IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jagris/v12y2022i8p1275-d894232.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Hierarchical Linkage between the Basic Characteristics of Smallholders and Technology Awareness Determines Small-Holders’ Willingness to Adopt Green Production Technology

Author

Listed:
  • Shilei Cui

    (College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China)

  • Yajuan Li

    (College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China)

  • Xiaoqiang Jiao

    (College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China)

  • Dong Zhang

    (College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China)

Abstract

As a collection of technologies that match the carrying capacity of resources and the environment, harmonize ecology and life, and balance the quantity and quality of agricultural products in agricultural production, green production technologies are regarded as an important means to help promote sustainable agricultural production. It includes scientific fertilization technology, water-saving irrigation technology, biological control technology, and conservation tillage technology. However, the smallholders’ low level of awareness and application of green production technology has become a key factor limiting the sustainable development of Chinese agriculture. Several technological innovations have been implemented to address these problems while many studies have been conducted on the smallholders’ willingness to adopt the technology. However, the correlation and the hierarchical structure among different factors are not clear. Therefore, to clarify these issues, we used the logit model and interpretative structural modeling (ISM) to analyze the factors influencing the adoption of green production technologies by smallholders and the hierarchical linkage between them based on a sample of 709 from 16 provinces in China. Our results revealed that scientific fertilization and biological control technology were most preferred by smallholders. Compared with wheat (38.8%, 43.2%) and maize (29.3%, 39.4%), rice smallholders (66.7%, 82.5%) were more willing to adopt the two technologies. In addition, the technology awareness and technology benefits were expected to significantly affect the smallholders’ willingness to adopt the technology directly. Household characteristics and land characteristics are the root factors affecting the smallholders’ willingness to adopt green production technology. Family characteristics and land characteristics also changed the willingness of smallholders to adopt green production technologies by changing their awareness of production technology and the technological benefits expected. Therefore, accelerating the promotion of green production technologies through the implementation of policies such as increasing the promotion of high-value-added agricultural products and cultivation techniques, increasing out-of-school knowledge education, and enhancing the construction of agricultural production infrastructure can be potentially viable ways to promote green transformation in agriculture. This study provides case support for increasing the smallholders’ adoption of green production technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Shilei Cui & Yajuan Li & Xiaoqiang Jiao & Dong Zhang, 2022. "Hierarchical Linkage between the Basic Characteristics of Smallholders and Technology Awareness Determines Small-Holders’ Willingness to Adopt Green Production Technology," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-17, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:12:y:2022:i:8:p:1275-:d:894232
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/8/1275/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/8/1275/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhenling Cui & Hongyan Zhang & Xinping Chen & Chaochun Zhang & Wenqi Ma & Chengdong Huang & Weifeng Zhang & Guohua Mi & Yuxin Miao & Xiaolin Li & Qiang Gao & Jianchang Yang & Zhaohui Wang & Youliang Y, 2018. "Pursuing sustainable productivity with millions of smallholder farmers," Nature, Nature, vol. 555(7696), pages 363-366, March.
    2. Weifeng Zhang & Guoxin Cao & Xiaolin Li & Hongyan Zhang & Chong Wang & Quanqing Liu & Xinping Chen & Zhenling Cui & Jianbo Shen & Rongfeng Jiang & Guohua Mi & Yuxin Miao & Fusuo Zhang & Zhengxia Dou, 2016. "Closing yield gaps in China by empowering smallholder farmers," Nature, Nature, vol. 537(7622), pages 671-674, September.
