IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i20p8983-d1500576.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Effects of Apple Growers’ Adoption of Straw Returning Technology

Author

Listed:
  • Xin Huang

    (International Business School, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China)

  • Jiaqi He

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

  • Dangchen Sui

    (International Business School, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China)

  • Liuyang Yao

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

Abstract

This study investigates the economic and ecological impacts of straw returning technology among apple growers in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, China. Using Propensity Score Matching (PSM) and survey data, the findings reveal that straw returning significantly increases farmers’ incomes by 20.33% compared to those who do not adopt the technology. Additionally, the technology mitigates soil fertility decline by 11.07%, offering substantial ecological benefits. The heterogeneity analysis highlights that older farmers benefit more from the technology in terms of both income and soil fertility improvement, likely due to their experience and reliance on farming. Smaller-scale farmers also show greater gains in income and soil health, while larger-scale farms face complexities that may delay visible benefits. However, land fragmentation did not significantly influence the outcomes. The study recommends promoting straw returning through enhanced farmer training, financial incentives, and improved access to credit. Policymakers should consider tailoring support to different farmer demographics and orchard sizes. Future research should focus on long-term evaluations of straw returning’s sustainability in terms of soil fertility and crop yields. Overall, straw returning technology offers a promising solution for enhancing both economic returns and environmental sustainability in apple production.

Suggested Citation

  • Xin Huang & Jiaqi He & Dangchen Sui & Liuyang Yao, 2024. "The Effects of Apple Growers’ Adoption of Straw Returning Technology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-12, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:20:p:8983-:d:1500576
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/20/8983/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/20/8983/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Han, Yu & Zhang, Zhongxue & Li, Tiecheng & Chen, Peng & Nie, Tangzhe & Zhang, Zuohe & Du, Sicheng, 2023. "Straw return alleviates the greenhouse effect of paddy fields by increasing soil organic carbon sequestration under water-saving irrigation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 287(C).
    2. Mgomezulu, Wisdom Richard & Edriss, Abdi-Khalil & Machira, Kennedy & Pangapanga-Phiri, Innocent, 2023. "Towards sustainability in the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices: Implications on household poverty, food and nutrition security," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 2(3).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wen, Jun & Zhang, Sen & Chang, Chun-Ping & Anugrah, Donni Fajar & Affandi, Yoga, 2023. "Does climate vulnerability promote green investment under energy supply restriction?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    2. Han, Yu & Qi, Zhijuan & Chen, Peng & Zhang, Zhongxue & Zhou, Xin & Li, Tiecheng & Du, Sicheng & Xue, Li, 2024. "Water-saving irrigation mitigates methane emissions from paddy fields: The role of iron," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    3. Liu, Chang & Chen, Taotao & Zhang, Feng & Han, Hongwei & Yi, Benji & Chi, Daocai, 2024. "Soil carbon sequestration increment and carbon-negative emissions in alternate wetting and drying paddy ecosystems through biochar incorporation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 300(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:20:p:8983-:d:1500576. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.