Time Allocation Effect: How Does the Combined Adoption of Conservation Agriculture Technologies Affect Income?

The adoption of conservation agriculture techniques plays a crucial role in preventing soil erosion and guaranteeing food security. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the adoption of conservation agricultural technologies on income. Based on the survey data of 922 households in five provinces and cities in the Bohai Rim region in 2023, the study analyzes the impact of different attributes of technology adoption on farm household income through ESR (endogenous switching regression) models and different forms of mediated effects models. The empirical results show the following: (1) The income effects generated by different adoption statuses of conservation agriculture (CA) technologies vary, and the income effects for farmers who adopt multiple conservation agriculture (CA) technologies jointly are even worse. (2) Farmers’ time allocation mediates the effects of technology attributes on adoption. Specifically, farm work is the main mediating variable, while off-farm work plays a moderating role between the yield effect and income. (3) The complex technology adoption chain inhibits farmers from increasing production and income, while the farmers’ jobs in the non-agricultural sector have reduced this impact to a certain extent. In terms of policy recommendations, governments should enhance technical training programs for farmers, improve the market environment, and offer access to highly mechanized agricultural production trusteeship services to encourage the greater adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) technology among farmers.