Analysis on the Influencing Factors and Control Measures of "Non-Grain Conversion" of Cultivated Land in Agricultural Land Transfer

Lixian XIA, Zisheng YANG

Institute of Land Resources and Sustainable Development, Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, Kunming 650221, China

Abstract Through the method of literature analysis, this paper analyzes the present situation of the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land in China, summarizes the influencing factors and consequences of the phenomenon of "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land, and finally puts forward some measures. The study found that costs and benefits are the fundamental factors affecting the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in agricultural land transfer, and other main factors include government and policy guidance, industrial and commercial capital to the countryside, labor transfer and so on. The "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land is a serious threat to China’s food security, leading to the decline of the quality of agricultural land and the destruction of the ecological environment, as well as the risk of breach of contract in "industrial and commercial capital to the countryside". Based on the understanding of the influencing factors of non-grain conversion, this paper puts forward the following measures: strengthening the control of the use of cultivated land in agricultural land transfer; implementing accurate subsidies for grain cultivation and ensuring the benefit of grain growers; adopting grain planting incentive mechanism to increase grain enthusiasm; strengthening media publicity and education to enhance food security awareness. The improvement of the current situation of the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land will be of great significance to the protection of agricultural land and food security in China.

Key words Agricultural land transfer, Non-grain conversion of cultivated land, Food security, Influencing factors, Measures

1 Introduction

From 2015 to 2020, China’s grain output was continuously higher than 650 billion kg, making progress while ensuring stability. However, the data show that between 2004 and 2013, the increase in grain acreage contributed 42% to the increase in grain production, and the increase in per unit yield contributed 58% to the increase in grain production. According to the results of the seventh census released in May 2021, China has a total population of 1.411 78 billion. Compared with 2010, China’s population has increased by 72.06 million, and China’s food security problem is becoming more and more serious.

Since the 18CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee has regarded food security as the top priority of governing the country, put forward a new concept of food security, and clearly pointed out the need to ensure "basic self-sufficiency of grain and absolute safety of food rations". In September 2018, General Secretary Xi put forward the strategic goal of "the rice bowls in the hands of the Chinese are filled with their own food" during a survey at Beidahuang Farm. As China’s economy strides towards the goal of high-quality development, it is particularly important to ensure the stability of grain prices during the 14"Five-Year Plan" period. For a long time, rural land is the basis of food production, and the problem of rural land has always been the core issue of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers". Solving the problem of rural land will be the key to solving the problem of food security. At the present stage, in order to solve the problem of rural land, the state has implemented the rural land system of "separation of three rights", which not only promotes the development of modern agriculture, but also invigorates the right of management (right to use), making the circulation of cultivated land in agricultural land become a common phenomenon.

Scholars generally believe that agricultural land transfer has important practical value and guiding significance, which is conducive to the development of agricultural scale operation, so as to improve agricultural management efficiency and increase farmers’ income. However, the transfer of agricultural land has had a significant impact on China’s food production. Some scholars believe that the transfer of agricultural land is easy to cause the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land. With the deepening of land circulation, the phenomenon of "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land has become increasingly prominent. Xu Zhigang

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believe that the development of agricultural land transfer market will lead to the decline of grain sown area and affect food security. Wan Baorui, Wang Yong

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even believe that the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in agricultural land transfer will seriously affect China’s food security.

2 Present situation of the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land in China

The phenomenon of agricultural land transfer in China has appeared since the 1980s. In 2016, the area of agricultural land transfer in China has reached 31 million ha, accounting for about 34% of the country’s total cultivated land area. Leasing, subcontracting, shareholding, exchange, transfer and other forms of circulation are the most common. The transfer of agricultural land is easy to cause the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land, and it is mainly transferred to the cultivation of cash crops. The results of a sample survey of 14 counties in four major grain producing areas of Henan, Shandong, Hebei and Anhui in 2013 showed that the non-grain conversion rate of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land in these four areas was as high as 61.1%, and the larger the scale of transfer, the more obvious the tendency of "non-grain conversion". Apart from the main grain producing areas, 21 family farms in Wugang City, Henan Province have transferred 708.2 ha of land, and the average scale of transferred land is about 33.724 ha, accounting for 3.22% of the total arable land in the city. Among them, 4 grow food crops, 7 operate cash crops, and 10 adopt the mode of "gowing both grain crops and cash crops". The proportion of the three types of operation models is 19.05%, 33.33% and 47.62%, respectively. After the transfer of cultivated land, the proportion of cultivated land for growing grain is relatively low, and the total grain planting area of these 21 family farms (planting type) is 270.67 ha, accounting for 38.22%. The total area of cash crops is 437.53 ha, accounting for 61.78%. The "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land has the characteristics of large scale and high speed. In recent years, more than 90% of agricultural land in Guangdong Province is no longer used for growing food crops, and the phenomenon of "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in agricultural land transfer is gradually expanding. According to the results of the field survey of cultivated land "non-grain conversion" in 11 provinces, 22 cities and 44 counties in China from 2019 to 2020, Kong Xiangbin and his research team found that the current "non-grain conversion" rate of cultivated land in China is about 27%. It is mainly divided into two types: the "non-grain conversion" of food production and the "non-grain conversion" of non-food production. In South China, North China, Central China, Southwest China, Northwest China, Northeast China, Loess Plateau and other regions, Southwest China has the highest "non-grain conversion" rate of cultivated land, which is about 46%.