    3. De Xia & Wenhua Chen & Qinglu Gao & Rui Zhang & Yundong Zhang, 2021. "Research on Enterprises’ Intention to Adopt Green Technology Imposed by Environmental Regulations with Perspective of State Ownership," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-19, January.
    4. Zhichao An & Chong Wang & Xiaoqiang Jiao & Zhongliang Kong & Wei Jiang & Dong Zhang & Wenqi Ma & Fusuo Zhang, 2021. "Methodology of Analyzing Maize Density Loss in Smallholder’s Fields and Potential Optimize Approach," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-15, May.
    5. Xinping Chen & Zhenling Cui & Mingsheng Fan & Peter Vitousek & Ming Zhao & Wenqi Ma & Zhenlin Wang & Weijian Zhang & Xiaoyuan Yan & Jianchang Yang & Xiping Deng & Qiang Gao & Qiang Zhang & Shiwei Guo , 2014. "Producing more grain with lower environmental costs," Nature, Nature, vol. 514(7523), pages 486-489, October.
    6. Nathaniel D. Mueller & James S. Gerber & Matt Johnston & Deepak K. Ray & Navin Ramankutty & Jonathan A. Foley, 2012. "Closing yield gaps through nutrient and water management," Nature, Nature, vol. 490(7419), pages 254-257, October.
    7. Marco Springmann & Michael Clark & Daniel Mason-D’Croz & Keith Wiebe & Benjamin Leon Bodirsky & Luis Lassaletta & Wim Vries & Sonja J. Vermeulen & Mario Herrero & Kimberly M. Carlson & Malin Jonell & , 2018. "Options for keeping the food system within environmental limits," Nature, Nature, vol. 562(7728), pages 519-525, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chengmin Li & Haoyu Deng & Guoxin Yu & Rong Kong & Jian Liu, 2024. "Impact Effects of Cooperative Participation on the Adoption Behavior of Green Production Technologies by Cotton Farmers and the Driving Mechanisms," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-25, January.
    2. Mengtian Zhang & Huiling Wang, 2024. "Exploring the Factors Affecting Farmers’ Willingness to Cultivate Eco-Agriculture in the Qilian Mountain National Park Based on an Extended TPB Model," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-24, March.
    3. Huanhuan Zhang & Guogang Wang & Jinge Liu & Shuai Hao & Shengnan Huang, 2022. "The Influence of Converting Food Crops to Forage Crops Policy Implementation on Herbivorous Livestock Husbandry Development—Based on Policy Pilot Counties in Hebei, China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-17, November.
    4. 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.
    5. Yang Guo & Meiling Cui & Zhigang Xu, 2023. "Spatial Characteristics of Transfer Plots and Conservation Tillage Technology Adoption: Evidence from a Survey of Four Provinces in China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-15, August.
    6. Roman Wacławowicz & Magdalena Giemza & Elżbieta Pytlarz & Anna Wenda-Piesik, 2023. "The Impact of Cultivation Systems on Weed Suppression and the Canopy Architecture of Spring Barley," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-20, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wang, Hongzhang & Ren, Hao & Zhang, Lihua & Zhao, Yali & Liu, Yuee & He, Qijin & Li, Geng & Han, Kun & Zhang, Jiwang & Zhao, Bin & Ren, Baizhao & Liu, Peng, 2023. "A sustainable approach to narrowing the summer maize yield gap experienced by smallholders in the North China Plain," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    2. Zhang, Bangbang & Li, Xian & Chen, Haibin & Niu, Wenhao & Kong, Xiangbin & Yu, Qiang & Zhao, Minjuan & Xia, Xianli, 2022. "Identifying opportunities to close yield gaps in China by use of certificated cultivars to estimate potential productivity," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    3. Wang, Hongzhang & Ren, Hao & Han, Kun & Li, Geng & Zhang, Lihua & Zhao, Yali & Liu, Yuee & He, Qijin & Zhang, Jiwang & Zhao, Bin & Ren, Baizhao & Liu, Peng, 2023. "Improving the net energy and energy utilization efficiency of maize production systems in the North China Plain," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 274(C).
    4. Guo, Xiao-Xia & Li, Ke-Li & Liu, Yi-Ze & Zhuang, Ming-Hao & Wang, Chong, 2022. "Toward the economic-environmental sustainability of smallholder farming systems through judicious management strategies and optimized planting structures," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    5. Wei, Zhibiao & Zhuang, Minghao & Hellegers, Petra & Cui, Zhenling & Hoffland, Ellis, 2023. "Towards circular nitrogen use in the agri-food system at village and county level in China," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    6. Bo Sun & Yongming Luo & Dianlin Yang & Jingsong Yang & Yuguo Zhao & Jiabao Zhang, 2023. "Coordinative Management of Soil Resources and Agricultural Farmland Environment for Food Security and Sustainable Development in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-16, February.
