Despite growing emphasis on ecological agriculture, limited attention has been examined how labor endowment and productive services to shape farmers' adoption decisions. This study investigates the synergistic role of labor endowment and productive services in adopting the rice-crayfish co-culture model, using 2023 survey data from small-scale farmers in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The results show that labor endowment is a key driver of adoption. Both labor quantity and labor quality increase the likelihood of adoption, by 17.5% and 3.1% per additional unit, respectively. Productive services further strengthen these effects. Seedling provision and agricultural supply services mainly amplify the effect of labor quality endowment, while planting and disease prevention services reinforce the overall influence of labor endowment. Marketing services play a distinctive role in enhancing the contribution of labor quality to adoption behavior. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the positive impact of labor endowment is considerably stronger among production oriented farmers, new business subjects, large-scale grain growers, and farmers with better cultivated land conditions than among subsistence and small-scale farmers. Mechanism analysis shows that labor endowment promotes adoption mainly by improving farmers' ability to learn and master ecological production technologies. The study advances theoretical understanding by demonstrating that productive services in complex ecological agricultural systems operate under a complementarity logic, rather than functioning as substitutes for household labor. These findings provide new empirical evidence on the multidimensional mechanisms linking labor endowment, service provision, and ecological technology adoption.

This study investigates the impact of operational scale on farmers' performance in the rice-crayfish co-culture system, with particular attention to the integrated objectives of income growth, production efficiency, and ecological sustainability. Drawing on survey data from 673 rice-crayfish co-culture farmers in Hubei Province, China, the analysis reveals an inverted U-shaped relationship between scale and performance outcomes. Specifically, scale expansion below 2.954 ha promotes simultaneous gains in income, efficiency, and ecological benefits. Within the range of 2.954 to 3.210 ha, income and ecological efficiency continue to improve, although production efficiency shows no significant gains. When the scale increases beyond 3.210 ha, both income and efficiency begin to decline, and performance deteriorates markedly after 4.437 ha. Mechanization and labor structure are identified as key mediating factors. Mechanized fertilization enhances all three performance dimensions, while mechanized seeding improves ecological efficiency only. Mechanized spraying negatively affects income. Hired labor in rice production significantly reduces all performance indicators, whereas hired labor in crayfish production has a consistently positive effect. Based on these findings, the study offers policy recommendations to promote moderate-scale farming, improve access to mechanization, support family-based operations, strengthen labor supervision, and incentivize green development within the rice-crayfish co-culture model.

Promoting the synergistic effects of pollution reduction and carbon reduction (PRCR) in the planting industry is a key path to achieving green, low-carbon, and high-quality agricultural development. Although existing studies have focused on PRCR synergistic effects, few have evaluated it from the perspective of marginal abatement cost, and there is currently no research analyzing the driving factors of PRCR synergistic effects specifically in the planting industry. This study uses the non-radial directional distance function to quantitatively assess the PRCR synergistic effects in the main agricultural production areas of the Yangtze River Basin (YRB) from 2000 to 2023, systematically analyzing its temporal and spatial evolution, regional differences, dynamic development characteristics, driving factors, and the paths for synergistic emission reduction. The study finds that: (R) Carbon emissions (PCE) and surface source pollution (PSP) show an inverted "U" shape over time, with PRCR synergistic effects fluctuating upward, and the carbon reduction effect being dominant. (2)PRCR synergistic effects exhibit spatial heterogeneity, with high values concentrated in the upstream areas and gradually extending to the midstream, while the midstream remains at a low to medium-high level and the downstream remains low over the long term. The marginal abatement cost of joint emission reduction is the highest in the upstream areas. (R) Regional differences show a fluctuating convergence trend, with differences mainly attributed to the contribution of hypervariable density, and a clear catch-up effect between regions. Strengthening PSP control in the downstream areas could accelerate convergence. (4)PRCR synergistic effects only show stable aggregation at both high and low levels. The PRCR synergistic effects at various levels are relatively stable, especially the carbon reduction effect. (R) Optimizing planting structures, promoting agricultural technological progress, increasing financial support for agriculture, and advancing urbanization all contribute to enhancing PRCR synergistic effects. The main agricultural production areas of the YRB (especially the upstream) are better suited to use carbon reduction in the planting industry as the main strategy to achieve higher levels of PRCR synergistic effects, while the midstream regions should balance food security, carbon reduction, and surface source pollution control.

