Soil Investments on Rented versus Owned Plots: Evidence from a Matched Tenant-Landlord Sample in Malawi
利用马拉维租户与地主匹配的独特数据，比较了租用和自有地块上的投入与土壤投资，发现租用地块的投入和土壤改良措施较少，可能加剧土壤肥力问题。
We use a unique data set on matched tenant-landlord pairs in Malawi to compare decisions on smallholder plots that were rented versus those that were owneroperated. Controlling for household and rental-pair fixed effects, we found that some input use (e.g., hybrid maize seed) and soil fertility investments (e.g., manure, compost, minimum tillage) were higher on tenants' owner-operated plots than on their rented-in plots. Tenants were also less likely to use compost than their landlords. Landlords were less likely to rent out plots with fruit trees. Our results suggest that the expansion of farmland rental markets may exacerbate soil fertility maintenance concerns.