Abstract: Clear and secure farmland property rights are a critical factor in promoting green agricultural development. Existing studies have primarily focused on the impact of farmland property rights on individual farming behaviors, while relatively little attention has been paid to their effect on agricultural green total factor productivity (AGTFP). Based on micro-level survey data from 898 households in Guizhou Province, this study employs a Tobit model to examine the impact of land tenure security on AGTFP, with a particular emphasis on the heterogeneity of this effect across different types of farming households. The baseline regression results indicate that land tenure security has a significantly positive effect on AGTFP, and this finding remains robust under multiple specification checks. The mechanism analysis reveals that land tenure security improves AGTFP by facilitating appropriately scaled farm operations. Heterogeneity analysis shows that land tenure security significantly enhances AGTFP among households with high efficiency levels, older-generation farmers, and those primarily engaged in agriculture, while its effect is not significant among lower-efficiency households, younger-generation farmers, and those mainly engaged in off-farm activities. Accordingly, it is recommended that the government strengthen the security of farmland use rights, promote appropriately scaled farming in a gradual manner, and adopt differentiated strategies tailored to various household types in order to further advance green agricultural development.

Key words: land tenure security, farm size, agricultural green total factor productivity, agricultural green development