IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v14y2025i9p1750-d1737113.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does Land Operation Scale Improve Rice Carbon Emission Productivity? Evidence from 916 Farmers in Guangdong Province, China

Author

Listed:
  • Hui Li

    (College of Economics and Management, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China)

  • Min Shi

    (College of Economics and Management, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China)

  • Shangpu Li

    (College of Economics and Management, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China)

Abstract

China aims to reduce carbon emissions but faces challenges from small-scale farmer operations. Previous studies have predominantly examined carbon density using macro-level data. This study employs a primary field survey involving 916 rice farmers, along with input–output data from their typical paddy plots, to calculate micro-level carbon emissions and assess the impact of land operation scale. The results indicate that operational scale enhances carbon emission productivity and has a nonlinear relationship with carbon emission intensity. From survey data, the carbon emission intensity of late rice is 4648.77 kg CO 2eq ·ha −1 in Guangdong province China, which differs by a mere 1.14% from the figure derived from yearbook macro data. The yield carbon emission productivity and yield value carbon emission productivity of rice production are 1.347 kg·kg CO 2eq −1 and 2.166 CNY·kg CO 2eq −1 , respectively. The operational scale significantly positively enhances indirect carbon emission productivity, a key indicator of economic growth and environmental sustainability. However, it exhibits a U-shaped effect on carbon emission intensity. Our results underscore the critical role of expanding the operational scale among individual farmers to boost carbon emission productivity, facilitating the simultaneous development of grain crops and a reduction in carbon emissions.

Suggested Citation

  • Hui Li & Min Shi & Shangpu Li, 2025. "Does Land Operation Scale Improve Rice Carbon Emission Productivity? Evidence from 916 Farmers in Guangdong Province, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-15, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:9:p:1750-:d:1737113
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/9/1750/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/9/1750/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Haixia Wu & Hantao Hao & Hongzhen Lei & Yan Ge & Hengtong Shi & Yan Song, 2021. "Farm Size, Risk Aversion and Overuse of Fertilizer: The Heterogeneity of Large-Scale and Small-Scale Wheat Farmers in Northern China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-15, January.
    2. Unakitan, G. & Hurma, H. & Yilmaz, F., 2010. "An analysis of energy use efficiency of canola production in Turkey," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(9), pages 3623-3627.
    3. Tongwei Qiu & S. T. Boris Choy & Yifei Li & Biliang Luo & Jing Li, 2021. "Farmers' Exit from Land Operation in Rural China: Does the Price of Agricultural Mechanization Services Matter?," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 29(2), pages 99-122, March.
    4. Jing Bai & Jun Liu & Libang Ma & Wenbo Zhang, 2023. "The Impact of Farmland Management Scale on Carbon Emissions," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-18, September.
    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. Shadrack Kipkogei & Jiqin Han & Gershom Mwalupaso & John Tanui & Robert Brenya, 2025. "The synergistic effects of microcredit access and agricultural technology adoption on maize farmer’s income in Kenya," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(1), pages 1-26, January.
    2. Ghatrehsamani, Shirin & Ebrahimi, Rahim & Kazi, Salim Newaz & Badarudin Badry, Ahmad & Sadeghinezhad, Emad, 2016. "Optimization model of peach production relevant to input energies – Yield function in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province, Iran," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 315-321.
    3. Barut, Zeliha Bereket & Ertekin, Can & Karaagac, Hasan Ali, 2011. "Tillage effects on energy use for corn silage in Mediterranean Coastal of Turkey," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(9), pages 5466-5475.
    4. Yong Liu & Jixin Yang & Guanghong Zhang & Xufeng Cui, 2024. "Driving factors of green production behaviour among farmers of different scales: Evidence from North China," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 70(10), pages 474-494.
    5. Alluvione, Francesco & Moretti, Barbara & Sacco, Dario & Grignani, Carlo, 2011. "EUE (energy use efficiency) of cropping systems for a sustainable agriculture," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(7), pages 4468-4481.
    6. Unakıtan, Gökhan & Aydın, Başak, 2018. "A comparison of energy use efficiency and economic analysis of wheat and sunflower production in Turkey: A case study in Thrace Region," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 279-285.
    7. Wu, Haixia & Ge, Yan & Li, Jianping, 2023. "Uncertainty, time preference and households’ adoption of rooftop photovoltaic technology," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    8. Mousavi-Avval, Seyed Hashem & Rafiee, Shahin & Jafari, Ali & Mohammadi, Ali, 2011. "Improving energy use efficiency of canola production using data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 2765-2772.
    9. Sara Ilahi & Yongchang Wu & Muhammad Ahsan Ali Raza & Wenshan Wei & Muhammad Imran & Lyankhua Bayasgalankhuu, 2019. "Optimization Approach for Improving Energy Efficiency and Evaluation of Greenhouse Gas Emission of Wheat Crop using Data Envelopment Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-16, June.
    10. Bardia Bayat & Mohammad Hossein Ansari & Marjan Diyanat & Ali Mohammadi ‎Torkashvand, 2023. "Optimising energy efficiency and ecological ‎footprint of off-season cucumber production agro-ecosystem upon different farm levels (Case of central Iran)," Horticultural Science, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 50(3), pages 219-232.
    11. Lulin Shen & Fang Wang, 2024. "Can Market-Oriented Allocation of Land Factors Promote the Adoption of Cropland Quality Protection Behaviors by Farmers: Evidence from Rural China," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-19, May.
    12. Shiyao Zhou & Chen Qing & Jia He & Dingde Xu, 2023. "Impact of Agricultural Division of Labor on Fertilizer Reduction Application: Evidence from Western China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-17, February.
    13. Mengyang Hou & Zenglei Xi & Suyan Zhao, 2022. "Evaluating the Heterogeneity Effect of Fertilizer Use Intensity on Agricultural Eco-Efficiency in China: Evidence from a Panel Quantile Regression Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-22, May.
    14. Jankowski, Krzysztof Józef & Budzyński, Wojciech Stefan & Kijewski, Łukasz, 2015. "An analysis of energy efficiency in the production of oilseed crops of the family Brassicaceae in Poland," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 674-681.
    15. Alireza Koocheki & Reza Ghorbani & Farzad Mondani & Yaser Alizade, 2011. "Pulses Production Systems in Term of Energy Use Efficiency and Economical Analysis in Iran," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 1(4), pages 95-106.
    16. Cui, Qiang & Kuang, Hai-bo & Wu, Chun-you & Li, Ye, 2014. "The changing trend and influencing factors of energy efficiency: The case of nine countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 1026-1034.
    17. Jian Li & Xiangchen Sheng & Shuhua Zhang & Yixuan Wang, 2024. "Research on the Impact of the Digital Economy and Technological Innovation on Agricultural Carbon Emissions," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-18, June.
    18. Singh, Pritpal & Singh, Gurdeep & Sodhi, G.P.S., 2019. "Energy auditing and optimization approach for improving energy efficiency of rice cultivation in south-western Punjab, India," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 269-279.
    19. Tingting Zhuang, 2023. "Analysis of the impact of tourism on agricultural carbon emissions‐based on the mediating effect of nonagricultural transfer of labor in China," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 47(3), pages 375-392, August.
    20. Stanisław Bielski & Renata Marks-Bielska & Paweł Wiśniewski, 2022. "Investigation of Energy and Economic Balance and GHG Emissions in the Production of Different Cultivars of Buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum Moench): A Case Study in Northeastern Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-24, December.

    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:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:9:p:1750-:d:1737113. 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.