3 Influencing factors of the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land in China

Through literature analysis, it is concluded that the main influencing factors of cultivated land "non-grain conversion" in agricultural land transfer are cost and benefit, government and policy guidance, industrial and commercial capital going to the countryside, planting structure transformation, labor transfer, aging workforce and so on.

3.1 Costs and benefits

Cost and benefit are the most fundamental and direct factors affecting the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in agricultural land transfer, and the maximization of grain economic benefits gradually plays a decisive role in the behavioral decision-making of the subject of agricultural land transfer. The high cost of land transfer and the cost of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, materials and labor services for grain production make it difficult to maintain the profit of growing grain after the concentration of cultivated land.

The measured data show that the income of growing fruits and vegetables is 32 times and 34 times that of growing grain, respectively, and the income of growing grain is relatively low. In addition, the high circulation cost forces the transferee to develop high-benefit cash crops to increase income. The internal price of agricultural products is unreasonable. Based on the investigation of Xinyang City, Henan Province, it is concluded that the income per 667 mof food crops is much lower than that of some cash crops per 667 m, showing high economic benefits after non-grain conversion, which is an important reason for the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land. The price of grain is too low, so it is almost unprofitable for farmers to grow grain. The benefit of high-efficiency crops such as seedlings, medicinal herbs and vegetables with high price and high profit is much higher than that of food crops. The cost of agricultural land transfer has become the main cost of crop planting. Under the condition that the benefit of growing grain is not high or even loss will occur, "non-grain conversion" planting is a natural choice that embodies the law of market economy.

3.2 Government and policy orientation

Since the Third Plenary Session of the 18CPC Central Committee, it has become the consensus of academia and government to guide the circulation of agricultural land, cultivate new agricultural operators and encourage appropriate scale operation of agricultural land. As an important role, the grass-roots government has an important service function in promoting the transfer of agricultural land, and its authority and fairness can give the transfer lease stronger stability in the transfer service. To a large extent, it plays a safeguarding role in the contract transaction of agricultural land transfer. At the same time, in the process of performing government functions, the grass-roots government inevitably publicizes the national policy to the main body of the circulation and transaction, which also promotes the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land. In addition, individual local governments’ one-sided understanding of relevant policies encourages "non-grain conversion". First, the "landscape project" of urban greening is excessive. Some local governments have misunderstandings about the construction of ecological civilization, and even think that ecological civilization is afforestation. For example, an area occupies 38 000 ha of arable land for a large afforestation project, of which the area of permanent basic cultivated land amounts to 18 700 ha. Second, in order to promote regional economic development, local governments encourage the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land. For example, it is stipulated that the transferred land will be used for the development of high-return agricultural projects such as livestock and poultry, seedlings and flowers, and special breeding, and will be financially subsidized. Third, out of the one-sided understanding of the strategy of rural revitalization, local governments make great efforts to promote the development of modern agricultural industry based on characteristic cash crops, which further aggravates the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land.

