Text-based pesticide labels have been widely proven to be dysfunctional in guiding and educating farmers on the proper use of pesticides in many developing countries. The existing studies, however, fail to explore more economically effective approaches for activating label information content. In this study, through a well-designed lab-in-the-field experiment, we propose and empirically verify that an audiovisual label affixed with a QR code encoded with a pesticide operation video can significantly reduce the overuse of pesticides by approximately 15% on average and improve dosage accuracy. Audiovisual labels not only decrease pesticide use among farmers already using labels but also encourage more farmers to follow label instructions, broadening the reduction in pesticide usage. The stronger effects are observed among farmers who distrust retailers but trust labels, as well as among those with relatively higher levels of education, suggesting that trust and education jointly shape the effectiveness of audiovisual labels.

Presenting pesticide dosages in range formats (e.g., 10-40 g) is presumed to offer farmers flexibility to adjust dosage application based on pest or disease pressure, and thereby facilitating precise use. However, this conventional practice may unintentionally encourage pesticide overuse. Based on a lab-in-the-field experiment, this study finds that approximately 65% of farmers disregard the minimum dosage when exposed to range-based labels, anchoring instead on the upper bound. A nudge-based label design, featuring reference points and brief explanatory cues, can significantly reduce pesticide use without restricting farmers' autonomy. These findings reveal both the hidden risks and promising potential of label-based interventions, suggesting that thoughtfully designed labels can serve as a low-cost, scalable policy tool for mitigating excessive chemical use problem in agriculture.

A substantial proportion of foodborne illnesses arise at home as a result of poor food handling practices. Consumer information intervention has usually been conducted to prevent such illness; however, few studies have examined the spillover effect of these interventions. This study aimed to identify whether an information intervention focused on one target food handling behavior has spillover effects on other aspects of food handling behaviors (nontargeting behaviors) through a randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in rural China. The results estimated by the difference-in-difference model reveal that information intervention has a significant impact on both target and nontarget food handling behaviors. The existence of positive spillover effects is mainly due to the release of limited attention resources from information interventions and the motivation of consumers to maintain other aspects of behaviors as regulated as the target behaviors. In addition, the results also show that being surveyed spurs a stimulus to subsequent behavior. The survey effect is taken into account when calculating the spillover effects in this paper, so a more accurate estimate is obtained. These findings can motivate governments to conduct more consumer education campaigns, especially in emerging countries, and can also contribute to experimental design, data collection methods and cost‒benefit analyses of interventions, thereby helping researchers avoid biased parameter estimation.

Does local urbanization, primarily in the form of converting counties to districts as promoted by the Chinese government, alleviate the consumption inequality among rural residents in China? First, the theoretical analysis of the impact mechanism of county-to-district conversion on consumption inequality is conducted. Second, macro-level statistical data at the county level are merged with micro-level survey data from the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) to construct a four-period unbalanced panel database composed of macro statistical data from 281 districts (county-level cities) and micro survey data from 25,744 rural households. Finally, a multi-period difference-in-differences model is used to empirically analyze the impact of local urbanization, mainly in the form of county-to-district conversion, on the micro-level consumption inequality of rural residents. The results indicate that the county-to-district conversion policy significantly alleviates the consumption inequality among rural residents. Mechanism analysis shows that county-to-district conversion narrows the consumption inequality among rural residents through income effects and peer effects. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the county-to-district conversion policy significantly alleviates the consumption inequality of rural households, with a more pronounced effect on households with middle and low-income levels and those with household heads having lower levels of education. From a regional perspective, the county-to-district restructuring exacerbates consumption inequality in areas with higher economic development levels, while it alleviates consumption inequality in regions with medium to high levels of financial development. Based on these findings, relevant policy implications are thus proposed.

