan Province,probing into the peasants' awareness of farming and their willingness for farmland circulation.The results indicate that more than 50% of the peasants believe that less benefit is acquired from farming than from non-agricultural employment.In order to get higher benefit,most of the young men have chosen to go and work away from their hometown,which has led to the phenomenon of daily farming activities being done by the old,the weak,and the young.The primary purpose of farming is to gain food,then to obtain economic income.Most farmers(70.3%) are willing to temporarily circulate the land out,but only a few farmers(39.8%) are willing to temporarily circulate in,the two kinds of willingness not in agreement.As for the permanent circulation of farmland,peasants' willingness either to circulate out or in is significantly lower than that for the temporary circulation.