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Impact of production outsourcing on the adoption of low-carbon agricultural technologies in China

Author

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  • Ruirui Du

    (College of Economics and Management, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, P. R. China)

  • Aftab Khan

    (Institute of Blue and Green Development, Shandong University, Weihai, P. R. China
    Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, Shandong University, Weihai, P. R. China)

  • Rui Shi

    (College of Economics and Management, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, P. R. China)

  • Yujie Shen

    (College of Economics and Management, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, P. R. China)

  • Minjuan Zhao

    (College of Economics and Management, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, P. R. China
    College of Economics, Xi'an University of Finance and Economics, Chang'an District, Xi'an, P. R. China)

Abstract

Adopting low-carbon agricultural technologies (LCATs) is fundamental to reducing carbon emissions in agriculture. Our study explores the factors influencing the adoption of LCATs and the roles of production outsourcing and specialised farming within the framework of off-farm employment. In this regard, survey data were collected from 1 040 farmers in the Yellow River region of China in 2020 to examine the effect of production outsourcing on the farmers' adoption of LCATs. Potential mechanisms associated with specialised farming and off-farm employment are considered to comprehend this relationship. We also investigate the heterogeneous effects of production outsourcing on adopting LCATs, taking different education levels and arable land areas into account. The results show a positive association between production outsourcing and farmers' LCATs adoption behaviour, even after considering self-selection bias. Specifically, outsourcing production can significantly increase the likelihood of farmers adopting low-carbon tillage, low-carbon irrigation, and low-carbon fertilisation technologies by 7.2%, 8.1%, and 7.3%, respectively. This effect is more pronounced among farmers with higher levels of education and smaller areas of arable land. Furthermore, production outsourcing increases the LCATs adoption by promoting specialised farming. The findings suggest that outsourcing is vital to alleviating the lack of LCATs adoption resulting from off-farm employment.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruirui Du & Aftab Khan & Rui Shi & Yujie Shen & Minjuan Zhao, 2024. "Impact of production outsourcing on the adoption of low-carbon agricultural technologies in China," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 70(4), pages 187-197.
    • Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:70:y:2024:i:4:id:385-2023-agricecon
    DOI: 10.17221/385/2023-AGRICECON
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gao, Yang & Liu, Bei & Yu, Lili & Yang, Haoran & Yin, Shijiu, 2019. "Social capital, land tenure and the adoption of green control techniques by family farms: Evidence from Shandong and Henan Provinces of China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
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    3. Dar, Manzoor H. & Waza, Showkat A. & Nayak, Swati & Chakravorty, Ritadhi & Zaidi, Najam W. & Hossain, Mosharaf, 2020. "Gender focused training and knowledge enhances the adoption of climate resilient seeds," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    4. Pham, Huong-Giang & Chuah, Swee-Hoon & Feeny, Simon, 2021. "Factors affecting the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices: Findings from panel data for Vietnam," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    5. Yamaguchi, Takayoshi & Tuan, Luu Minh & Minamikawa, Kazunori & Yokoyama, Shigeki, 2019. "Assessment of the relationship between adoption of a knowledge-intensive water-saving technique and irrigation conditions in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 162-171.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yue-Dong Zhang & Jing-Jing Li & Yi-Fang Zheng & Jia-Xian Xu, 2025. "Effect of agricultural socialisation services on green grain production efficiency: Evidence from Jiangsu Province, China," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 71(4), pages 173-184.
    2. Yongwang Zhang & Minjuan Zhao, 2024. "Environmental regulations or expected revenue: What plays a more important role in China's green transition of agriculture?," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 70(9), pages 425-435.

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