New Professional Farmers' Training (NPFT): A multivariate analysis of farmers' participation in lifelong learning in Shaanxi, China

With urbanisation, rural-urban migration has meant falling levels of rural labour, loss of agricultural land and lowered agricultural productivity, all of which have hindered the development of modern agriculture in China. It has become crucial to train the rural labour force to become modern professional farmers who are knowledgeable, skilled, and well-versed in the latest agricultural management techniques. To make this process a success, it has been key to understand the extent of their willingness to participate in training, as this significantly affects the quality of the training. This study aims to analyse what influences rural labourers' willingness to attend new professional farmers' training (NPFT) by selecting four factors, namely (1) individual characteristics; (2) economic capital; (3) educational opportunity; and (4) technological perception. After conducting a survey among samples of the local population in three counties of Shaanxi Province, the authors applied a binary logistic regression model to data from 543 completed questionnaires. The result showed that the willingness of agricultural labourers to participate in NPFT is impacted by factors including age, size of farm, total annual household income, and training experience. These findings suggest that the NPFT programme should be improved by paying more attention to the needs of agricultural labourers, increasing capital investment, establishing a diversified investment system, and mobilising the enthusiasm of rural labourers.