This study empirically assesses the income effects of the rice-crayfish co-culture model using endogenous switching regression (ESR) and mediation models, based on survey data from 1,058 farm households in Hubei Province. Key findings reveal that adoption of the rice-crayfish co-culture model significantly boosts farmers' total income: counterfactual analysis shows non-adopters would experience a 22.423% decline in average household income if they ceased adoption. The adoption of the rice-crayfish co-culture model differential impacts on the income of various farmer groups. This divergence primarily stems from the model's significantly stronger positive effect on agricultural income compared to its minimal dampening effect on non-farm income. By examining the mechanism of its effect on farmers' income, we find that adopting the rice-crayfish co-culture model mainly promotes farmers' income by affecting the human capital of the family. Based on the above conclusions, the Chinese government should further promote the sustainable development of the rice-crayfish co-culture model and give full play to its role in increasing farmers' income. Simultaneously, constructing a comprehensive industrial system for the rice-crayfish co-culture model and intensifying technical training are imperative. These efforts aim to enhance the human capital of farmers, which in turn will effectively promote the growth of their income.

PurposeThis study takes the shrimp-rice co-culture model in Hubei Province, China, as a case to examine the effects and heterogeneity of farmers' choices of combinations of information sources on "shrimp-rice co-culture" rice (SRR) output and risks.Design/methodology/approachWe first employ a flexible random production function based on moment estimation to quantify and assess the output and risks of SRR. Then, the multinomial endogenous switching regression (MESR) model is used to estimate the average treatment effects of combinations of information sources on SRR output and risks. The data for this study were sourced from surveys conducted among shrimp-rice co-culture farmers in Hubei Province in 2021, 2022, and 2023.FindingsCompared to obtaining information only from public sectors, farmers who combine information from digital platforms with either information from public sectors or neighbor interactions can more effectively achieve synergy in increasing output, stabilizing output volatility and controlling downside output risk. However, only young, highly educated farmers who integrate information from public sectors, neighbor interactions and digital platforms can achieve synergy among all three. Furthermore, part-time farmers, farmers with higher social capital and those with smaller operating scales exhibit differentiated effects of choosing a combination of two or more sources of information in specific situations on their output and risks.Originality/valueFarmers' sources of agricultural information significantly affect their output performance, yet existing research has seldom focused on the systematic combination of multiple information sources when farmers acquire information. Using SRR as a case, this study provides the first attempt to rigorously examine the effects of combinations of information sources on agricultural output and risks.

Rice is the most important staple crop grown in China and the rice-crayfish co-culture model of production has become an increasingly important ecological form of farming in the past decade, particularly in Hubei province. While studies have shown that this coculture practice has ecological benefits, it is not clear what effect it has on different features of rice production. Specifically, the scale of rice cultivation has not been adequately examined from either a horizontal (land scale) or vertical (market participation) dimension. In this study, we use data from 1075 households to examine the impact of the adoption of rice-crayfish coculture model on farmers' scale management of rice. The results show that the rice-crayfish coculture model has a significant effect on both the horizontal scale and the vertical scale. Analysis of impact mechanisms indicates that the rice-crayfish co-culture model influences horizontal scale management by encouraging land transfer, while it affects vertical scale management through increased farmer cooperative participation. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the rice-crayfish co-culture model has a greater effect on horizontal scale management among older farmers with high human capital and low social capital, while effects on vertical scale management are larger among younger farmers with high human capital and high social capital. Our study highlights the need to prioritize the adoption of the rice-crayfish co-culture model to promote large-scale rice management, enhance land transfer markets and strengthen cooperative functions.

The income effect of rice–crayfish co-culture technology (RCT) is directly related to rate of adoption of farmers and the process of China’s green development of agriculture. The aim of this study is to explore the income effect and income growth mechanism of rice–crayfish co-culture technology from the perspective of continuous adoption. With the treatment effect model (TEM), this paper empirically analyzes the income effect and income-generating mechanisms of RCT using field survey data from 736 farmers in the Jianghan Plain. As a result of this study, it was discovered that RCT will increase farmers’ net agricultural income by RMB 83,430 if they continue to adopt it. Further examinations indicate that the optimal adoption period for RCT is four and a half years. Additionally, it has also been shown that non-farm employment positively moderates the relationship between continuous adoption of RCT and net agricultural income. Farmers who participate in non-farm employment and continue to adopt the RCT will experience an increase in net agricultural income by RMB 104,510. Therefore, our results suggest that it is necessary to encourage farmers to continuously adopt RCT and actively participate in non-farm employment to enhance the income effect of RCT.

