What Motivates Greenhouse Vegetable Farmers to Adapt Organic-Substitute-Chemical-Fertilizer (OSCF)? An Empirical Study from Shandong, China

Abstract

This paper reports on a study of the determinants of the adoption behaviour related to Organic-Substitute-Chemical-Fertilizer (OSCF) against the background of Green and Low-carbon Circular Agriculture (GLCA) by analysing a survey of 318 greenhouse vegetable farmers in Shandong Province, China. We use regression analyses to identify policy measures and farmers’ psychological cognition of the determinants of adoption behaviour on farmers’ psychological cognition. We use three indices for farmers’ cognition, including economic value, resource capacity, and ecosystem impact, to examine the differences between training and subsidy. Our findings showed that two policy measures (training and subsidy) had a significant positive impact on vegetable farmers’ fertilizer application. Farmers’ cognition played a mediating role. We identified and discussed the influence of policy measures on farmers’ behaviour and the mediating role of farmers’ cognition. Hence, we suggest that local governments should strengthen farmers’ training in relation to fertilizer application techniques and enhance farmers’ cognition of organic fertilizer as a substitute for chemical fertilizer in terms of economic, resource and environment aspects.

The Influence of Farmers’ Cognition on Forest Land Transfer Behavior: A Case Study of Chengdu City

“…In this study, the farmers' cognition was measured from five dimensions: ecological cognition, benefit cognition, risk cognition, policy cognition and social regulation. With specific reference to the research of Yi et al [44], Luo et al [45] and Chen et al [46], the cognition of the farmers was measured by asking questions such questions as "Do you think forest land transfer can improve forest land environment? ", "Do you think forest land transfer can increase forestry income?…”

From Agricultural Green Production to Farmers’ Happiness: A Case Study of Kiwi Growers in China

“…The behavior of selected kiwifruit growers throughout the kiwi production cycle was investigated, with emphasis on the technologies used in irrigation, pesticide, and fertilizer application. The three agricultural green production technologies selected are as follows: (1) water-saving irrigation technology is a kind of ecological environment protection technology to improve the utilization rate of water resources and alleviate the crisis of water resources; (2) organic fertilizer substitution technology is a kind of technology that can improve the quality of agricultural products and land pollution by using organic fertilizer; (3) green pest and control technology is a pesticide application technology that integrates physical control, biological control, and ecological control [102].…”