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The Impact of Technical Training on Farmers Adopting Water-Saving Irrigation Technology: An Empirical Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Ding Xiuling

    (College of Economics and Management, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China)

  • Lu Qian

    (College of Economics and Management, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China)

  • Li Lipeng

    (School of Economics and Management, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China)

  • Apurbo Sarkar

    (School of Agriculture and Food Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia)

Abstract

Farmers’ adoption of water-saving irrigation technology (WSIT) is essential for achieving high-quality agricultural development. An in-depth analysis of the impact of risk aversion, technical training and their interaction on farmers’ adoption of WSIT will help the government to promote WSIT to facilitate agricultural resource conservation and sustainable development. The study takes 707 farmers who grow watermelons and muskmelon in Yuncheng and Xian City of Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces as the research object to analyse the influence of risk aversion and technical training and their interaction terms on farmers’ WSIT adoption behaviour. The study uses the Probit and moderating effect models to outline the findings. The empirical analysis reveals the following outcomes: (i) 27.44% of the sample farmers adopt water-saving irrigation technology, indicating that the current adoption rate and the enthusiasm for adoption are relatively low; (ii) risk aversion has a significant negative impact on farmers’ adoption of WSIT; (iii) both online and offline technical training have a significant positive impact on farmers’ adoption of WSIT; (iv) significant group differences exist in the effects of risk aversion, online technical training, offline technical training and interaction items on farmers’ WSIT adoption behaviour. Therefore, the study proposes to strengthen the role of technical training in the diffusion of WSIT and implement differentiated technical training for different types of farmers to reduce the degree of risk aversion of farmers.

Suggested Citation

  • Ding Xiuling & Lu Qian & Li Lipeng & Apurbo Sarkar, 2023. "The Impact of Technical Training on Farmers Adopting Water-Saving Irrigation Technology: An Empirical Evidence from China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-20, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:13:y:2023:i:5:p:956-:d:1133391
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Caiyan Yang & Weihong Huang & Yu Xiao & Zhenhong Qi & Yan Li & Kun Zhang, 2024. "Adoption of Fertilizer-Reduction and Efficiency-Increasing Technologies in China: The Role of Information Acquisition Ability," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-18, August.

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