3.3 Industrial and commercial capital going to the countryside

The No. 1 document of the Central Committee from 2013 to 2020 repeatedly encouraged "industrial and commercial capital to go to rural areas to develop planting and breeding industries suitable for enterprise operation", guided "industrial and commercial capital to invest in areas where farmers can not do well, and can not work economically", and supported "industrial and commercial capital to participate in rural revitalization". A lot of literature shows that one of the ways for industrial and commercial capital to directly enter agriculture is to achieve large-scale operation through large-scale agricultural land transfer. Therefore, large-scale leasing of agricultural land is a main channel for industrial and commercial capital to go to the countryside. From the policy point of view, the entry of industrial and commercial capital into agriculture has become an important focus to promote agricultural modernization, and gradually formed a "fever of industrial and commercial capital going to the countryside". However, the entry of China’s industrial and commercial capital into agriculture is still in the initial adaptation stage, and there is a great demand for agricultural land. Renting cultivated land in the countryside urges farmers to transfer their agricultural land, and while gradually becoming the main force of agricultural investment, it may also lead to the phenomenon of "non-grain conversion" or even "non-agricultural conversion" operation because of its profit-seeking nature, which is not conducive to maintaining grain production for farmers, thus affecting China’s food security.Yang Pengcheng

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believe that the government encourages and introduces industrial and commercial capital to the countryside, making full use of the characteristics of the "separation of the three rights" of rural land, so that the right of operation can play a mobile role in a larger scope. Farmers obtain property income by transferring land management rights to industrial and commercial capital entering agriculture. On the one hand, they can get land rental fees, and on the other hand, such farmers can become employed workers and earn wages through labor force. According to a survey of "a thousand households in a hundred villages", the agricultural land leased by industrial and commercial capital in the countryside accounts for 20% of the total agricultural land transferred in China, of which 85% is used for non-grain production. This will have an impact on farmers’ agricultural production to a certain extent, thus causing widespread concern from all walks of life.

3.4 Labor transfer

With the increase of the proportion of migrant workers, the amount of land transferred by farmers is also increasing, and there is a direct relationship between labor outgoing and land transfer. Based on the survey data of farmers in Guangdong, Henan, Hubei, Shanxi and Yunnan provinces in 2017, this paper examines the impact of labor transfer employment stability on farmers’ land transfer from the perspective of migration heterogeneity. The stable transfer employment all the year round has a significant positive impact on farmers’ transfer of land. For every new migrant worker, the tendency of farmers’ land transfer will increase by 9.5%. The stable transfer employment throughout the year has significantly promoted the increase of agricultural land supply, and every new migrant worker will increase the amount of farmers’ land transfer by 8.1%.

The staff soon decided1 that the only reasonable solution was to build a new house-something highly unusual but necessary under these circumstances. Normally the goal is to repair existing homes. Our family was overjoyed with their new house that was 20x30 foot with three bedrooms, a bath and a kitchen/family room.

Studies by many scholars have shown that labor transfer is an important factor affecting the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in agricultural land transfer. Zhou Tao

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believe that labor transfer behavior has a significant impact on land transfer behavior. The initial reason for land transfer is that part of the rural labor forces choose to go out to work, so they lease the land to others for farming. Lin Shanlang

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demonstrate that the average daily income of farmers in non-agricultural industries affects the willingness of farmers to transfer land. Hou Mingli believes that the distance and time of labor transfer affect the willingness of land transfer. The farther the distance is, the longer the time is, the stronger the willingness of land transfer is.. By using empirical analysis, Wu Yantao concluded that the promoting effect of labor mobility on agricultural land transfer in the eastern, central and western regions is closely related to the location characteristics (the largest in the eastern region, the second in the central region, and the smallest in the western region).

4 Problems caused by the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land

In 2010, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences investigated the cultivated land transfer of farmers in Zhejiang Province and Hebei Province, which are representatives of economically developed areas and major grain producing areas, and found that the non-grain conversion rate is as high as 75%. By the end of the second quarter of 2016, the area of agricultural land transfer in China accounted for 34% of the total arable land in China. According to the survey data of 11 provinces in China from 2019 to 2020, the "non-grain conversion" rate of cultivated land in China was about 27%. The "non-grain conversion" of agricultural land has led to the occupation of a large amount of grain land, which is no longer planted with food crops, but is used for planting cash crops such as flowers, fruits, tea, vegetables and other cash crops, m ulberry-based fish pond aquaculture, and developing leisure agriculture, sightseeing agriculture, and farm fun. The "non-grain conversion" of agricultural land transfer is becoming more and more common, which leads to many problems in China, such as food security, cultivated land quality, and transfer risk.

