Influence of Agricultural Technology Extension and Social Networks on Chinese Farmers’ Adoption of Conservation Tillage Technology

Jiabin Xu, Zhaoda Cui, Tianyi Wang, Jingjing Wang, Zhigang Yu () and Cuixia Li ()
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Jiabin Xu: College of Economics and Management, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Zhaoda Cui: School of Economics, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, China
Tianyi Wang: College of Economics and Management, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Jingjing Wang: College of Economics and Management, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Zhigang Yu: College of Economics and Management, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Cuixia Li: College of Economics and Management, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 6, 1-23

Abstract: Agricultural technology extension and social networks are the essential components of formal and informal institutions, respectively, and their influence on agricultural production has been the focus of academics. This article takes conservation tillage technology as an example, based on simple random unduplicated sampling, and uses survey data of 781 farmers in Heilongjiang, Henan, Shandong, and Shanxi provinces of China. This article empirically tests the interaction effects and heterogeneity of agricultural technology extension and social networks on farmers’ adoption of conservation tillage technology and analyzes their substitution effect or complementary effect. The results showed the following: (1) From a single dimension, both agricultural technology extension and social networks can significantly promote farmers’ adoption of conservation tillage technology, and the promotion effect of agricultural technology extension is greater. The average probability of farmers who accept agricultural technology extension and social networks adopting conservation tillage technology increases by 36.49% and 7.09%, respectively. (2) There is a complementary effect between agricultural technology extension and social networks in promoting farmers’ adoption of conservation tillage technology. The two functions complement and support each other, and this complementary effect is more evident in social networks’ reciprocity. (3) Further analysis reveals that the interaction effect between agricultural technology extension and social networks has significant group differences, technology type differences, and regional differences in farmers’ adoption of conservation tillage technology. Therefore, to facilitate the extension and application of conservation tillage technology, efforts need to be made in both agricultural technology extension and social networks, fully leveraging the complementary effects of the two. In addition, differentiated policies and measures should be adopted according to local conditions, and precise policies should be implemented for different groups and technologies.

Keywords: conservation tillage technology; agricultural technology extension; social networks; substitution effect; complementary effect (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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