In the context of food security and the greening of agriculture, the sustainable management of agricultural plastics is critical. Although essential to agricultural production, agricultural plastics pose significant environmental risks, particularly in the waste management phase, requiring urgent intervention. Source reduction and effective recycling are key solutions. Based on a systematic review of policy documents, this study analyzed the evolution of China’s agricultural plastics management policies. This policy framework has progressed through three stages. The first stage focused on increasing production and promoting technology, leading to widespread adoption of agricultural plastics but weak environmental regulation. In the second stage, policies began balancing production growth with environmental protection, with stronger environmental regulations and regional successes, but nationwide systematic management remains inadequate. The third stage emphasizes agricultural sustainability, promoting life-cycle management and regionally differentiated management. Although recycling rates have improved significantly, a long-term sustainable management mechanism is still lacking, and there are many challenges to source reduction and effective recycling. Based on this analysis and incorporating international experience, a set of key strategies is proposed for sustainable management, including establishing a unified national framework with region-specific programs, advancing technological innovation and adoption, and integrating environmental regulations with market mechanisms.

Agricultural plastic film mulch (PFM) covers ca. 50 million hectares of the Earth's surface and has revolutionized agriculture, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, by improving crop yields, water use efficiency, farmer incomes and feeding an extra 85 million people in China alone. However, concerns are growing about the impact of PFM-derived microplastics (MP) on soil quality, the food chain, and the environment. Here we show that current research on the effects of MP in agricultural soils is limited by inconsistent methodologies and unrealistic experimental concentrations, leading to major uncertainty in assessing the true risks associated with PFM use. Furthermore, we highlight the need for standardized protocols, experiments using realistic MP concentrations, and a better understanding of the relative contribution of PFM to MP pollution to develop informed policies. Furthermore, while biodegradable alternatives show promise, their significantly higher costs (2-3 times that of conventional LDPE PFM) and variable performance across different agricultural environments present economic and practical challenges that must be addressed through targeted policy incentives and continued technological innovation. Our findings suggest that while further research is conducted, managing PFM to reduce environmental impact, rather than imposing ill-informed bans on plastic use, is crucial to balance food security and sustainable development goals. Exploring "zero-leakage" instead of "zero-use" approaches to PFM should be the primary aim to help mitigate potential risks while preserving the substantial benefits of this agricultural technology.

Plastic mulch films support global food security, however, their composition and the potential release rates of organic, metal and metalloid co-contaminants remains relatively unknown. This study evaluates the low molecular weight organic additives, metal and metalloid content and leaching from low density polyethylene (LDPE) and biodegradable plastic mulch films. We identified 59 organic additives, and non-intentionally added substances in the new LDPE films (39.8 mg m- 2) and 60 in the new biodegradable films (129 mg m- 2). The leaching of organic compounds of high concern for ecosystem and human health (e.g. phthalates, organophosphite antioxidants) was comparable to those of low concern (fatty acids, fatty amides, alkanols). However, the majority of leached compounds have undergone no regulatory scrutiny and their environmental fate and toxicity remain unknown. Leaching of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb) was low relative to inert fillers (Ca, Na). Leaching was higher for both organic and metal/metalloid additives from the biodegradable films (74.6 mg m- 2) than the LDPE films (23.7 mg m- 2). This untargeted approach allowed assessment of the chemical burden posed to individual farms, based on existing use patterns of plastic mulch films, with higher chemical burden coming from biodegradable films, raising the potential for pollution swapping. This research emphasises the need to include the complex mixture of leached additives when assessing the environmental risks presented by plastic mulch films, balancing yield benefits with the protection of our agricultural soils.

