Effects of Policy for Controlling Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution in China: From a Perspective of Regional and Policy Measures Differences

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 20;20(4):3741. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20043741.

Abstract

The concerns about the contradiction between agricultural production and Agricultural Non-Point (ANPS) pollution has become increased with economic development in China. Government interventions are key to controlling ANPS pollution through the establishment of laws and policies. This paper uses the entropy method to calculate the emissions amount of ANPS pollution and policy strength of 31 provinces from 2010 to 2019 in China. The dynamic panel data model with system generalized moment is used to estimate the impacts of policies with different measures on ANPS pollution emission. According to our findings, China's policies have been helpful in controlling ANPS pollution though there are important regional differences. Moreover, four types of policy measures all contribute to the reduction in ANPS pollution. These findings improve our understanding of the relationship between policies and ANPS pollution in the analyzed period, thus providing support for the formulation of pollution management strategies in the next stage.

Keywords: Agricultural Non-Point Source pollution; dynamic panel data model; policy measures; policy strength; regional difference.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Agriculture / methods
  • China
  • Environmental Pollution / analysis
  • Non-Point Source Pollution*
  • Policy

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), grant number 72003158.