Land Fragmentation, Technology Adoption and Chemical Fertilizer Application: Evidence from China

Liang Chi; Shuqing Han; Meili Huan; Yajuan Li; Jifang Liu

doi:10.3390/ijerph19138147

Land Fragmentation, Technology Adoption and Chemical Fertilizer Application: Evidence from China

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 2;19(13):8147. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19138147.

Authors

Liang Chi¹, Shuqing Han¹, Meili Huan², Yajuan Li³, Jifang Liu¹

Affiliations

¹ Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
² China Institute for Rural Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
³ National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.

Abstract

Although it has been widely recognized that land fragmentation has increased chemical fertilizer application, little is known about the role of technology adoption in mitigating these adverse effects. To empirically examine the relationship between land fragmentation, technology adoption and chemical fertilizer application, we developed a mediation model. We applied our analysis to a survey data set encompassing 1388 farm-level samples collected in 14 Chinese provinces in 2019. Our study demonstrated that land fragmentation can not only directly increase chemical fertilizer application but also indirectly increase it by hindering the adoption of agricultural mechanization technologies (AMT's) and soil testing fertilization technologies (STFT's). Both are recognized as potent drivers of fertilizer use reductions. Moreover, the adoption of information and communications technologies (ICT's) can help mitigate the negative effects of land fragmentation on technology adoption, thus reducing chemical fertilizer application intensity (CFAI). However, the direct effects of land fragmentation on CAFI was unaffected by ICT's. Our findings suggest that ICT's have revolutionized farmer recognition, promotion and adoption of agricultural technologies by increasing awareness and diffusion of agricultural technology information.

Keywords: ICT’s; agricultural mechanization; land fragmentation; soil testing fertilization; sustainable agricultural practices.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Agriculture*
China
Fertilizers* / analysis
Soil
Technology

Substances

Fertilizers
Soil

Grants and funding

This research was funded by Youth Navigation Project, the Central Public-Interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund of China (Grant No. JBYW-AII-2022-40); the Central Public-Interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund of China (Grants No. JBYW-AII-2022-21, JBYW-AII-2022-13); the National Natural Science Foundation of China General Program (Grant No. 71973087); the National Natural Science Foundation of China Youth Fund Project (Grants No. 72003215, 71703159).