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The influence of risk preferences, knowledge, land consolidation, and landscape diversification on pesticide use
Author(s) -
Hou Lingling,
Liu Pengfei,
Huang Jikun,
Deng Xiangzheng
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.29
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1574-0862
pISSN - 0169-5150
DOI - 10.1111/agec.12590
Subject(s) - diversification (marketing strategy) , pesticide , land use , survey data collection , pesticide application , business , agricultural science , agricultural economics , natural resource economics , environmental resource management , environmental science , economics , agronomy , ecology , mathematics , marketing , biology , statistics
Abstract Researchers have spent substantial effort to identify factors influencing pesticide use intensity. However, few studies have compared the relative importance of these factors. This study examines four categories of factors that potentially influence farmers’ pesticide use decisions by evaluating incentivized experiment data, farm survey data, and remote sensing data in China. Our results suggest that land diversification has the largest effect on farmers’ pesticide use. Compared with the most rice‐intensive landscape type, less rice‐intensive systems cause farmers to spray less on middle rice. Heavy pesticide use intensity is associated with land fragmentation as small‐scale farms still dominate crop production. Farmers’ integrated pest management knowledge has significant effects on pesticide use. We also find that loss and ambiguity preferences, rather than risk preferences, are more likely to affect pesticide use intensity.