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Farmers’ Adoption Preferences for Sustainable Agriculture Practices in Northwest China

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  • Yixin Nong

    (Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan)

  • Changbin Yin

    (Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China)

  • Xiaoyan Yi

    (Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China)

  • Jing Ren

    (Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China)

  • Hsiaoping Chien

    (Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, 1-1 Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8686, Japan)

Abstract

In the highest soil erosion regions of arid and semiarid northwest China, water resource deficits and farmland misuse have further exacerbated soil degradation. Therefore, understanding how farmers in diverse agroclimatic zones perceive and respond to different conservation practices is important to the implementation of sustainable agriculture practices (SAPs). To this end, this study uses a best–worst scaling approach to examine the adoption preferences for nine SAPs among grain and cash crop farmers and investigates the influence of farm and climatic characteristics on adoption preferences based on a face to face survey of 554 households in Gansu province, which is classified as an arid and semiarid area in northwest China. Both grain and cash crop farmers had stronger preferences for the practices of using organic instead of chemical fertilizers and of improving irrigation practices. In addition, while cash crop farmers also had strong preferences for cover crop-related practices, they preferred long-term fallows least. Household income, livestock, and precipitation influence the potential perceived importance of SAPs. The different perceived importance of these practices suggests new possible combinations or packages for a sustainable agriculture program during the cropping structure adjustment in Gansu.

Suggested Citation

  • Yixin Nong & Changbin Yin & Xiaoyan Yi & Jing Ren & Hsiaoping Chien, 2020. "Farmers’ Adoption Preferences for Sustainable Agriculture Practices in Northwest China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-13, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:15:p:6269-:d:394244
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Nong, Yixin & Yin, Changbin & Yi, Xiaoyan & Ren, Jing & Chien, Hsiaoping, 2021. "Smallholder farmer preferences for diversifying farming with cover crops of sustainable farm management: A discrete choice experiment in Northwest China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    5. Abd Hair Awang & Iskandar Zainuddin Rela & Azlan Abas & Mohamad Arfan Johari & Mohammad Effendi Marzuki & Mohd Noor Ramdan Mohd Faudzi & Adri Musa, 2021. "Peat Land Oil Palm Farmers’ Direct and Indirect Benefits from Good Agriculture Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-18, July.
    6. Ibrahim A. Elshaer & Alaa M. S. Azazz & Salah S. Hassan & Sameh Fayyad, 2023. "Farm-to-Fork and Sustainable Agriculture Practices: Perceived Economic Benefit as a Moderator and Environmental Sustainability as a Mediator," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-16, July.

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