AUTHOR=Xie Yifan , Liu Gaoyan , Fu Jinhang , Deng Haoyu , Liu Xiaojin , Chen Jie 

TITLE=The impact of aging agricultural labor force on farmland abandonment and the moderating effects of agricultural technology training—a study based on data from Jiangxi Province, China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1600226

DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2025.1600226

ISSN=2571-581X

ABSTRACT=IntroductionBased on the research data of 1,102 farm households in five representative counties and districts of Jiangxi Province (Anyi County, Jinxian County, Nanchang County, Wanli District, and Xinjian District) in 2020. It further explores the moderating effects of agricultural technology training on the relationship between the aging agricultural labor force and land abandonment behavior and area, as well as the heterogeneous effects of farm-pluriactivity degree and land scales on such outcomes.MethodsThis study utilizes multiple econometric models to analyze the impact of the aging agricultural labor force on land abandonment occurrence and area.ResultsThe study found that: firstly, the aging agricultural labor force has positive effects on both land abandonment occurrence and its area; secondly, agricultural technology training has negative moderating effects on the impact of aging agricultural labor force on the probability of land abandonment and its area; thirdly, there is heterogeneity in the effects of farm-pluriactivity degree and land scales on land abandonment occurrence and its area. Moreover, the likelihood and area of land abandonment are greater for farmers with a high farm-pluriactivity degree than for those with a low farm-pluriactivity degree, and the likelihood and area of land abandonment are greater for farmers with large-scale lands than for those with small-scale lands.DiscussionTherefore, this paper proposes incorporating agricultural technology training into the core policy toolbox of the rural revitalization strategy, cultivating new types of agricultural entities, and establishing a long-term training mechanism featuring “government leadership, support from scientific research institutions, and participation from cooperatives” to fundamentally address the challenges of “who will farm the land” and “how to farm the land well.”