Adoption of multiple sustainable agricultural practices among farmers in northwest, China

Abstract

It has become almost a stylized fact that sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) are central to improving productivity, welfare, and food security. However, SAPs adoption rates have been perceived to be generally low in rural China. Understanding the factors influencing SAPs adoption is critical for sustainable food system development. Drawing on a survey of Chinese farmers, this study examined the determinants associated with adoption decision and intensity of multiple SAPs using a Heckman two-stage model. The findings showed that the adoption of SAPs is a multi-stage sophisticated process resulting from the interplay of several elements, such as individual characteristics, government support, and social networks. Age, education, risk attitude, cognition of SAPs, market access, services from Agricultural Science and Technology Park, policy subsidies, technical training, access to credit, and strong ties were the main determinants encouraging SAPs adoption. Adoption decision also significantly depended on farm size; whereas, adoption intensity relied on off-farm activities, town access, and information channels. This study contributes to the literature by identifying the critical determinants of farmers’ adoption behavior of SAPs in China. Furthermore, our findings are of great value to policymakers as they can target the aforementioned factors to achieve higher SAPs adoption.

Public Interest Statement

Sustainable agricultural practices are considered effective measures to improve human well-being and promote the sustainability of agriculture. However, poor adoption occurs in most parts of the world. This article attempts to investigate the main factors affecting the adoption process of sustainable agricultural practices through a survey of 605 vegetable growers in northwest China, using the Heckman two-stage model. The results indicated that psychological characteristics, government support, and social networks were critical in promoting adoption. These findings have significant policy implications for the development of sustainable agricultural policies.

Keywords:

• Agriculture
• sustainability
• factors
• adoption process
• Heckman model
• China

REVIEWING EDITOR:

• Manuel Tejada, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain

SUBJECTS:

• Agriculture & Environmental Sciences; Conservation - Environment Studies; Sustainable Development; Rural Development

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 41771129.

Notes on contributors

Jing Chao

Jing Chao is a lecturer at Shandong Youth University of Political Science. She has a PH.D. from Northwest University in China. Her main research interests include agriculture innovation adoption and rural development. Jing’s doctoral research compared the technology adoption demands, adoption behaviors, and adoption effects of smallholders and new agricultural business entities in China for improved practices.

Tongsheng Li

Tongsheng Li is a professor and doctoral supervisor at Northwest University in China. He has been committed to the research of humanities and economic geography for a long time, focusing on the innovation and diffusion of agricultural science and technology parks, agricultural development, urban-rural integration development, poverty alleviation research and evaluation, and land spatial planning. His current research provides theoretical and practical guidance for the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices and the sustainable development of agriculture in developing countries.