    7. Nicholas M. Short & M. Jennifer Woodward-Greene & Michael D. Buser & Daniel P. Roberts, 2023. "Scalable Knowledge Management to Meet Global 21st Century Challenges in Agriculture," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-19, February.
    8. Qiu, Weihong & Ma, Xiaolong & Cao, Hanbing & Huang, Tingmiao & She, Xu & Huang, Ming & Wang, Zhaohui & Liu, Jinshan, 2022. "Improving wheat yield by optimizing seeding and fertilizer rates based on precipitation in the summer fallow season in drylands of the Loess Plateau," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    9. Yimin Hu & Shuqi Yang & Xin Qian & Zongxin Li & Yuchuan Fan & Kiril Manevski & Yuanquan Chen & Wangsheng Gao, 2023. "Bibliometric Network Analysis of Crop Yield Gap Research over the Past Three Decades," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-16, November.
    10. Xu, Zhuo & He, Ping & Yin, Xinyou & Huang, Qiuhong & Ding, Wencheng & Xu, Xinpeng & Struik, Paul C., 2023. "Can the advisory system Nutrient Expert® balance productivity, profitability and sustainability for rice production systems in China?," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    11. Li, Jianzheng & Wang, Ligang & Luo, Zhongkui & Wang, Enli & Wang, Guocheng & Zhou, Han & Li, Hu & Xu, Shiwei, 2021. "Reducing N2O emissions while maintaining yield in a wheat–maize rotation system modelled by APSIM," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    12. Zhiqi Sun & Ruifa Hu & Yu Hong, 2022. "Does yield gap still matter? Evidence from rice production in China," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(3), pages 829-840, June.
    13. Liang Chi & Shuqing Han & Meili Huan & Yajuan Li & Jifang Liu, 2022. "Land Fragmentation, Technology Adoption and Chemical Fertilizer Application: Evidence from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-17, July.
    14. Lu, Jie & Bai, Zhaohai & Velthof, Gerard L. & Wu, Zhiguo & Chadwick, David & Ma, Lin, 2019. "Accumulation and leaching of nitrate in soils in wheat-maize production in China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 407-415.
    15. Hampf, Anna C. & Carauta, Marcelo & Latynskiy, Evgeny & Libera, Affonso A.D. & Monteiro, Leonardo & Sentelhas, Paulo & Troost, Christian & Berger, Thomas & Nendel, Claas, 2018. "The biophysical and socio-economic dimension of yield gaps in the southern Amazon – A bio-economic modelling approach," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 1-13.
    16. Zhuang, Minghao & Liu, Yize & Yang, Yi & Zhang, Qingsong & Ying, Hao & Yin, Yulong & Cui, Zhenling, 2022. "The sustainability of staple crops in China can be substantially improved through localized strategies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    17. Wang, Linlin & Li, Lingling & Xie, Junhong & Luo, Zhuzhu & Sumera, Anwar & Zechariah, Effah & Fudjoe, Setor Kwami & Palta, Jairo A. & Chen, Yinglong, 2022. "Does plastic mulching reduce water footprint in field crops in China? A meta-analysis," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    18. Bing Gao & Wei Huang & Xiaobo Xue & Yuanchao Hu & Yunfeng Huang & Lan Wang & Shengping Ding & Shenghui Cui, 2019. "Comprehensive Environmental Assessment of Potato as Staple Food Policy in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-19, July.
    19. Maolin Li & Yongxun Zhang & Changhong Miao & Lulu He & Jiatao Chen, 2022. "Centennial Change and Source–Sink Interaction Process of Traditional Agricultural Landscape: Case from Xin’an Traditional Cherry Cultivation System (1920–2020)," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-22, October.
    20. Xiaochuang Cao & Birong Qin & Qingxu Ma & Lianfeng Zhu & Chunquan Zhu & Yali Kong & Wenhao Tian & Qianyu Jin & Junhua Zhang & Yijun Yu, 2023. "Predicting the Nitrogen Quota Application Rate in a Double Rice Cropping System Based on Rice–Soil Nitrogen Balance and 15 N Labelling Analysis," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-17, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:12:y:2022:i:8:p:1275-:d:894232. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.