IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jagris/v15y2025i9p932-d1641816.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Organizational Support, Knowledge Distance, and the Agricultural Ecological Efficiency of Smallholders: Comparing Government and Market Drivers

Author

Listed:
  • Yingyu Zhu

    (College of Economics and Management, Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Hangzhou 310018, China)

  • Huilan Piao

    (College of Economics and Management, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China)

Abstract

The support of external organizational forces is essential for the promotion of agricultural ecological efficiency to improve agricultural green development and boost China’s prosperity in agriculture. To identify the different impact of different organizational support on improving farmers’ agricultural ecological efficiency and investigate the mechanism by which organizational support affects agricultural ecological efficiency, this study explores the internal logic of farmers’ promotion of agricultural ecological efficiency and empirically examines the impact of organizational support and knowledge distance on agricultural ecological efficiency using 1011 household-level survey data from Henan province in China. The study shows the following: (1) Enhancing organizational support can significantly promote agricultural ecological efficiency, and the effect of organizational support in descending order is agricultural material distributors, peasant cooperatives, village committees, agricultural technology service centers, and agricultural associations. (2) Knowledge distance partially mediates the influence of organizational support on agricultural ecological efficiency. The mediating mechanism of spatial distance is the most significant, followed by content distance and cognitive distance. (3) Market-oriented organizations play a stronger role in incremental support, and government organizations play a stronger role in radical support. This study adds considerable value to the empirical literature and provides precise guidance for improving agricultural ecological efficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Yingyu Zhu & Huilan Piao, 2025. "Organizational Support, Knowledge Distance, and the Agricultural Ecological Efficiency of Smallholders: Comparing Government and Market Drivers," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-21, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:9:p:932-:d:1641816
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/9/932/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/9/932/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Siyu Yang & Wei Li, 2022. "The Impact of Socialized Agricultural Machinery Services on Land Productivity: Evidence from China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-18, December.
    2. Terza, Joseph V. & Basu, Anirban & Rathouz, Paul J., 2008. "Two-stage residual inclusion estimation: Addressing endogeneity in health econometric modeling," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 531-543, May.
    3. James Wangu & Ellen Mangnus & A. C. M. (Guus) van Westen, 2021. "Recognizing Determinants to Smallholders’ Market Orientation and Marketing Arrangements: Building on a Case of Dairy Farming in Rural Kenya," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-16, May.
    4. Tasso Adamopoulos & Loren Brandt & Jessica Leight & Diego Restuccia, 2022. "Misallocation, Selection, and Productivity: A Quantitative Analysis With Panel Data From China," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 90(3), pages 1261-1282, May.
    5. Fernando Rios-Avila & Michelle Lee Maroto, 2024. "Moving Beyond Linear Regression: Implementing and Interpreting Quantile Regression Models With Fixed Effects," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 53(2), pages 639-682, May.
    6. Benna Da & Yunhua Wu & Wuyuntana Bao, 2024. "Analysis of Spatial Distribution and Spillover Effects of Fertilizer Application Intensity in Inner Mongolia, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-23, May.
    7. Anastasija Novikova & Renata Zemaitiene & Renata Marks-Bielska & Stanisław Bielski, 2024. "Assessment of the Environmental Public Goods of the Organic Farming System: A Lithuanian Case Study," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-18, February.
    8. Donghui Chen & Jiyao Liu & Desheng Zhang & Zhixu Dong & Tao Xu, 2024. "Impact of Ecological Cognitive Bias on Pesticide Reduction by Natural Rubber Farmers in China: Insight from Price Insurance Satisfaction," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-17, September.
    9. Gong, Binlei, 2018. "Agricultural reforms and production in China: Changes in provincial production function and productivity in 1978–2015," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 18-31.
    10. Reinhard, Stijn & Knox Lovell, C. A. & Thijssen, Geert J., 2000. "Environmental efficiency with multiple environmentally detrimental variables; estimated with SFA and DEA," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 121(2), pages 287-303, March.