4.1 China’s food security has been threatened

The "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land involves a wide area and a large range, which is bound to lead to the reduction of cultivated land and seriously affect China’s food security. From 2010 to 2018, the area of cultivated land in China decreased from 135 266.67 ha to 134 800.00 ha, a reduction of 466.67 ha. In recent years, with the progress of China’s agricultural technology, new breakthroughs have been made in grain yield per unit area. From 1997 to 2017, China’s average grain yield per unit area increased by about 56.82 kg/ha. Similarly, the growth trend of wheat, corn and rice is basically similar to that of grain over the years. Under the condition of a certain grain yield per unit area, the substantial reduction of grain sown area in China will inevitably lead to a decline in grain output.

4.2 The quality of cultivated land has declined and the ecological environment has been seriously damaged

According to the survey data of 11 provinces in China, the "non-grain conversion" rate of cultivated land in China is about 27%, covering a wide area. The "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in the circulation of agricultural land destroys the cultivated land, mainly because the development of mulberry-based fish pond culture makes the land be reclaimed to varying degrees and destroys the soil layer. Secondly, the most common cash crops such as fruits, vegetables, flowers and flue-cured tobacco are planted. In order to increase the yield, a large number of ripening agents, pesticides and chemical fertilizers are used continuously, which not only damage the tillage layer of cultivated land, but also cause soil pollution. The difference between the non-grain conversion of cultivated land and the non-agricultural conversion of cultivated land is that the reversibility of grain exists to different degrees in the tillage layer. However, with the higher the degree of damage to cultivated land, the more difficult it is to restore grain cultivation and the higher the cost.

In agriculture, there are the following aspects that adversely affect the quality of cultivated land and the ecological environment. First, the unreasonable use and unscientific proportion of chemical fertilizers will pollute the agricultural system, and lead to the decline of soil quality and sealing of soil, the decline of agricultural productivity and the gradual loss of residual nutrients that can not be absorbed by the soil, resulting in groundwater pollution. Second, pesticides are rich in efficacy, with disease resistance, promoting prematurity, increasing production, color and other effects, having become an indispensable agricultural supplies for the cultivation of cash crops. According to the actual investigation, the yield of 0.07 ha strawberry is about 3 000 kg, and the pesticide cost is about 4 000 yuan. The frequent use of pesticides is an important cause of cultivated land pollution, which will cause air pollution, soil pollution and the imbalance of trace elements, and is not conducive to the sustainable development of land. Third, some cash crops themselves need unique growth habits, which do great damage to the soil. Through the investigation of a piece of land replanted with grain after planting pseudo-ginseng for 3 years, it was found that it was more difficult to grow grain and the yield decreased. Fourth, in the process of "non-grain conversion" of agricultural land, there will be a variety of ways to divide the original agricultural land, such as greenhouse planting of vegetables and flowers, resulting in the fragmentation of land and the loss of the advantage of large-scale operation.

4.3 The risk of breach of contract of "industrial and commercial capital going to the countryside"

In recent years, under the guidance and support of China’s national policy, "industrial and commercial capital to the countryside" has introduced capital, science and technology and advanced management models into rural areas to promote rural economic development and enhance the overall income of rural areas. It makes up for the relative lack of market consciousness in rural areas. However, the speed of agricultural land transfer is obviously accelerated, and the scale of agricultural land transfer is increasing continuously. According to statistics, as high as 3.07 million ha of contracted land by farmers flowed into industrial and commercial enterprises in 2015, accounting for 10.4% of the transferred land. At the same time, the phenomena of breach of contract in the lease of rural land by industrial and commercial capital, such as "breaking the contract and abandoning cultivated land" and arrears of rent emerge one after another, and even become very prominent. Due to the broken capital chain, investors privately lifted the long-term "agricultural land transfer contract" signed with farmers and forcibly returned the land. There are many such cases all over the country, and there is a phenomenon of "breach of contracts and abandoning cultivated land" in a large area of transferred land in Bai Township, Wei County, Xingtai City, Hebei Province, Cheng’an County, Qiu County, Cixian County and other rural areas of Handan City. In 2015, the 5-10-year "transfer contract" signed a year ago was torn up.

The breach of contracts and abandonment of cultivated land hinders the habitual grain cultivation on agricultural land and poses a threat to the long-term nature of large-scale grain operation. When preferential policies are introduced, there is a craze for "industrial and commercial capital to go to the countryside", renting large tracts of land at high prices and investing blindly. However, when natural disasters hit or the market changes, enterprises suffer heavy losses, become insolvent, and are forced to choose to "run away", resulting in undesirable phenomena such as "abandonment" or idle land.