Soil testing and formulated fertilisation technology (STFFT) plays a key role in the sustainable development of agriculture. Previous studies have suggested that social capital can affect farmers' green production decisions. However, the different dimensions of social capital and the mechanism of its impact on farmers' STFFT adoption are not well understood. Based on survey data from 522 maize farmers in rural China in 2019, this study used the logistic model to empirically examine the effects of social capital on farmers' STFFT adoption, particularly to explore the influence mechanisms. The results indicate that social network, social participation, and social trust positively influence farmers' STFFT adoption. Ecological cognition and fertiliser management knowledge play different mediating roles. Ecological cognition significantly mediates different dimensions of social capital, whereas fertiliser management knowledge mediates only social participation and being asked for advice. Cooperatives partially substitute for social capital and functionally overlap with social network and social participation. Social network, social participation, and proactive consulting play a crucial role in the elderly group, while social participation, proactive consulting, and being asked for advice have significant influences on the non-elderly group. All dimensions of social capital significantly affect STFFT adoption by part-time farmers, whereas only proactive consulting significantly affects pure farmers.

China's agriculture is characterized by small-scale farms whose overuse of chemical fertilizers is widespread. This makes it a key challenge for China to sustainably feed its growing population. In this study, we investigate the role of farm size in maize production and how it relates to farmers' fertilizer application strategies. We use cross-sectional survey data of 774 maize-producing farms in northern China, and develop a conceptual framework that links farm production, on-farm resources, the socio-economic characteristics of the households and farmers' knowledge and perceptions as a whole. We use linear and logistic regression models to show that despite the recent declines in fertilizer application rates, excessive fertilizer use persists in maize cultivation in northern China. Farm size has a negative effect on chemical fertilizer use and a positive effect on maize yield. In addition, farmers on large farms achieve significantly higher knowledge scores in terms of fertilizer use and maize cultivation. They are also more likely to attend agricultural training and adopt scientific fertilizer use techniques. Increased farm size, participation in training, better farming knowledge, and having a family member as a village cadre are associated with farmers' decisions to reduce the use of conventional fertilizers. The key to achieving more sustainable grain production in China is to increase farm size, while enhancing the effectiveness of agricultural extension and promoting scientific fertilization techniques. Social networks within and between villages should also be utilized for knowledge transfer. In addition, cooperation between research institutions and fertilizer companies should be further emphasized to improve the accessibility of regionally adjusted formulated fertilizers.

Optimizing chemical fertilizer use has been an effective approach to improve the sustainability of farming systems. As the mainstay of agricultural production, smallholders' migration from rural to urban areas has attracted widespread attention, and this phenomenon is highly controversial in preventing smallholders from optimal chemical fertilizer use. However, with the development of socialized service centered on division and specialization, the possibility of mitigating the negative impact of labor migration on chemical fertilizer use remains to be further examined. Therefore, this study established a conceptual framework of “labor migration–socialized service demand–chemical fertilizer use”, which was verified by applying the Logit model, instrumental variable two-stage least squares regression, and mediation model, using a survey data set with 1112 households collected in seven wheat-producing provinces in China in 2019, to reveal how socialized service can mitigate the impacts of labor migration on chemical fertilizer use. We showed that, approximately 95.5% of smallholders uneconomically used chemical fertilizer. Labor migration had a significant positive effect on chemical fertilizer use, which is mediated by socialized service. Labor migration could promote smallholders’ demand for socialized service, particularly by increasing demand for service type, service intensity, and organization degree of the service providers. This study will contribute to enhancing the socialized service system and transforming towards sustainable agriculture.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are a recent innovation in precision agriculture technology. They are being used in a wide range of agricultural practices, whereby pesticide application is one of the most common uses of UAVs in China’s agriculture. However, the economic effects of UAVs in pesticide application have not been sufficiently investigated. To address the gap, this paper used propensity score matching to evaluate the economic effects of UAV adoption on outcome variables including revenue, pesticide costs, time spent on pesticide application, and pesticide application frequency based on a dataset covering over 2000 grain farmers across 11 provinces of China. Furthermore, generalized propensity score matching was used to evaluate the heterogeneity of outcome variables arising from differing UAV adoption intensities. The empirical results show that adoption of UAV increased revenue by approximately 434–488 dollars per hectare and reduced the time spent on pesticide application in the range of 14.4–15.8 h per hectare. Depending on the area with use of UAVs for pesticide spraying, UAV adoption has heterogeneous impacts on grain farmers’ revenue and the time spent on pesticide application. In terms of marginal revenue and marginal time spent on pesticide application, the optimal area with use of UAVs for pesticide spraying is estimated to be 20 hectares of arable land.

