Does Cognition of Resources and the Environment Affect Farmers’ Production Efficiency? Study of Oasis Agriculture in China

Aijun Guo, Xiaoyun Wei, Fanglei Zhong, Penglong Wang and Xiaoyu Song
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Aijun Guo: School of Economics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
Xiaoyun Wei: School of Economics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
Fanglei Zhong: School of Economics, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China
Penglong Wang: Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
Xiaoyu Song: Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 5, 1-18

Abstract: Improving production efficiency can help overcome the constraints of resource scarcity and fragile environments in oasis agriculture. However, there are few studies about the effect of farmers’ cognition of resources and the environment on their production efficiency. Taking farmers in the Ganzhou District of Zhangye—a typical representative of oasis agriculture in an inland river basin in Northwest China—this study empirically analyzed the effect of farmers’ cognition of resources and the environment on agricultural production efficiency. The average agricultural productivity of the surveyed farmers is 0.64, which is much lower than the average level in China. Farmers’ cognition of resources and the environment is related to green production willingness and behavior. Green production willingness, green production behavior between cognition of resources and the environment, and agricultural production efficiency play a chain mediating role, showing that farmers’ cognition of resources and the environment indirectly affects production efficiency. Green planting willingness is formed based on cognition of resources and the environment; when farmers translate willingness into behavior, it will further improve agricultural production efficiency. Recommendations are made based on the findings, such as strengthening the cognition of resources and the environment, mobilizing enthusiasm for green production, and promoting the practice of green planting.

Keywords: agricultural production efficiency; cognition of resources and the environment; green production; planned behavior theory; structural equation model (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 (8)

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