5 Measure analysis on the problem of "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land

The "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in agricultural land transfer seriously affects China’s food security, resulting in the decline of cultivated land quality and the destruction of ecological environment. In view of the problems caused by the "non-grain conversion" phenomenon of cultivated land, there is an urgent need to take corresponding measures for prevention and control.

5.1 Strengthening the control of cultivated land use in agricultural land transfer

The forms and uses of agricultural land transfer show a variety of characteristics, so that the impact of cultivated land "non-grain conversion" is also different. Generally, strengthening the control of cultivated land use in agricultural land transfer is the key, and it is necessary to focus on use control implementation in order to achieve the desired results. First, it is necessary to strengthen the leadership and supervision role of the central government in the transfer of agricultural land, and use administrative means to strengthen the supervision of the use of cultivated land. Second, it is necessary to increase the cost of supervision, make use of the strength of the masses, give full play to the means of reporting by the masses, give appropriate rewards to whistleblowers, and fully mobilize their initiative and enthusiasm. Third, we should make full use of remote sensing technology and network information technology to strictly monitor the scale of agricultural land transfer and the trend of agricultural land use in China. Fourth, it is necessary to strengthen the punishment of violations of laws and regulations that have a negative impact on the basic cultivated land caused by the transfer of agricultural land and the destruction of plant conditions in the "non-grain conversion" of agricultural land. In particular, the key areas for large-scale development after the transfer of agricultural land should increase the frequency of investigation and punishment of illegal acts. Fifth, the grass-roots governments at the county and township levels should give full play to their role in controlling the transfer of land use, and all grass-roots governments should "tell the truth" and "do practical things". Sixth, the government should actively and correctly guide the village collective to the correct orientation of the use of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land, and severely punish the violations such as the unified transfer of agricultural land by the collective leaders of the village in order to seek private interests.

5.2 Implementing accurate subsidies for grain cultivation to ensure benefit for grain growers

For a long time, China has made great efforts in grain subsidies, including direct subsidies to grain farmers, in order to promote agricultural development and prevent the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land. At the same time, China has been adjusting the minimum purchase price of grain, indirect subsidies and short-term purchase and storage. These measures have not only enhanced the enthusiasm of farmers in grain cultivation, ensured the steady growth of grain output, provided a stable food supply, and played an important role in ensuring national food security. But at the same time, it also leads to a series of problems, such as low efficiency of grain subsidies, interference with the market, distribution of grain subsidies to the original contractors, and excessive financial burden of the state. Therefore, the problem of "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in agricultural land transfer has not been fundamentally improved, showing a growing trend.

In order to effectively improve the "non-grain conversion" phenomenon of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land, improve the grain subsidy policy, and increase the enthusiasm of grain cultivation, the following measures can be taken. First, it is necessary to stabilize grain prices, prevent losses caused by sharp price fluctuations, reduce grain production costs, and raise the minimum grain purchase price, so that grain growers can see where the real benefits lie. Second, we should be market-oriented, promote the implementation of the marketization of grain prices, let the market push prices back to a reasonable level, and reduce the country’s financial burden on grain subsidies. Third, we should establish a special fund for "non-grain conversion" reclamation after the transfer of agricultural land. In view of the "non-grain conversion" reclamation of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land, the Ministry of Natural Resources has quickly set up special leading groups and working groups. Local government departments at all levels should establish a special reserve fund system for "non-grain conversion" reclamation according to the actual situation of each area, and do a good job in forecasting and preparing the reserve fund. The strict reserve fund should be earmarked for specified purpose only, and it should be mainly used for the reclamation of "non-grain conversion" planting plots of agricultural land, so as to ensure that results can be achieved by making use of advanced technology within a certain period of time, and to truly promote China’s food security. Fourth, it is necessary to help to develop modern agriculture, convert some of the subsidies into direct agricultural tools for grain cultivation, to reduce labor costs, and also bring convenience to the new agriculture. Fifth, it is necessary to strengthen the construction of a new countryside, speed up the construction of rural grain planting infrastructure and planned rural housing, build rural leisure and entertainment facilities, enrich rural cultural life, and improve the living environment of the rural population so that real grain growers can feel the charm of their hometown and avoid the loss of labor.

