Farmers' Behaviors, Perceptions and Determinants of Fertilizer Application in China : Evidence from Six Eastern Provincial–level Regions

Based on a survey to 560 household farms in 6 provincial-level regions of eastern China, this paper stud- ies farmers' application of pesticides, including the amounts of chemical pesticides, use of toxic pesticides and biological pest-control methods. Meanwhile, it summarizes the farmers' perceptions, ranging from pes- ticides choosing and field application to the awareness on the withdrawal period, possible consequences of overdosing and disposal of the containers. Thereafter, 9 demographic indicators are incorporated as the can- didate determinants, including information on the householders, land-using and cropping structure, house- hold income and geographical location. Through the adoption of multivariate OLS and logistic regression models, this paper identifies significant determinants affected farmers' behaviors. Finally, several policy recommendations are put forward, including the countermeasures to increase pesticidal efficiency, decreas- ing the use of toxic pesticides, improving farmers' capability and awareness on scientific application of pes- ticides.