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What Drives Farmers to Participate in Rural Environmental Governance? Evidence from Villages in Sandu Town, Eastern China

Author

Listed:
  • Fei Meng

    (Department of Land Management, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Hang Chen

    (Department of Land Management, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Zhenning Yu

    (School of Social and Public Administration, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China)

  • Wu Xiao

    (Department of Land Management, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Yongzhong Tan

    (Department of Land Management, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

Abstract

Understanding farmers’ participation is crucial for achieving an effective impact on rural living environmental governance and promoting sustainable development. Taking Sandu Town in eastern China as a case study, in-depth semi-structured interviews with farmers, village cadres, and town managers were conducted in this study. Then, a conceptual framework incorporating comprehensive factors is presented to analyze the driving factors and mechanisms of farmer participation in rural domestic waste management. The results show that farmers’ participation in pro-environmental actions is a response to an integrated network of both internal and external factors. Life inertia, loss of personal interests, and objective conditions are the barriers to farmers deciding to participate. Meanwhile, environmental awareness can increase farmers’ internal motivations, and factors such as household benefits, social-cultural influences, and appraisal systems, including household possession protection, very low economic costs, better life experiences, demonstrations from society, “following the crowd”, peer pressure, and reward and criticism measures, are the external forces that mobilize farmers to participate in rural environmental governance. Policy recommendations are proposed based on the findings.

Suggested Citation

  • Fei Meng & Hang Chen & Zhenning Yu & Wu Xiao & Yongzhong Tan, 2022. "What Drives Farmers to Participate in Rural Environmental Governance? Evidence from Villages in Sandu Town, Eastern China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-15, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:6:p:3394-:d:770927
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Changxu Wang & Jinyong Guo & Changlin Liu & Yuanyuan Peng & Yonghong Tang, 2023. "Research Status, Hotspots, and Trend Analysis of the Rural Living Environment Upgrade in China from 1992 to 2022: A Bibliometric and Narrative Review Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-22, July.
    2. Diandian Hao & Ziyi Yan & Yanan Wang & Bowen Wang, 2022. "Effect of Village Informal Institutions and Cadre-Mass Relationship for Farmers’ Participation in Rural Residential Environment Governance in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-16, December.
    3. Hao Dong & Yang Zhang & Tianqing Chen, 2023. "A Study on Farmers’ Participation in Environmental Protection in the Context of Rural Revitalization: The Moderating Role of Policy Environment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-13, January.
    4. Jing Wang & Xiang Ding & Dongjian Li & Shiping Li, 2022. "The Impact of Organizational Support, Environmental Health Literacy on Farmers’ Willingness to Participate in Rural Living Environment Improvement in China: Exploratory Analysis Based on a PLS-SEM Mod," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-26, October.
    5. Yufeng Li & Ziwei Huang & Yonghang Li & Pu Xu, 2022. "Research on the Long-Term Governance Mechanism of Urban and Rural Living Environment Based on the Ordered Logistic-ISM Model in the Perspective of Sustainable Development," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-21, October.
    6. Xuezhen Xu & Fang Wang & Tao Xu & Sufyan Ullah Khan, 2023. "How Does Capital Endowment Impact Farmers’ Green Production Behavior? Perspectives on Ecological Cognition and Environmental Regulation," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-27, August.
    7. Jing Wang & Nan Zhao & Dongjian Li & Shiping Li, 2024. "A Study of Farmers’ Behavior in Classifying Domestic Waste Based on the Participants Intellectual Decision Model," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-22, May.
    8. Yuhan Zhang & Mengling Zhang & Zhenlin Weng & Xueping Gao & Wenmei Liao, 2023. "The Influence of Social Norms and Environmental Regulations on Rural Households’ Pesticide Packaging Waste Disposal Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-18, November.

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