Impacts of Technology Training Provided by Agricultural Cooperatives on Farmers’ Adoption of Biopesticides in China

Yuying Liu, Ruiling Shi, Yiting Peng, Wei Wang and Xinhong Fu
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Yuying Liu: Sichuan Center for Rural Development Research, College of Management, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Ruiling Shi: Faculty of Agricultural Economics and Management, College of Management, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Yiting Peng: Faculty of Agricultural Economics and Management, College of Management, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Wei Wang: Faculty of Agricultural Economics and Management, College of Management, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Xinhong Fu: Faculty of Agricultural Economics and Management, College of Management, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: As pesticide abuse becomes increasingly serious worldwide, it is necessary to pay attention to the biopesticide adoption behavior of agricultural producers. It is worth verifying whether agricultural cooperatives, as training organizations sharing the same social network with farmers, can promote the adoption of biopesticides through their technology diffusion function. Therefore, based on survey data of 837 citrus producers in Sichuan Province, China, the IV-probit regression model and a mediation effects model were used to empirically test the impact of technical training on farmers’ adoption of biopesticides in addition to its mechanism, considering the farmers’ perception of technology as the mediation variable. The results show that (a) participation in technical training can significantly enhance the probability of the adoption of biopesticides; (b) farmers’ perceptions of biopesticides’ economic and health benefits play a partial mediating role in the relationship; and (c) technical training has more significant effects on biopesticides adoption behavior for a household with higher-educated household heads, lower household total income, and smaller household size, relative to their counterparts. This study provides evidence for establishing relevant policy to encourage the full adoption of the technical training function of agricultural cooperatives and popularize the use of biopesticides.

Keywords: agricultural cooperatives; technology training; biopesticide adoption; technology perception (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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