Abstract
Agriculture, as a foundational industry with both economic and ecological attributes, plays a crucial role in ensuring the stable supply of ecological products, which is essential for sustainable development. As a key institutional mechanism for optimizing land resource allocation, the Rural Collective Property Rights System Reform (RCPRSR) has not been systematically examined in terms of its impact on the supply of agricultural ecological products. This study investigates the reform as a critical entry point, focusing on how improvements in the property rights system influence the agricultural ecological value (AEV) services. Based on panel data from 1848 county-level administrative units in China from 2004 to 2021, the dynamic equivalent factor method was adopted to measure the agricultural ecological value, and the difference-in-differences (DID) model was employed to identify the net effect of the reform. Robustness tests were conducted to verify the reliability of the research results. The results indicate that RCPRSR significantly enhances the agricultural ecological value, a conclusion supported by robustness tests. Furthermore, the policy effect is more pronounced in southern regions, non-resource-based counties, and counties located in the Yangtze-Yellow River basins. Moderating effect analyses reveal that increased agricultural mechanization and industrial upgrading amplify the ecological benefits of the reform, whereas excessive local fiscal pressure diminishes its positive impact. This study not only contributes empirical evidence to understanding the intrinsic link between RCPRSR and agricultural ecological protection but also offers actionable policy recommendations for enhancing the supply of agricultural ecological products through property rights optimization, thereby promoting the coordinated development of rural revitalization and ecological sustainability.
Song, M.; Yu, M.; He, Q.; Lobonț, O.-R.; Chen, X.; Du, J T. 2026. he impact of property rights system on agricultural ecological value: Evidence from 1848 counties in China. Cities : Elsevier. ISSN 0264-2751. eISSN 1873-6084. 170, 106641, p. 1–15. DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106641. [Scopus; Social Sciences Citation Index (Web of Science)].