The Chinese government is making vigorous efforts to control agricultural pollution. The promotion of an ecological planting–breeding mix pattern is one of them. Farmers’ mode of production will affect their subjective well-being. Thus, this paper aims to analyze the impact of adopting the ecological planting–breeding mix pattern on farmers’ subjective well-being based on 895 pieces of survey data from the provinces of Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Using the endogenous switching regression model, we find that the adoption of the ecological planting–breeding mix pattern has a significant positive effect on farmers’ subjective well-being. Based on this counterfactual hypothesis, if the farmers who actually adopted the ecological planting–breeding mix pattern did not adopt it, their subjective well-being would decrease from 4.006 to 3.669. Further examination indicates that self-worth identification, income increase, and neighborhood communication could be potential mechanisms. Additionally, the effect of the ecological planting–breeding mix pattern on subjective well-being is stronger in the group with low financial support. The technical support provided by the government does not have a significant regulatory effect on the adoption of the ecological planting–breeding mix pattern on subjective well-being. Our results suggest that farmers’ ecological production behavior can affect their subjective well-being. This may be relevant to many developing countries today that are attempting to adopt ecological agriculture patterns.

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.

Eco-agricultural technology is crucial in alleviating agricultural resource scarcity and environmental pressures. However, financial constraints affect its successful promotion. Digital finance significantly impacts farmers. However, existing research neglects the impact of digital finance on farmers’ adoption of eco-agricultural technology. This study focuses on rice-crayfish co-cultivation technology. It utilizes survey data from 1063 households in China. An endogenous switching probit model is employed to solve self-selection bias. The results are as follows: First, the average treatment effect is 51.5%. This indicates that if farmers who use digital finance were to stop using it, the probability of adopting rice-crayfish co-cultivation technology would decrease by 51.5%. Therefore, digital finance is beneficial for farmers in adopting this technology. Second, heterogeneity analysis shows that the promoting effect of digital finance is a greater promoting effect on older farmers, and on those with lower education levels and higher proportions of agricultural income. This suggests a greater reliance on digital financial services among vulnerable groups. Third, digital finance promotes farmers’ adoption of rice-crayfish co-cultivation technology by alleviating financial constraints, expanding information channels, and increasing social capital accumulation. Overall, the findings offer valuable insights for formulating supportive eco-agricultural policies.

[目的]基于江汉平原地区1 023份农户微观调查数据,探讨生态种养模式采纳者是否能拥有更高的农业劳动力质量,以期为如何缓解我国农业劳动力质量约束提供可参考的建议.[方法]文章采用内生转换模型,在"反事实"分析框架下分析农户生态种养模式采纳决策对农业劳动力质量的影响.进一步运用工具变量法探究农户生态种养模式采纳强度对农业劳动力质量的影响.[结果](1)采纳生态种养模式需要更高的家庭农业劳动力质量水平,具体表现为在"反事实"假设下,采纳生态种养模式的农户比其未采纳时农业劳动力质量高23.65％.(2)从采纳强度上看,采纳生态种养模式强度越高的农户拥有的农业劳动力质量越高.[结论]政府应针对不同地区的自然资源禀赋,因地制宜地加大生态种养模式研发与推广的力度,引导农户适度采纳生态种养模式,吸引高质量劳动力回流,助力农业高质量发展.

Rice-aquatic animal integrated systems can alleviate food and environmental insecurity. Understanding how this practice is adopted by farmers is significant for promoting the development of the agricultural industry. Given the information inadequacy and information frictions in agricultural society in China, farmers are susceptible to the behaviors of their neighbors through social interaction. This paper defines neighboring groups that are both spatially and socially connected to identify whether neighbors influence farmers’ adoption of rice–crayfish integrated systems using a sample in the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River in China. The findings reveal that for every one-unit increase in neighbors’ adoption behavior, the probability of farmers’ adoption increases by 0.367 units. Therefore, our results may have great value for policymakers seeking to take advantage of the neighborhood effect to complement formal extension systems and promote the developments of China’s ecological agriculture.