Foodborne disease cases are increasingly occurring in home kitchens because of improper food handling behavior. Human factors are considered major determinants of such behavior, although economic factors, which have attracted little attention, may also be important influencers. Taking the service time of kitchen towels as an example, we construct a theoretical model to analyze food handling behavior under an economic framework and empirically explore its economic determinants. Empirically, we use a randomized controlled trial (RCT) coupled with pre- and postsurveys in rural China. The RCT intervention includes information with tips for proper kitchen towel use and in-kind subsidies of one, two, or three packs of kitchen towels, which is regarded as a price intervention. We find that information alone and information plus one pack of towels are not enough to stimulate behavior improvement, whereas information plus two or three packs is sufficient. This implies that the quantity of kitchen towels used increases only as the towel price drops below a certain threshold. As an early attempt, we indicate that food handling behavior is economically driven, suggesting that a well-designed policy should combine educational campaigns and appropriate economic incentives to improve such behavior to reduce the risk of foodborne disease.

Dining out food waste has garnered considerable global attention in recent years. This study empirically analyses the impact of food prices on dining out food waste based on a comprehensive micro-survey conducted in China's restaurants. The primary findings reveal a significant and negative effect of food prices on dining out food waste, largely attributed to a considerable decrease in food ordering quantity and an increased likelihood of packing leftovers. The heterogeneity analyses further underscore the nuanced influence of price intervention, suggesting that strategies targeting high-price restaurants may yield more effective outcomes. Additionally, concerns about potential unintended consequences, such as overeating or obesity, are alleviated by empirical evidence demonstrating that food prices do not significantly affect the quantity of food consumption. However, the estimated price elasticity at the sample mean is inelastic (-0.18), suggesting a potentially substantial welfare loss consumers would face without considering the value of food waste-related externalities. Moreover, the small marginal effect of price also raises doubts about the effectiveness of the food waste disposal fee of restaurants in China.

The naming and labeling of products can affect consumer attitudes and subsequent behavior, particularly in the case of new food products in the market. The present study explores the effects of name framing on consumer attitudes towards cultured meat (CM), which is currently in the early stages of development. With a sample of 1532 Chinese consumers, we integrated several pathways to explain the name-framing effect by examining three different terms (“cultured,” “artificial,” and “cell-based”) for CM. Results indicate that “cultured meat” and “cell-based meat” are more appealing than “artificial meat.” Name framings of CM affect consumers’ perception of benefits more than that of risks. Our comprehensive model identified evoked affect (perceived disgust) and naturalness as two crucial predictors of attitudes. These two predictors also act as substantial mediators of perceived benefits, and they activate the mediation of perceived risks (an insignificant mediator in cognitive processing). In addition, perceived naturalness mediates the name-framing effect mainly through perceived disgust. Our findings have implications for future strategies for communicating about novel foods (like CM) to the public.

The existing rural land tenure system in many developing countries is characterized by imperfections and conflicts. In rural regions of China, although most farmers possess land tenure certificates, there are instances where these certificates do not align with the actual land use. This study examines the technical efficiency (TE) of smallholder rubber farming at the plot level in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture (XSBN) in Yunnan Province, China, using three-wave panel data. Additionally, the study aims to estimate the impact of inconsistent land tenure certificates on rubber plantations. The TE of smallholder rubber farming in XSBN ranged from 0.01 to 0.89, with an average of 0.554. The possession of a land tenure certificate indirectly enhances the TE of smallholder rubber farming by optimizing factor inputs. Furthermore, the TE of rubber plantations with forestland tenure certificates surpasses that of rubber plantations with farmland tenure certificates. This investigation sheds light on the issue of inconsistent land tenures in the context of economic forest expansion in southern China and advocates for further research in related areas. The findings contribute to the existing empirical evidence on the TE of smallholder rubber farming.