Several countries and regions have regulations in place to provide standards for the welfare of production animals, which have implications for breeding, management and trade. In the chicken egg production industry, the welfare impacts of this are not well understood. In the past decades, free-range systems were widely used for local chicken breeds in poultry industry in China, but their use has gradually declined due to the lower competitiveness compared to commercial cage systems. However, the practices of free-range systems for hens raising have gradually increased again over the past decade, as consumer individualized demand for higher food quality and animal welfare has increased. We recruited 14 free-range farms and 45 cage farms from Beijing, Shandong, Hebei, Anhui, Yunnan, Gansu and Jiangsu provinces in China, for an evaluation of hen welfare, production and economic outcomes from farm operations. This study provides data for the welfare outcomes of laying hens in China and preliminarily explored the relationship between welfare level and economic income within farming system types. The researchers visited the farms and used Welfare Quality measures to investigate the welfare, and farm self-reported profits. Nonparametric Mann–Whitney U tests were used to compare the welfare scores between cage and free-range rearing farms. Correlation and regression are used for the analysis of the animal welfare scores, economic data, and production metrics. The general income from free-range farms was linearly correlated with red mite score and stocking density (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). The results showed less centimeters of feeder and drinker space per animal in the free-range system than in cage systems (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Welfare scores for both the stocking density and beak condition were significantly better in the free-range systems than the cage systems (p < 0.001), as were qualitative behavior assessment scores (p < 0.05). The total egg production and peak egg production in cage farms were much higher than in free-range farms (p < 0.001), and egg loss rate was significantly lower (p < 0.001). While the production efficiency of free-range farms was lower than that of cage farms, general income per 10,000 hens was actually higher. Our results provide some evidence that some welfare indicators and general income (per 10,000 hens) in free-range farms in China were better than those of cage farms. The results indicate that better parasite control and lower stocking densities may result in improved hen welfare on free-range farms and potentially improve profitability. The level of welfare and economic benefits of free-range farms vary widely, and there was potential room for improvement in feeding space, drinking water space and human–animal relationship.

In order to explore the impacts of external features such as trusteeship factors and internal features such as operating characteristics on the decision-making on farmers’ agricultural production trusteeship decisions,the Logit model and Interpretative.Structural Modeling were used to analyze the factors affecting the farmers’ choice of agricultural production trusteeship and the correlation and hierarchical structure of different factors based on 2 060farmer’s production and operation data in 11provinces and 44counties.The influencing factors and the relationship between different factors and the hierarchical structure were studied.The results show that:1)The main affect factors are eleven factors including cultivated area,planting income proportion,service price and demonstration effect.Among them,the service awareness and demonstration effect have a significant positive effect on the choice of agricultural production trusteeship,while the service price is negatively related to farmer’s choice of trusteeship.Different operating characteristics and family characteristics significantly affect the choice of agricultural production trusteeship to a certain extent.2)The results of stratified analysis show that there are four surface factors（the proportion of planting income,service prices,concurrent business conditions,and service awareness）,two intermediate and indirect factors（farming convenience and demonstration effect）and five deep root factors（farming area,type of business entity,degree of land fragmentation,number of households and degree of economic development）.3)Each factor takes effect through three paths.Among them,the role of demonstration in improving farmers’ cognition and decision-making is crucial.The management characteristics dominated by land characteristics is the main source and indirect driving factor,which can optimize farmers’ production decisions by changing factor allocation,household income structure and trustee cost input.In conclusion,apolicy recommendation of is put forward as follows:Benchmarking demonstrations should be strengthened to improve farmers’ cognition,increase the construction of farmland infrastructure,strengthen the two-way adjustment mechanism between the market and the government to regulate service prices,etc.to promote the matching of supply and demand in the custody market and the sustainable development of the custody model effectively.

