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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2024, Vol. 23 Issue (9): 3200-3214    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.07.042
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Rural labor migration and farmers’ arrangements of rice production systems in Central China: Insight from the intergenerational division of labor

Xue Shen#, Quanyu Yang, Rongjun Ao, Shengsheng Gong

Key Laboratory for Geographical Process Analysis & Simulation of Hubei Province/College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China

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摘要  

探究影响牛肉品质的遗传因素和代谢物分子对提高牛肉品质和满足消费者需求至关重要。肉牛不同部位的肉质特点差异很大,价格也有所不同。因此,本研究旨在评价秦川牛四个不同部位(里脊、外脊、上脑和眼肌)的10个肉质性状,包括总蛋白含量(TPC)、肌内脂肪含量(IMF)、游离脂肪酸 (NEFA)、肉色(L*、a* 和 b*)、剪切力 (SF)、蒸煮损失 (CL)、屠宰后0小时pH(pH0)和屠宰后24小时pH(pH24)。进一步进行转录组和代谢组测序分析,采用加权共表达网络分析(WGCNA)方法探索与性状相关的基因和代谢物模块,构建蛋白-蛋白互作网络(PPI),筛选关键基因和代谢物,以及共同富集的KEGG通路。我们筛选到了3个与肌内脂肪含量(IMF)相关的关键基因(NDUFAB1、NDUFA12和NDUFB7),3个与游离脂肪酸(NEFA)相关的关键基因(CSRP3、ACAA3和ACADVL),1个与肉色相关的关键基因(CREBBP)。本研究为揭示牛不同肌肉部位的差异提供了新的视角,下一步基于本研究筛选到的基因和通路开展深入研究,将有助于改善牛肉品质。



Abstract  

Rice production is crucial for food security in China, and its relationship with rural labor migration has been studied extensively.  Labor migration in rural China has taken new forms in recent years.  There has been a discernible trend wherein adult children have started migrating to cities while their elderly parents return to villages to re-engage in on-farm work.  The phenomenon has notably shaped the intergenerational division of labor (IDL) within households.  However, it remains to be seen how farmers adjust their rice production systems in response to the IDL.  The age of 60 years for employment injury insurance is the eligibility threshold for off-farm employment and is used to obtain a source of exogenous variation in the IDL.  Based on a representative household survey of 1,752 rice farmers in the Hubei Province of Central China, our fuzzy regression discontinuity analysis reveals that farmers in IDL households are more likely to adopt ratoon rice (RR) than single cropping rice (SR) or double cropping rice (DR).  The effect of the IDL varies under different levels of operational scales and specialized agricultural service availability.  Further analysis suggests that farmers’ arrangements are associated with two potential mechanisms of downward intergenerational transfer.  Monetary transfer for urban housing purchases increases RR in IDL households, and time transfer for intergenerational childcare significantly promotes SR in IDL households.  This study enhances the understanding of the relationship between rural labor migration and rice production in China, providing a reference for adjusting rice production systems to ensure food security.

Keywords:  labor migration       intergenerational division of labor        rice production systems        fuzzy regression discontinuity        Central China  
Received: 30 June 2023   Accepted: 20 March 2024
Fund: 
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42207529) and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2022M721289).
About author:  #Correspondence Xue Shen, E-mail: xueshen@ccnu.edu.cn

Cite this article: 

Xue Shen, Quanyu Yang, Rongjun Ao, Shengsheng Gong. 2024. Rural labor migration and farmers’ arrangements of rice production systems in Central China: Insight from the intergenerational division of labor. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 23(9): 3200-3214.

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