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The Impact of Environmental Regulations and Social Norms on Farmers’ Chemical Fertilizer Reduction Behaviors: An Investigation of Citrus Farmers in Southern China

Author

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  • Gang Cui

    (College of Business, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
    College of Water Resources & Civil Engineering, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China)

  • Zhicheng Liu

    (College of Business, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China)

Abstract

This study investigates how environmental regulations and social norms affect farmers’ chemical fertilizer reduction behaviors (CFRBs) and investigates the mediating role played by social norms and the moderating role played by social networks. As the analysis tool, a structural equation model is employed to analyze the data collected from a questionnaire survey with 402 valid samples of Chinese citrus growers. This study reveals that (1) environmental regulations and social norms have a significant effect on farmers’ CFRBs; (2) injunctive social norms are a partial mediator of the relationship between incentive-based environmental regulations and farmers’ CFRBs; (3) social networks play a positive moderating role in the relationship between injunctive social norms and farmers’ CFRBs; and (4) large-scale farmers’ CFRBs are more susceptible to the impact of environmental regulations and social norms than small-scale farmers. The result of this study provides a significant scientific foundation for the Chinese agricultural sector to develop policies to combat soil pollution in agriculture.

Suggested Citation

  • Gang Cui & Zhicheng Liu, 2022. "The Impact of Environmental Regulations and Social Norms on Farmers’ Chemical Fertilizer Reduction Behaviors: An Investigation of Citrus Farmers in Southern China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-19, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:13:p:8157-:d:855471
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    Cited by:

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    3. Sha Feng & Dandan Fu & Xinru Han & Xiudong Wang, 2022. "Impacts of the Extension of Cassava Soil Conservation and Efficient Technology on the Reduction of Chemical Fertilizer Input in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-13, November.
    4. Hao Li & Huina Liu & Wei-Yew Chang & Chun Wang, 2023. "Factors Affecting Farmers’ Environment-Friendly Fertilization Behavior in China: Synthesizing the Evidence Using Meta-Analysis," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-16, January.
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    6. Xuezhen Xu & Fang Wang & Tao Xu & Sufyan Ullah Khan, 2023. "How Does Capital Endowment Impact Farmers’ Green Production Behavior? Perspectives on Ecological Cognition and Environmental Regulation," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-27, August.

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