5.3 Using the incentive mechanism of grain planting to improve the enthusiasm of growing grain

The incentive mechanism for grain planting can combine material incentives with spiritual incentives to accurately reward "non-grain conversion" growers. First, it is necessary to accurately identify grain growers, select grain growers step by step according to the county, township, and village levels, and then pinpoint each household, each person, and grain sown area, so as to ensure the true implementation of the reward. Second, according to the size and scale of grain sown area per capita surveyed, it can be divided into three levels, and corresponding rewards should be set up at each level. The farmers with the largest planting area will be given material rewards or direct rewards of modern agricultural tools, and in addition, honorary certificates will be issued as spiritual encouragement. Third, it is necessary to invite grain growers who have received awards and honors to give speeches, which will help to maintain the winners’ enthusiasm for growing grain, and also help to encourage other growers to turn to grain cultivation. Fourth, in the whole incentive process, we should always follow the principle of fairness and justice, implement "who grows grain, who will benefit", supervise each other, and ensure the true value and significance.

5.4 Strengthening media publicity and education to enhance food security awareness

Media publicity has the powerful functions of information transmission, communication and sharing, and has rich varieties, which can play an important role in improving the "non-grain conversion" of agricultural land. First, in the process of public publicity, after the transfer of the right to contracted land is clearly publicized at all levels, it is necessary to enhance the basic cognition that the basic cultivated land can be only used for cultivating food crops and we cannot change the land use, and make cadres and people at all levels can fully understand the Land Management Law and carry out the transfer of agricultural land in accordance with the law. Second, all kinds of media should be used to publicize the changing trends of China’s total grain output, grain sown area and total grain imports over the years, so as to let the general public establish a sense of hardship and make joint efforts to keep the bottom line of China’s food security. Third, with the development of the Internet and people’s great concern for mobile video software, governments at all levels can use official accounts to publish advertisements for grain cultivation, and work together with various agricultural scientific research institutions to launch new planting technologies, and regularly recommend scientific methods for grain cultivation to help grain growers solve technical problems and improve productivity. Fourth, large-scale grain growers and winners should be widely publicized, and promotional documentaries can be made to let the masses truly understand China’s food security situation, change their consciousness, and take action for China’s food security.

6 Conclusions

The transfer of agricultural land is an important way to develop the rural economy and realize the rural revitalization, but the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in this process has seriously threatened the food security of the country. The cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land is mainly in the form of lease, subcontract, shareholding, exchange, transfer and so on. The transferred cultivated land is widely used for planting cash crops such as vegetables, fruits, flowers, tobacco and developing mulberry-based fish pond culture. Through the analysis of literature, it is concluded that the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in agricultural land transfer develops rapidly and has a wide range, resulting in a continuous reduction of grain sown area in the whole country. With the growth of China’s population, without considering technological progress and under a certain grain yield per unit area, it will be very difficult for the total grain output to meet the needs of national food security. Therefore, it is imperative to improve the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in agricultural land transfer.

Based on the analysis of the present situation of the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in the agricultural land transfer, this paper concludes that the cultivated land "non-grain conversion" in the agricultural land transfer is mainly affected by the following factors. (i) Cost and benefit. Economic benefit maximization is the main goal of the main body of agricultural land transfer, and a certain cost and high income expectation drive growers to plant cash crops with high income. (ii) Government and policy guidance. Government and policy play an important service and guiding role in rural economic development. (iii) The industrial and commercial capital going to the countryside. The introduction of capital can promote the revitalization of the countryside to a great extent, but because of its profit-seeking nature, the introduced capital is mostly used to develop the cash crop industry with high rate of return. (iv) Labor transfer. Stable transfer employment has a significant positive impact on farmers’ transfer of land, and the longer the time of labor transfer, the farther the distance, the stronger the willingness of agricultural land transfer. In addition, the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land has led to the decline of the quality of China’s food security and agricultural land, the destruction of the ecological environment, the risk of breach of contract of "industrial and commercial capital to the countryside" and so on. According to the above analysis, this paper mainly puts forward some measures from the aspects of strengthening the control of the use of cultivated land in the transfer of agricultural land, implementing accurate subsidies for grain cultivation, using the incentive mechanism for grain cultivation, and strengthening media publicity and education, to provide a reference for the improvement of the phenomenon of "non-grain conversion" in China.

The research on the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in agricultural land transfer is mainly concentrated in the main grain producing areas in China, but some scholars have pointed out that the non-grain conversion rate in Southwest China is higher than that in other areas. Compared with other major grain producing areas in China, how much impact the "non-grain conversion" of cultivated land in Southwest Chine will bring to China’s food security and ecological environment will need to be further studied.