Labour migration in Nepal is having profound effects on land management. We take two examples from the hills of Nepal where the increasing trend in outmigration continues unabated and explore its consequences. The purpose of this study is to understand the impacts of the subsequent labour shortage on land management and how it affects households. We used data from two surveys and assessed land use change and degradation with a qualitative mapping method. The findings show that the local context leads to very different strategies in terms of land management.

To promote rural revitalisation, China’s central government revised the land administration law to allow rural collective construction land (RCL) to be traded in the market and attract private and financial capitals into rural investment and development. However, the land value appreciation income of the market access is closely related to geographical location. Hence, the value appreciation of RCL is enormous in villages around cities and towns. By contrast, the land value appreciation of RCL is low in villages away from cities and towns.

The rising population and reduction in the amount of land and some other resources have created tremendous pressure on current agricultural producers to meet the increasing food demands. To cope with this challenge, certain key inputs, such as fertilizers and other chemicals, are overused, which are worsening the surroundings. This intensive agricultural production without adherence to ecological sustainability has led to declining soil health, land degradation, and severe environmental problems.