Does Rural Labor Transfer Contribute to the Reduction in Chemical Fertilizer Use? Evidence from China’s Household Finance Survey Data in China

Xianhong Qin () and Yongjin Guan
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Xianhong Qin: School of Public Administration, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China
Yongjin Guan: School of Public Administration, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-10

Abstract: In recent years, the Chinese government has been continuously promoting reduced use of chemical fertilizers and enhancing the sustainable development capacity of agriculture. This study uses China’s Household Finance Survey (CHFS) data to explore the impact of rural labor transfer on the intensity of fertilizer use and examines the mediating role of agricultural machinery services. The results show that: (1) rural labor transfer is helpful for reducing chemical fertilizer use, and it has a negative impact on the intensity of chemical fertilizer use; (2) rural labor transfer will enhance the socialization of agricultural machinery services by promoting the adoption of mechanized fertilization and expanding the scale of agricultural land management to promote the reduction of chemical fertilizers use; (3) different topographic conditions have different regulatory effects on the use of socialized agricultural machinery services, and for mountainous areas with poor topographic conditions, socialized agricultural machinery services may be difficult to implement, resulting in poor effects of chemical fertilizer use reduction. These findings provide important evidence for sustainable agriculture development and have significant theoretical and policy implications.

Keywords: rural labor transfer; agricultural machinery service; fertilizers reduction effect; China (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: 2024
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