Based on a panel data from the National Rural Fixed Point Survey of China, this study explored the effects of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on agricultural income and labour productivity of Chinese farmers using fixed effects models and two-stage least square estimations. The results indicate that the deployment of mobile 3 G led to a reduction in both farmers' agricultural income and agricultural net income by CNY 560.64 and 331.2, respectively, because ICTs prompted farmers to engage in off-farm employment, thereby allocating less time and input to farming activities. Village access to Internet and 3 G increased farmers' labour productivity, measured by agricultural net income per day, with increments of CNY 2.09 and 11.15, respectively. ICTs also decreased farmers' grain production, production cost, fertilizer use, and increased grain productivity. Furthermore, ICTs exhibited a spill-over effect, with non-users in Internet-connected villages demonstrating higher labour productivity compared to those in villages without Internet access. These results imply that agricultural labour productivity can be enhanced by employing ICTs for China and countries with small-scale farms. Nonetheless, greater attention should be paid to the potential trade-offs between the income growth facilitated by ICTs in rural out-migration and the decline in agricultural income and grain production.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of rising food prices on food demand and nutrient intake among rural–urban migrants and whether such impact varies across income classes. Design/methodology/approach Using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), this study adopts a quadratic almost ideal demand system (QUAIDS) for food demand elasticity and an indirect estimation method for nutrient elasticity to investigate the effects of rising food prices on food demand and nutrient intake among rural–urban migrants. Findings The estimated results indicate that an increase in the price of pork alone would lead to a larger reduction in most nutrients among rural–urban migrants than other single targeted food group, and a simultaneous rise in the price of all food groups would have a remarkably adverse effect on the nutritional status of rural–urban migrants in comparison to the nutritional effects of a rise in one targeted food group. In addition, the nutritional effects of food prices across income classes show that the nutritional status is particularly vulnerable to rising food prices among low-income rural–urban migrants. Originality/value This paper focuses on analyzing the impact of rising food prices on the nutritional status of rural–urban migrants, a topic that is very limited in the literature. This study provides a fresh look at the effect of volatile food prices on food demand and nutrient intake among rural–urban migrants. The results indicate that income growth would have a remarkable positive effect on nutrient intake for rural–urban migrants, especially for low-income rural–urban migrants. However, an increment in nutrients due to a growth in income would not be far from enough to cover the reduction in nutrients as a result of a simultaneous rise in price of all the studied food categories at the same rate.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of providing information on Chinese consumers' attitudes toward and willingness to pay (WTP) for cultured meat, and to further focus on the heterogeneous effect of prior awareness. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected by interviewing 1,004 consumers through a face-to-face survey conducted in 2019. Repeated measures ANOVA, ordinary least squares and maximum likelihood estimation were employed for data analysis. Findings Whether consumers have heard of cultured meat before is not an important determinant for their attitude, but whether they know it well is. Consumers' attitudes and WTP all improved after the provision of information, but knowledgeable consumers' attitudes were less influenced by information than those without prior knowledge. Unlike attitude, prior awareness does not affect the effect of information on WTP. Originality/value Despite extensive studies on the impact of information on the acceptance of cultured meat, few have analyzed the heterogeneous effect of prior awareness. In the research on prior awareness of cultured meat, firstly, no consistent conclusions about the effect of prior awareness on attitude; secondly, previous studies only considered heterogeneous effects of prior awareness on attitude toward cultured meat, while ignored WTP. This paper provides new insights in these areas. Further, this paper provides the first evidence on the heterogeneous impact of prior awareness in developing countries; most previous research has focused on consumers in developed countries.

In order to explore whether short video application brings digital dividend or digital harm for rural residents, based on a survey data of rural areas in five provinces of China, this paper empirically analyzes the impact of short video on rural residents’ time allocation and health by using instrumental variable method.The results show that short video is a “double-edged sword” for rural residents.The use of short-video increases their non-farm labor time by providing useful information about non-farm work, which brings digital dividend for rural residents; However, the use of short video increases the risk of overweight and obesity by reducing the exercise of rural residents, which harms their health.The results of heterogeneity analysis show that the “digital dividend” effect of short-video is only significant in groups who use it within 0.5 hour per day, while short video has completely adverse effects on rural residents who excessively use it.The adverse effects of short video on health are more serious for young female residents.

With more media attention being given to nutrition, health, and safety, it is important to be able to locate and provide consumers with information that will be both useful and relevant in the area of food safety. Smartphone technology, mobile computing, and abundant wi-fi have made it much easier for consumers to access information from virtually anywhere. This column highlights some reliable sources of information on the topic of food safety across a variety of mediums.

党的二十大指出:"全面建设社会主义现代化国家,最艰巨最繁重的任务仍然在农村".强国必先强农,农强方能国强.今后一个时期,必须举全党全社会之力全面推进乡村振兴,加快推进农业农村现代化,建设农业强国.山西作为我国中西部地区的重要省份,必须抓住这一战略机遇期,立足省情农情,紧扣山西特色,下好农业特色转型和农业农村高质量发展这盘棋,走出一条"特""优"的山西农业现代化之路.