    11. Blackstock, K.L. & Novo, P. & Byg, A. & Creaney, R. & Juarez Bourke, A. & Maxwell, J.L. & Tindale, S.J. & Waylen, K.A., 2021. "Policy instruments for environmental public goods: Interdependencies and hybridity," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    12. Liangzhen Zang & Yahua Wang & Jinkai Ke & Yiqing Su, 2022. "What Drives Smallholders to Utilize Socialized Agricultural Services for Farmland Scale Management? Insights from the Perspective of Collective Action," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-25, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Rendao Ye & Yue Qi & Wenyan Zhu, 2023. "Impact of Agricultural Industrial Agglomeration on Agricultural Environmental Efficiency in China: A Spatial Econometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-18, July.
    2. Li, Rui & Yang, Huiting & Zhang, Jun, 2024. "Agricultural tax reform, capital investment, and structural transformation in China," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 509-522.
    3. Juan Ai & Lun Hu & Shuhua Xia & Hongling Xiang & Zhaojiu Chen, 2023. "Analysis of Factors Influencing the Adoption Behavior of Agricultural Productive Services Based on Logistic—ISM Model: A Case Study of Rice Farmers in Jiangxi Province, China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-16, January.
    4. Chen, Minjie & Heerink, Nico & Zhu, Xueqin & Feng, Shuyi, 2021. "Do Small Farm Sizes Imply Large Resource Misallocation? Evidence from Wheat-Maize Double Cropping Farms in the North China Plain," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315141, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    5. Fernando Rios-Avila & Gustavo J. Canavire-Bacarreza, 2017. "Standard Error Correction in Two-Stage Optimization Models: A Quasi-Maximum Likelihood Estimation Approach," Documentos de Trabajo de Valor Público 15659, Universidad EAFIT.
    6. Bian Liu & Serena Zhan & Karen M. Wilson & Madhu Mazumdar & Lihua Li, 2021. "The Influence of Increasing Levels of Provider-Patient Discussion on Quit Behavior: An Instrumental Variable Analysis of a National Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-11, April.
    7. Chaoran Chen, 2017. "Untitled Land, Occupational Choice, and Agricultural Productivity," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 9(4), pages 91-121, October.
    8. Julián Arteaga & Nicolás de Roux & Margarita Gáfaro & Ana María Ibáñez & Heitor S. Pellegrina, 2025. "Farm Size Distribution, Weather Shocks, and Agricultural Productivity," Borradores de Economia 1305, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    9. Ruofan Liao & Zhengtao Chen & Jirakom Sirisrisakulchai & Jianxu Liu, 2025. "Enhancing Rural Economic Sustainability in China Through Agricultural Socialization Services: A Novel Perspective on Spatial-Temporal Dynamics," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-28, January.
    10. Anjani Kumar & Ashok K. Mishra & Sunil Saroj & Vinay K. Sonkar & Ganesh Thapa & Pramod K. Joshi, 2020. "Food safety measures and food security of smallholder dairy farmers: Empirical evidence from Bihar, India," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(3), pages 363-384, June.
    11. Meyer, Sophie-Charlotte, 2016. "Maternal employment and childhood overweight in Germany," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 84-102.
    12. Trottmann, Maria & Zweifel, Peter & Beck, Konstantin, 2012. "Supply-side and demand-side cost sharing in deregulated social health insurance: Which is more effective?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 231-242.
    13. Austin L. Wright, 2016. "Economic Shocks and Rebel," HiCN Working Papers 232, Households in Conflict Network.
    14. Torsten Heinrich & Jangho Yang & Shuanping Dai, 2020. "Growth, development, and structural change at the firm-level: The example of the PR China," Papers 2012.14503, arXiv.org.
    15. Mingyong Hong & Jiao Long & Wenjun Zhuo, 2023. "Clan Networks, Spatial Selection, and Farmland Transfer Contracts: Evidence from China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-17, July.
    16. Judite Gonçalves & France Weaver, 2017. "Effects of formal home care on hospitalizations and doctor visits," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 203-233, June.
    17. Chen, Shuo & Lan, Xiaohuan, 2020. "Tractor vs. animal: Rural reforms and technology adoption in China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    18. Caroline Krafft, 2020. "Why is fertility on the rise in Egypt? The role of women’s employment opportunities," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 33(4), pages 1173-1218, October.
    19. Nguyen Thuy Trang & Vo Hong Tu & Steven W. Kopp, 2024. "Trade-offs between economic and environmental efficiencies in shrimp farming: implications for sustainable agricultural restructuring in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 6677-6701, March.
    20. Costa-Font, Joan & Frank, Richard G. & Swartz, Katherine, 2019. "Access to long term care after a wealth shock: Evidence from the housing bubble and burst," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 13(C), pages 103-110.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:15:y:2025:i:9:p:932-:d:1641816. 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.