Abstract As the mainstay of global food security feeding more with less is one of the major challenges faced by smallholder-dominated food production. This challenge has become increasingly more daunting due to the development of smallholders’ livelihood differentiation induced by urbanization. Usually, smallholders take insure approach to food production on chemical fertilizer use, considering the time of part-time jobs. With the continuous improvement of agricultural socialized services, it remains to be verified, whether the impact of smallholders’ livelihood differentiation on optimal chemical fertilizer application will be mitigated. Therefore, we conducted a study in seven provinces of China with 1112 smallholders. Through the mediation model, we found that: (1) the amount of chemical fertilizer use by smallholders was generally higher than the economically optimal level. (2) Smallholders with differentiated livelihoods can significantly reduce chemical fertilizer application and contribute to maintaining the optimal economic chemical fertilizer application level through the mediating effect of agricultural socialized services demand, which is approximately 13.03%. (3) With farmer livelihood differentiation, the increase in smallholders’ demand for socialized services includes not only an increase in the probability of service selection but also an increase in the demand for service intensity and organization degree of the service providers.

农产品市场价格波动与农户生产行为决策是学界和政界关注的"三农"核心问题.以蛋鸡产业为研究对象,探究蛋价波动背景下蛋鸡养殖场(户)的生产调整行为,对畜禽产业的稳产保供具有重要的现实意义.蛋鸡产业近乎是完全竞争市场,鸡蛋价格上涨,养殖经营利润增加,刺激生产者扩大养殖规模或延长养殖周期,造成整体供给量增加;反之,价格下跌,养殖户尤其是散养户纷纷缩小养殖数量,引起供给量负向波动.从规模角度来看,以中小规模为主的蛋鸡养殖主体只能被动接受价格波动,进行成本调整、规模调整以及周期调整,而以大规模为主的蛋鸡养殖主体较少改变其生产行为,但行情较好时也存在延期淘汰的现象.为帮助蛋鸡养殖场(户)更好地应对市场经济风险波动,促进蛋鸡产业的稳产保供,需要行业协会及政府部门对蛋鸡产业从降成本、稳周期、促收益进行积极科学引导.

[目的]良好的质量控制行为是保障农产品质量安全的关键.在计划行为理论框架下,利用河北、山东、江苏3省399份蛋鸡养殖户微观调研数据,研究养殖户质量控制行为选择及其影响因素.[方法]文章采用Ordered Logit模型和Logit模型分别分析各因素对养殖户质量控制行为综合指标和各环节单一指标的影响.[结果]现阶段有91.48％的养殖户已(规范)采取农产品质量控制行为;质量控制集中在生产过程和生产环境两个方面;在质量控制行为综合指标下,政府规制、生产标准、市场激励、风险态度、养殖规模和农户能力对养殖户质量控制行为选择具有显著正向影响;在质量控制行为单一指标下,影响各环节质量控制行为的因素存在差异.[结论]畜禽养殖采取全面质量控制行为是必然趋势,应进一步规范养殖户质量控制行为操作流程,普及农产品质量检测技术,完善农业生产与农产品质量安全政策体系.

技术采纳是促进粮食增产、农户增收的重要手段,但对不同初始禀赋粮农的影响有所差异.为研究技术采纳在农户增收中的重要作用,基于2172份粮农生产经营数据,综合考虑样本选择偏误和异质性,采用内生转换模型及分位数回归模型,探究不同初始禀赋粮农技术采纳的收入效应差异.结果表明:(1)与未采纳科学施肥技术的粮农相比,采纳的粮农收入增长效应明显;(2)技术采纳对不同初始禀赋粮农的收入效应具有不一致性,低初始禀赋粮农采纳科学施肥技术的收入效应显著低于高初始禀赋粮农;(3)技术认知对粮农采纳科学施肥技术有显著正向影响.故政府应加大针对不同初始禀赋粮农差异化的技术推广力度,提高粮农技术认知及技术采纳率,优化粮农决策,促进农户收入增长.

