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Effects of inclusive public agricultural extension service: Results from a policy reform experiment in Western China

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  • Hu, Ruifa
  • Cai, Yaqing
  • Chen, Kevin Z.
  • Cui, Yongwei
  • Huang, Jikun

Abstract

The top-down public agricultural extension system in China and its early commercialization reforms during the 1990s have left millions of farmers without access to extension services. A pilot inclusive agricultural extension system was introduced in 2005 to better meet the diverse needs of small-scale farmers. Three key features of the experiment are (1) inclusion of all farmers as target beneficiaries, (2) effective identification of farmers' extension service needs, and (3) an accountability system to provide better agricultural extension services to farmers. This paper describes design of the reform initiative and examines its effect on farmers' access to extension services. Based on farmer-supplied data from six counties for the years 2005 to 2007, this paper shows that inclusive reform initiatives significantly improve farmers' access to and acceptance of agricultural extension services as well as their adoption of new technologies. Implications for further reforms to the agricultural extension system are also discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Hu, Ruifa & Cai, Yaqing & Chen, Kevin Z. & Cui, Yongwei & Huang, Jikun, 2010. "Effects of inclusive public agricultural extension service: Results from a policy reform experiment in Western China," IFPRI discussion papers 1037, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
  • Handle: RePEc:fpr:ifprid:1037
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    Cited by:

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    4. Zhou, Hong & Yan, Jianzhong & Lei, Kun & Wu, Ya & Sun, Laixiang, 2020. "Labor migration and the decoupling of the crop-livestock system in a rural mountainous area: Evidence from Chongqing, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    5. Yi-Ping Zhong & Lin-Ren Tang & Ying Li, 2022. "Role of Digital Empowerment in Developing Farmers’ Green Production by Agro-Tourism Integration in Xichong, Sichuan," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-18, October.
    6. Hoken, Hisatoshi & Su, Qun, 2015. "Measuring the effect of agricultural cooperatives on household income using PSM-DID : a case study of a rice-producing cooperative in China," IDE Discussion Papers 539, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    7. Deng, Haiyan & Jin, Yanhong & Pray, Carl & Hu, Ruifa & Xia, Enjun & Meng, Hong, 2021. "Impact of public research and development and extension on agricultural productivity in China from 1990 to 2013," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    8. Sha Feng & Dandan Fu & Xinru Han & Xiudong Wang, 2022. "Impacts of the Extension of Cassava Soil Conservation and Efficient Technology on the Reduction of Chemical Fertilizer Input in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-13, November.
    9. Cai, Jinyang & Jia, Yao & Hu, Ruifa & Zhang, Chao, 2020. "Four decades of China’s agricultural extension reform and its impact on agents’ time allocation," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 64(1), January.
    10. Wen Xiang & Jianzhong Gao, 2023. "Do Not Be Anticlimactic: Farmers’ Behavior in the Sustainable Application of Green Agricultural Technology—A Perceived Value and Government Support Perspective," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-24, January.
    11. Qian Liu & Yongmu Jiang & Carl‐Johan Lagerkvist & Wei Huang, 2023. "Extension services and the technical efficiency of crop‐specific farms in China," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 45(1), pages 436-459, March.
    12. Yamada, Nanae & Sui, Shuyan, 2013. "Response of local producers to agro-food port rejection : the case of Chinese vegetable exports," IDE Discussion Papers 390, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    13. Yihan Chen & Wen Xiang & Minjuan Zhao, 2024. "Impacts of Capital Endowment on Farmers’ Choices in Fertilizer-Reduction and Efficiency-Increasing Technologies (Preferences, Influences, and Mechanisms): A Case Study of Apple Farmers in the Province," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-25, January.
    14. Hoken, Hisatoshi, 2016. "Participation in farmer's cooperatives and its effects on agricultural incomes : evidence from vegetable-producing areas in China," IDE Discussion Papers 578, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    15. Zhu, Xiaoke & Hu, Ruifa & Zhang, Chao & Shi, Guanming, 2021. "Does Internet use improve technical efficiency? Evidence from apple production in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    16. Xinran Hu & Bin Xiao & Zhihui Tong, 2024. "Technological Integration and Obstacles in China’s Agricultural Extension Systems: A Study on Disembeddedness and Adaptation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-20, January.
    17. Faure, Guy & Davis, Kristin E. & Ragasa, Catherine & Franzel, Steven & Babu, Suresh Chandra, 2016. "Framework to assess performance and impact of pluralistic agricultural extension systems: The best-fit framework revisited:," IFPRI discussion papers 1567, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    18. Xiuru Zhang & Lin Zhang & Tangzhe Nie, 2023. "Study on the Impact of Social Capital on Farmers’ Decision-Making Behavior of Adopting Trusteeship Services," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-16, March.

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