IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i14p8917-d867633.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Study on the Impact of Internet Use on Farmers’ Straw Returning to the Field: A Micro Survey Data from China

Author

Listed:
  • Fan Chen

    (China Rural Policy and Practice Research Institute, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China)

  • Can Zhang

    (School of Management, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China)

  • Wenna Wang

    (School of Economics and Management, Northwest University of Agriculture and Forestry, Yangling 712100, China)

Abstract

Promoting the use of straw returning technology in rural areas is of great value to improve the use of agricultural technology and to reduce agricultural carbon emissions. However, the low proportion of straw recycling has also attracted more attention all over the world. An effective measure to solve this problem is to increase farmers’ internet use to encourage them to participate in straw recycling. Based on micro survey data from 2126 households obtained from China, this paper uses an ordered probability model (OPM) and seeks to measure the impact of internet use on farmers’ active use of straw returning and its heterogeneity. It aims to answer two questions: what the impact of internet use on farmers’ willingness to participate in straw recycling is, and whether there is heterogeneity. The study found that the use of the internet can significantly drive farmers to use straw to return to the field. Specifically, farmers using the internet are less likely to become non-adoption (−2.95%) or non-voluntary (3.09%), but have a greater probability of becoming voluntary (6.04%). Moreover, the heterogeneity analysis showed that older groups and lower income groups could improve their willingness to actively adopt straw returning technology after using the internet. According to this research, it is suggested to improve local network resources, guide farmers to effectively entertain, study, live, and better enjoy the dividends brought by the internet. In terms of environmental publicity and education, the government should make policy adjustments for older groups and low-income groups to promote the use of technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Fan Chen & Can Zhang & Wenna Wang, 2022. "Study on the Impact of Internet Use on Farmers’ Straw Returning to the Field: A Micro Survey Data from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-18, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:14:p:8917-:d:867633
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/14/8917/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/14/8917/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tan, Ruipeng & Lin, Boqiang, 2019. "Public perception of new energy vehicles: Evidence from willingness to pay for new energy bus fares in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 347-354.
    2. Zeng, Yangmei & Zhang, Junbiao & He, Ke, 2019. "Effects of conformity tendencies on households’ willingness to adopt energy utilization of crop straw: Evidence from biogas in rural China," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 573-584.
    3. Jia Liu & Zhaohui Chong & Shijian Lu & Wei Zhang, 2021. "The Evolution and Determinants of Interorganizational Coinvention Networks in New Energy Vehicles: Evidence from Shenzhen, China," Complexity, Hindawi, vol. 2021, pages 1-12, January.
    4. Hou, Lingling & Chen, Xiaoguang & Kuhn, Lena & Huang, Jikun, 2019. "The effectiveness of regulations and technologies on sustainable use of crop residue in Northeast China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 519-527.
    5. He, Ke & Zhang, Junbiao & Zeng, Yangmei, 2020. "Households’ willingness to pay for energy utilization of crop straw in rural China:Based on an improved UTAUT model," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    6. Xiaojuan Luo & Shuyi Feng & Hongbin Liu & Bo Zhao, 2019. "Large-Scale Grain Producers’ Application of Land Conservation Technologies in China: Correlation Effects and Determinants," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-17, January.
    7. He, Ke & Zhang, Junbiao & Wang, Anbang & Chang, Huayi, 2020. "Rural households’ perceived value of energy utilization of crop residues: A case study from China," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 286-295.
    8. Yin, Huajun & Zhao, Wenqiang & Li, Ting & Cheng, Xinying & Liu, Qing, 2018. "Balancing straw returning and chemical fertilizers in China: Role of straw nutrient resources," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 2695-2702.
    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. Qianhui Ma & Shaofeng Zheng & Peng Deng, 2022. "Impact of Internet Use on Farmers’ Organic Fertilizer Application Behavior under the Climate Change Context: The Role of Social Network," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-19, September.
    2. Jialan Zhang & Ludan Zhang & Kuan Zhang & Xin Deng, 2025. "Can internet use promote farmers’ diversity in green production technology adoption? Empirical evidence from rural China," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, December.
    3. Fan Chen & Sheng Shi & Wei Chen, 2025. "Internet Usage and Non-Farm Employment of Rural Labor: Micro-Survey Data from Rural China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 178(3), pages 1081-1102, July.
    4. Haoyuan Liu & Zhe Chen & Suyue Wen & Jizhou Zhang & Xianli Xia, 2025. "Impact of Digital Literacy on Farmers’ Adoption Behaviors of Green Production Technologies," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-23, January.
    5. Siyu Gong & Bo Wang & Zhigang Yu, 2022. "Whether the Use of the Internet Can Assist Farmers in Selecting Biopesticides or Not: A Study Based on Evidence from the Largest Rice-Producing Province in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-17, December.

