The Impact of GAPPs on the Production Efficiency of Family Farms

The establishment of Green Agricultural Development Pilot Programs (GAPPs) is a strategic initiative aimed at advancing agricultural green transformation in China. It plays a crucial role in transitioning the production methods of family farms to more sustainable practices and facilitating their high-quality development. China Academy Agri-Research Database (CCAD) has been used to assess the production efficiency of family farms in this study. Furthermore, the study examines the impact mechanisms and effects of establishing GAPPs on the production efficiency of family farms. The results show the following: (i) The average production efficiency of family farms in China is 0.424, indicating that further improvements are required. (ii) The GAPPs significantly enhance the production efficiency of family farms through three synergistic mechanisms: technological integration, institutional innovation, and demonstration-driven effects. This finding is statistically confirmed by endogeneity tests and robustness checks. (iii) The heterogeneity analysis indicates that the establishment of GAPPs makes a more pronounced effect on enhancing the production efficiency of family farms in the western region, where internet penetration remains relatively low. Overall, the findings demonstrate that implementing GAPPs contributes significantly to improving the productivity of family farms. So, it is necessary to continue improving the pilot policies to promote the sustainable development of agriculture in China.