Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Rice from Remediated Soil: Potential from the Public in Sustainable Soil Pollution Treatment

H. Holly Wang, Jing Yang and Na Hao
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H. Holly Wang: School of Public Affairs and China Academy of Rural Development (CARD), Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, China
Jing Yang: School of Public Affairs and China Academy of Rural Development (CARD), Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, China
Na Hao: Department of Economics, Beijing Technology and Business University, Fucheng Road #33, Beijing 100048, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-22

Abstract: Remediation of polluted soil on arable land is mostly funded by governments, with the understanding that the public’s willingness to pay for food produced on remediated soil can help establish a soil remediation model with more stakeholders. In contrast to previous studies that have focused on soil-remediation technologies’ diffusion, this study employs choice experiments to evaluate market preferences for crops grown from lands of varying quality that are reflected in consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP). The results show that consumers are willing to pay a small premium for rice labeled with remediated-soil claims, but the WTP for remediated-soil claim is less than that of an uncontaminated-soil claim. Consumers’ WTP for remediated-soil claim increases by 29.03% when combining with a well-known brand, and it increases by 71.17% when information is provided about the efficacy of cadmium and heavy-metal-pollution remediation; however, combining with the region-of-origin label does not increase WTP. We also find that, in early stages of promotion, online stores may reach target consumers more easily. Based on these results, we propose four implications for policymakers.

Keywords: heavy metal pollution; arable soil remediation; public participation; consumers’ willingness to pay; choice experiment; information intervention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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