    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, Anbang & He, Ke & Zhang, Junbiao & Zeng, Yangmei, 2021. "Green Production Technologies and Technical Efficiency of Rice Farmers in China: A Case Study of Straw-Derived Biochar," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315026, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    2. Wang, Yi-Jia & Wang, Qi & Wang, Naihui, 2023. "The role of rationality and altruism in rural households' acceptance of straw energy utilization: Evidence from Northeast China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    3. Wenfeng Zhou & Jia He & Shaoquan Liu & Dingde Xu, 2023. "How Does Trust Influence Farmers’ Low-Carbon Agricultural Technology Adoption? Evidence from Rural Southwest, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-14, February.
    4. Wenfeng Zhou & Yan Yang & Jia He & Dingde Xu, 2023. "Does Labor Aging Inhibit Farmers’ Straw-Returning Behavior? Evidence from Rural Rice Farmers in Southwest China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-15, September.
    5. Xinyue Qu & Wenfeng Zhou & Jia He & Dingde Xu, 2023. "Land Certification, Adjustment Experience, and Green Production Technology Acceptance of Farmers: Evidence from Sichuan Province, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-20, April.
    6. Han, Jiashi & Hou, Xiaochao & Zhang, Lei, 2022. "Policy implications of China's rural household coal governance from the perspective of the spillover effect," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 242(C).
    7. Han, Jiashi & Zhang, Lei & Li, Yang, 2022. "Spatiotemporal analysis of rural energy transition and upgrading in developing countries: The case of China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    8. Ahmad, Munir & Khan, Irfan & Shahzad Khan, Muhammad Qaiser & Jabeen, Gul & Jabeen, Hafiza Samra & Işık, Cem, 2023. "Households' perception-based factors influencing biogas adoption: Innovation diffusion framework," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PE).
    9. Nie, Tangzhe & Huang, Jianyi & Zhang, Zhongxue & Chen, Peng & Li, Tiecheng & Dai, Changlei, 2023. "The inhibitory effect of a water-saving irrigation regime on CH4 emission in Mollisols under straw incorporation for 5 consecutive years," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    10. Kuang, Yunming & Lin, Boqiang, 2021. "Performance of tiered pricing policy for residential natural gas in China: Does the income effect matter?," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 304(C).
    11. Jin, Jie & Ren, Xinyue & Xi, Xunzhuo & Zhao, Qiuhong, 2025. "Carrot or stick? How to effectively manage non-scale farming waste in rural areas," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    12. Guillermo Alexis Vergel-Rangel & Pablo Emilio Escamilla-García & Raúl Horacio Camarillo-López & Jair Azael Esquivel-Guzmán & Francisco Pérez-Soto, 2021. "The environmental impact of nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica) production in Mexico City, Mexico through a life cycle assessment (LCA)," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(12), pages 18068-18095, December.
    13. Kexiao Xie & Yuerui Zhu & Yongqiang Ma & Youcheng Chen & Shuiji Chen & Zhidan Chen, 2022. "Willingness of Tea Farmers to Adopt Ecological Agriculture Techniques Based on the UTAUT Extended Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-14, November.
    14. Sun, Hui & Wang, Enzhen & Li, Xiang & Cui, Xian & Guo, Jianbin & Dong, Renjie, 2021. "Potential biomethane production from crop residues in China: Contributions to carbon neutrality," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    15. Fang, Yan Ru & Hossain, MD Shouquat & Peng, Shuan & Han, Ling & Yang, Pingjian, 2024. "Sustainable energy development of crop straw in five southern provinces of China: Bioenergy production, land, and water saving potential," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    16. Shi, Lei & Wu, Rongxin & Lin, Boqiang, 2023. "Where will go for electric vehicles in China after the government subsidy incentives are abolished? A controversial consumer perspective," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 262(PA).
    17. Zhikang Wang & Ziyun Chen & Xiangxiang Fu, 2019. "Integrated Effects of Co-Inoculation with Phosphate-Solubilizing Bacteria and N 2 -Fixing Bacteria on Microbial Population and Soil Amendment Under C Deficiency," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-15, July.
    18. Wu, Haitao & Wang, Bingjie & Lu, Mingyue & Irfan, Muhammad & Miao, Xin & Luo, Shiyue & Hao, Yu, 2023. "The strategy to achieve zero‑carbon in agricultural sector: Does digitalization matter under the background of COP26 targets?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    19. Cui, Xiaohui & Guo, Liyue & Li, Caihong & Liu, Meizhen & Wu, Guanglei & Jiang, Gaoming, 2021. "The total biomass nitrogen reservoir and its potential of replacing chemical fertilizers in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    20. Chen, Yung-Sheng & Lee, Cheng-Ting & Wang, Yu-Cheng & Chang, Tsai-Ling & Liu, Ta-Kang, 2024. "Research on the implementation of integrated coastal management principles in Taiwan to mitigate disputes related to nuclear waste disposal," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).

    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:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:14:p:8917-:d:867633. 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.