Economists have not always taken into account the importance of
these private plots. The issue tended to be raised when the question of
whether private plots competed with collective farming for resources
was asked. Liu (1991) suggests that the role of the private sector was
complementary to commune farming, basing this conclusion on his own
observations. The private plot system, whether competing with or
complementary to collective farming, made two important contributions
- one to the commune system and the other to the HRS system. Because
farm households could freely manage their private plots and the
production teams did not collect from them, these small pieces of land
gave farmers tremendous incentives to produce. This leverage helped
millions of farmers to survive through crop and management crises, in
turn helping the commune system to be maintained.