Adoption of Fertilizer-Reduction and Efficiency-Increasing Technologies in China: The Role of Information Acquisition Ability

Caiyan Yang, Weihong Huang, Yu Xiao, Zhenhong Qi, Yan Li and Kun Zhang ()
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Caiyan Yang: Business School, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Weihong Huang: Business School, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Yu Xiao: College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Zhenhong Qi: College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Yan Li: Wuhan Agricultural Technology Extension Centre, Wuhan 430012, China
Kun Zhang: Business School, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-18

Abstract: Reducing fertilizer use and increasing its efficiency will improve the quality of farmland and resource conservation. These are necessary steps to achieving green development in agriculture. Nevertheless, fertilizer-reduction and efficiency-increasing technologies (FREITs) remain limited. To improve the situation, 538 farmers in Jiangsu and Hubei Provinces were surveyed with the goal of measuring the information acquisition ability (IAA) of farmers using an Item Response Theory (IRT) model. A model of improved technology selection was employed in conjunction with an IV-probit model to examine the impacts of IAA on farmers’ adoption of FREITs. The results showed that 34.76% of the surveyed farmers had adopted FREITs, with 12.45% and 26.02% having adopted Soil Testing and Formula Fertilization Technology (STFFT) and Organic Fertilizer Replacement Technology (OFRT), respectively. Second, farmers who used more information access channels had greater IAA, which significantly improved their adoption of FREITs. Third, participation in technical training and an increased degree of technical understanding increased the probability of farmers adopting FREITs. The results remained robust after accounting for endogeneity and correlation. Consequently, enhancing farmers’ IAA, organizing technical training, and improving technical publicity will promote the adoption of FREITs.

Keywords: information acquisition ability; fertilizer-reduction and efficiency-increasing technologies; soil testing and formula fertilization technology; organic fertilizer replacement technology; farmers (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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