文中利用江苏、河北、山东三省399个蛋鸡养殖场生产投入和产出数据,采用随机前沿函数和门限回归方法分析了环境规制强度及养殖户的环境行为对养殖生态效率的影响.结果 表明,环境规制的强弱能显著提高养殖场的生态效率,而养殖户积极主动的环境行为有利于生态效率的提升,且不同的环境行为模式对生态效率改善也存在着较大的差异.此外,环境规制政策对生态效率影响的大小受到养殖规模的影响,并与养殖规模呈现出倒"U"型的关系.基于此,政府在加强环境规制的同时,应继续创新和推进新型粪污处理合作模式来解决畜禽粪污资源化利用的问题.

农产品质量安全的提升需要充分发挥市场的撬动作用.为此,本文从市场收益和市场风险两方面探讨市场激励对养殖户采取质量控制行为的影响及其作用机理,并利用河北、山东、江苏三省399份蛋鸡养殖户微观调研数据进行实证检验.结果 可得:目前样本养殖户质量控制水平存在一定差异;市场激励通过市场收益和市场风险两条路径综合影响养殖户质量控制行为,且市场收益越大、市场风险越高,养殖户质量控制水平越高;市场收益对大规模养殖户质量控制行为的影响更大,市场风险对中小规模养殖户质量控制行为的影响更大;政策风险、质量控制成本、风险偏好、培训等对养殖户采取质量控制行为具有显著影响.

本文基于产销和地域两个视角,采用非线性的MS-VAR模型和DCC-GARCH模型从均值溢出效应和波动溢出效应两个方面,探究了鸡蛋市场价格空间传导特征以及动态关联效应.结果 表明:(1)从鸡蛋产销区视角来看,主产区和主销区鸡蛋价格互相引导,但传导存在非对称性,价格下跌市场状态下鸡蛋价格主要由主销区鸡蛋价格主导,而价格上涨市场状态下鸡蛋价格主要由主产区鸡蛋价格主导;鸡蛋产销区市场间关联程度总体相对较高,且呈上升趋势,但由于外部因素影响导致关联性并不稳定.(2)从不同地域视角来看,作为主产区的华北地区在不同地域间鸡蛋价格传导中处于主导地位,也是中国鸡蛋市场价格波动的地域源头,作为主销区的东南地区对其他地区鸡蛋价格也有一定的影响,而其他地域价格主要处于从属地位;不同地域市场间关联程度具有差异性和时变性,但关联程度总体均较高,且均呈上升趋势.

目前我国家庭中老人和小孩的消费存在较大差异,小孩对家庭消费率的影响显著大于老人.通过选取北京市各商超1168位消费者2018年的相关数据进行研究,最终得出结论:家庭中1～12岁儿童数量对黑猪肉消费额有显著的正向影响,13～17岁的青少年数量和60岁以上老人数量对黑猪肉消费额的影响不明显.在此基础上,得出相关的结论,即要缓解家庭中尊老与爱幼的消费矛盾,应进一步增加居民收入,倡导正确的消费观念,完善高端农产品的供给侧改革.

一消费升级背景下对鸡蛋产品的再认识 对产品的认识有助于摸清消费者诉求,把握市场动向.鸡蛋产品具有生鲜易腐、同质性强、标准化低、质量隐匿、效用滞后和双重属性六个最基本的特点. 1 生鲜易腐,同质性强 鸡蛋作为生鲜农产品,具有一定保质期,按照部分企业生产标准,生鲜鸡蛋自生产之日起保质期为30天,0～10℃冷藏贮存保质期为60天;其次,鸡蛋产品同质性强,均是由卵形外壳、蛋黄和蛋白组成,营养成份包括蛋白质、脂肪、胆固醇、氨基酸和其他微量元素.