[目的]稻虾共作生态农业模式在长江中下游地区发展迅速,对于这一生态农业模式的扩散机理研究,有助于推动其他生态农业模式发展.[方法]文章基于湖北省、湖南省和安徽省农户调研数据,采用二元Probit计量方法分析了农户采纳稻虾共作模式的邻里效应,并采用工具变量法对基准回归结果的内生性进行检验及计算出社会乘数效应.[结果](1)农户的稻虾共作模式采纳行为存在显著的邻里效应,同村邻里农户采纳行为均值每提高一个单位,个体农户采纳稻虾共作模式的概率将提高26.5%;邻里农户采纳行为的社会乘数效应为1.69.(2)农户的稻虾共作模式采纳行为还存在显著的情景效应;加入合作社可以显著提高农户稻虾共作模式采纳行为.[结论]在生态农业模式采纳比较少的行政村内,可以采取适当的激励政策引导部分农户采纳生态农业模式,再通过邻里互动效应作用,间接影响其他农户,从而提高整体采纳水平,形成规模效应.优先采纳的农户通过技术示范、经济收益示范,影响和带动其他农户采纳;充分发挥合作社的辐射带动作用,促进农户生态农业模式采纳行为.

为探究采纳稻田综合种养模式对农户效益的影响,基于2020年湖北省江汉平原地区调查数据,运用处理效应模型检验了采纳稻田综合种养模式对农户综合效益、经济效益、生态效益与社会效益的影响.结果表明:采纳稻田综合种养模式的农户具有较好的综合效益、经济效益和社会效益,但存在进一步拉大农户间效益差距的可能,且对农户生态效益的影响不显著;在异质性分析上,采纳稻田综合种养模式对不同规模和不同年龄农户的综合效益影响存在差异.由此提出如下建议,加强技术培训,完善绿色产品市场机制,引导农户绿色生产,有效识别不同群体农户的需求差异,在实现综合效益提升的同时,缩小农户内部效益差距.

Biopesticides are perceived as a feasible alternative to chemical pesticides, providing an effective approach to pest management while mitigating the undesirable effects of chemical pesticide overuse. Yet, due to the distinctive attributes of the two types of pesticides, farmers often adopt a combination of both. This study aimed to probe the interdependent relationship underlying the mixed use of chemical pesticides and biopesticides by farmers in the rice–crayfish integrated system (RCIS) in Hubei province, China. We also sought to identify influencing factors and associated consequences of this practice. Given that the adoption of chemical pesticides and biopesticides by farmers is not mutually exclusive, a multivariable probit model was utilized to estimate simultaneous pesticide applications. Survey data from 736 RCIS farmers revealed that 10.50% of the sample farmers employ a combination of chemical pesticides and biopesticides. A substitution relationship was observed between the adoption of chemical pesticides and biopesticides by farmers, whereas no significant complementary relationship was found in the application of the two types of pesticides. The primary motivation for the mixed use of pesticides by farmers is to achieve superior pest control efficacy. Notably, when integrating the use of pesticides, farmers pay less attention to factors such as resource endowments and multiple production objectives. Further analysis indicated that farmers display significant concern for pesticide attributes including insecticidal efficacy, toxicity, insecticidal spectrum, and validity period. The mixed use of pesticides has resulted in a decreased frequency of pesticide application but has escalated the cost. While the mixed use of pesticides elevated the selling price of rice, no significant improvement was observed in yield and output value. The insights garnered from this study offer strategic implications for policymakers on how to enhance the judicious adoption of pesticides by farmers.

稻虾种养模式作为一种典型的生态种养模式,其应用和推广是推动中国实现农业高质量发展的重要手段.本文基于湖北省江汉平原地区1072份农户的微观调研数据,构建"信息能力-感知易用性-采纳意愿"的理论分析框架,采用逐步回归法实证分析信息能力对农户稻虾种养模式采纳意愿的作用机理.研究发现:①农户信息能力对稻虾种养模式的采纳意愿具有显著的促进作用,从具体维度来看,信息认知、信息获取以及信息共享能力均能显著提高农户的稻虾种养模式采纳意愿.②信息能力能够显著提高农户对稻虾种养模式的感知易用性,感知易用性在信息能力和稻虾种养模式采纳意愿之间起到部分中介作用.本文丰富和完善了农户稻虾种养模式采纳意愿的影响路径,对推进稻虾种养模式的应用、践行绿色发展具有重要的启示作用.