Based on a panel data from National Rural Fixed Point Survey (NRFP), this study explored the effects of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on the fertilizer and pesticide use efficiency of China's grain production and the mechanisms using stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and two-way fixed-effects model with two-stage least square (2SLS) estimation. The results show that the average fertilizer use efficiency (FE), pesticide use efficiency (PE) and comprehensive fertilizer and pesticide use efficiency (CFPE) of grain production were 0.286, 0.404, and 0.364 respectively during 2003-2011. It should be noted that the CFPE decreased by 48.39% during 2003-2011 and showed a descending trend in all regions. ICTs had significant positive effects on FE, PE, and CPFE which could be explained by providing farmers more sustainable knowledge and hence shifting farming practices from overusing fertilizer towards using farmyard manure as a substitute. ICTs' positive effects were more pronounced for farmers with higher-level education and in central region. Additionally, ICTs had significant spillover effects, extending from users to nonusers within the villages. These results suggest that ICTs could be considered as an effective way to increase the fertilizer and pesticide use efficiency and promote the sustainable development of agriculture in China.

基于一项随机干预实验,本文实证分析了友好型标签对农药减量的影响.结果表明:友好型标签显著增加了农户依据农药标签兑药的可能性,并显著提高了农户根据标签信息计算兑药量的准确性.虽然在平均水平上未发现友好型标签对降低实际兑药量有显著影响,但对不信任农药零售商的农户来说,其减量效果十分显著.这表明,至少对于这部分农户,通过友好化设计激活"失能"标签可以显著减少其对农药零售商的依赖,从而有利于农药减量.本文研究对相关文献中"标签无用论"的普遍观点提出了质疑,认为只注重信息"告知"而不关心接受者认知的标签管理规范是导致"标签无用"的重要原因,对农药标签进行友好化设计可以提高标签信息传递的有效性.

Self-report and observation are two common methods for learning about consumers' food handling behavior. Identifying the relationship between self-reported behavior and observed behavior, especially in statistics, contributes to decisions regarding the survey method, allowing a more precise estimation of causal effects. However, this relationship has rarely been investigated. Based on 900 consumers from rural China and taking cleaning cloth use behavior as an example, we explored the correlation between self-reported and observed behavior. The results showed that consumers' observed practices were significantly poorer than their self-reported practices. Moreover, the ordinary least squares (OLS) estimation results revealed that self-reported behavior was not a good proxy for observed behavior. The coefficients of the independent variable were obviously different if the dependent variable was simply replaced by self-reported behavior instead of observed behavior. We also found that the magnitude of the differences between self-reported and observed cloth use behavior was heterogeneous among consumers with different characteristics. Males and elderly individuals (aged 60 and older) demonstrated a significant disparity between self-reported and observed behavior due to their poorer behavior in daily life, whereas the disparity in female, young and middle-aged groups was not significant. Highly educated consumers (more than 9 years of education) also had a larger discrepancy between the two behaviors. To collect consumers' actual behavior, enriching new ways of observation, reducing memory bias and encouraging real answers warrant further study.

Using panel data from National Rural Fixed Point Survey and a supplementary survey about rural ICT projects, this paper empirically analyzes the impact of ICTs on rural households’ income and income disparity in China. The results show that ICTs promotes the growth of total income and wage income of rural households, and has an inhibitory effect on agricultural income, but this inhibitory effect gradually disappears in the process of rural ICT development. The positive effect of ICTs on rural households’ total income is enduring. The heterogeneous analysis further indicates that the income-increasing effect of ICTs is more pronounced for higher-income and higher-educated farmers, which exacerbates the income disparity in rural areas.

本文基于全国农村固定观察点及信息化追踪调研数据,采用工具变量、匹配倍差等方法,在微观层面实证分析了信息化对我国农户增收及收入差距的影响.结果表明,信息化总体上促进了农户总收入和工资性收入增长,对农业收入有一定的抑制作用,但这一抑制作用在信息化发展过程中逐渐消失;信息化的总增收效应具有较大持续性.异质性分析进一步表明,信息化的增收效应对较高收入和较高受教育水平农户更加明显,加剧了农村内部收入差距.