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How China's agribusiness achieves reciprocal symbiosis with farmers? A comparative analysis of the investment sector

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  • Yue Li
  • Yingzhi Xu

Abstract

Agribusiness facilitating market access for farmers is a key strategy for driving rural industrial rejuvenation in China. However, the persistent cooperative conundrum poses challenges to the integration of agribusiness and farmer interests. Utilizing goal planning analysis, this study delves into the profit‐driven behavioral logic of agribusiness and farmers to elucidate the conditions that influence their reciprocal symbiosis across various investment sectors. Through the crisp‐set qualitative comparative analysis method, this investigation parses data from 109 instances of agribusiness initiatives in rural areas, identifying four pivotal conditions conducive to reciprocal symbiosis: the farmers' information abundance (in production/processing and sales), incentive policies (in production), agribusiness's professional capabilities (in productive services), and the scale of demand (in productive services). Additionally, five principal sufficient conditions emerge: “Investment in production * information abundance of farmers * ~natural risk”, “Investment in production * natural risk * professional ability of farmers * profit sharing”, “Investment in processing and sales * information abundance of farmers * ~market risk * ~bidirectional specificity”, “Investment in processing and sales * bidirectional specificity * market risk * ~profit sharing”, and “Investment in productive services * professional ability of agribusiness * demand scale”. These findings illuminate the multifaceted interactions that underpin successful agribusiness‐farmer synergies [EconLit Citations: L23].

Suggested Citation

  • Yue Li & Yingzhi Xu, 2026. "How China's agribusiness achieves reciprocal symbiosis with farmers? A comparative analysis of the investment sector," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(1), pages 400-421, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:agribz:v:42:y:2026:i:1:p:400-421
    DOI: 10.1002/agr.21957
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