Withdrawal Intention of Farmers from Vacant Rural Homesteads and Its Influencing Mechanism in Northeast China: A Case Study of Jilin Province

The effective use of land in Northeast China is of great significance for ensuring national food security and regional rural revitalization. In this study, based on the survey data collected from Jilin Province, Northeast China, we analyzed the vacancy rates of rural homesteads in suburban, outer suburban, and remote villages, as well as the withdrawal intention of rural-settled farmers, urban-settled farmers, and farmers with urban and rural dual residency from vacant homesteads. From the perspective of farmers’ perceptions, this study constructed a theoretical framework of the influence mechanism of their withdrawal intention and analyzed such mechanism by constructing a structural equation model. The results indicated that: 1) rural homestead vacancy rates increased with distance from the village to the city. 2) rural-settled farmers showed a low withdrawal intention for vacant rural homesteads, followed by urban and rural dual-residence farmers, and urban-settled farmers showed the highest withdrawal intention. 3) the relative importance of the factors influencing withdrawal intention is in the following order: policy awareness > interest perception > living environment perception > family characteristics. Finally, this study discussed the reformation of the homestead system and rural homestead transition in Northeast China, which can provide policy support to increase the potential of cultivated land and promote sustainable rural development and urban-rural coordination.