[目的]揭示资本禀赋、技术感知对农户稻虾共养技术采纳规模的影响机理.[方法]运用OLS模型、Bootstrap检验方法进行实证分析.[结果]①自然资本、经济资本、社会资本与人力资本均显著正向影响农户对稻虾共养技术的采纳规模,影响效果从大到小排序为:经济资本>自然资本>人力资本>社会资本;②资本禀赋与稻虾共养技术采纳规模之间存在倒U型关系;③感知易用性在农户资本禀赋对采纳规模的影响中起着中介作用,但感知有用性不存在中介作用.[结论]在稻虾共养技术推广中注重农户经济资本的积累,多渠道增强农户对稻虾共养技术的易用性感知,但推广中需考虑适度规模经营.

推广生态农业技术对转变农业发展模式、促进农业现代化发展意义重大.以稻虾共作技术为例,利用长江中下游地区湖北、湖南、安徽共935份农户的微观调研数据,实证分析预期收益与技术补贴对农户采纳生态农业技术的影响.结果表明:(1)预期收益与技术补贴对农户生态农业技术采纳行为均有显著的正向影响;(2)预期收益与技术补贴对农户生态农业技术采纳行为的影响存在交互效应,在技术补贴相同的情况下,农户预期收益越高,越有助于生态农业技术采纳行为的发生;(3)从人力资本数量来看,预期收益与技术补贴对农户生态农业技术采纳行为的影响存在明显的异质性;(4)从代际差异来看,预期收益对农户生态农业技术采纳行为的影响存在明显的代际差异,老一代农户生态农业技术采纳行为普遍受到预期收益的影响,而技术补贴在农户生态农业技术采纳行为方面代际差异不明显.因此,政府既要加强顶层设计,针对稻虾共作技术制定系统的补贴方案,以更好地发挥其促进作用;也要强化农户对稻虾共作技术的收益预期,以提高农户采纳积极性,进而实现稻虾共作技术可持续发展.

[目的]脆弱性是贫困的深层次原因,也是贫困的重要表现,识别和降低农户的脆弱性是解决相对贫困、长效性脱贫问题的关键.[方法]文章基于湖北、湖南、安徽3省974份农户调研数据,运用内生转换模型,分析了农户采纳稻虾共作技术对其脆弱性的影响.[结果](1)农户采纳稻虾共作技术能切实降低其脆弱性,采纳该技术的农户较未采纳时脆弱性降低280.659％,未采纳该技术的农户若采纳该技术脆弱性将降低44.255％.(2)非农就业水平在农户技术采纳和脆弱性之间起到正向的调节作用.(3)农户的个体特征、家庭特征、社会服务便利性及村庄特征均会显著影响农户的稻虾共作技术采纳决策和脆弱性.[结论]农户采纳稻虾共作技术能有效降低其脆弱性,但随着农户非农就业水平的提高,稻虾户反而更脆弱,因此要完善农技推广机制,健全非农就业保障和帮扶机制,进而发挥稻虾共作技术长效脱贫功效.

基于农产品品牌化视角探讨农户绿色投入品使用行为的影响因素,以湖北、江苏两省的稻虾共养户为例,实证检验农产品品牌化对稻虾户水稻绿色投入品使用水平的影响效应,并进一步探究农产品品牌化影响稻虾户水稻绿色投入品使用的具体机制.结果表明:(1)控制样本选择偏差后,稻虾户的农产品品牌化能够显著提升其水稻绿色投入品使用水平;(2)基于区域公用品牌的样本分组分析发现,区域公用品牌地区的稻虾户农产品品牌化对其使用水稻绿色投入品的促进作用小于非区域公用品牌地区;(3)进一步分析发现,品牌化通过提高价格满意度、提升单位面积收益、增强质量安全关注度3个具体路径影响水稻绿色投入品使用水平.据此,建议提高农户参与品牌建设的积极性,注重对区域公用品牌的保护与管理,加强绿色农产品市场建设与质量监管体系完善.