IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/endesu/v19y2017i3d10.1007_s10668-016-9765-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Factors influencing farmers’ decisions on nitrogen fertilizer application in the Liangzihu Lake basin, Central China

Author

Listed:
  • Jin Zhang

    (Hubei University
    Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Transformation of Bio-Resources)

  • Günther Manske

    (University of Bonn)

  • Pi Qi Zhou

    (Union Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology)

  • Bernhard Tischbein

    (University of Bonn)

  • Mathias Becker

    (Universität Bonn)

  • Zhao Hua Li

    (Hubei University)

Abstract

Overuse of nitrogen (N) fertilizers in agriculture activities has caused severe water pollution in China. The lack of data at producer level hampers decision makers in the development and implementation of efficient policies to curb excessive N-fertilizer use. In a survey of 300 farm households in the Liangzihu Lake basin, we identified factors associated with farmers’ decisions on N-fertilizer use and application rate. Household survey and multiple linear regression models indicate that the average application rate in the study region is 229 kg N ha−1, which exceeds the recommended rate for maximum profit for cereal crops (maize, wheat, and rice) in China of 150–180 kg N ha−1. High N-application rates are associated with low farmland productivity (coefficient = −15.66, p = 0.02), a high share of off-farm income (coefficient = 27.14, p = 0.003), and a low education level of the household head (coefficient = −10.83, p = 0.039). Neither physical infrastructure nor access to input markets appears to be related to N-application rates. It may be concluded that excessive use of N in agriculture of Central China is mainly a problem of insufficient awareness and high share of off-farm income.

Suggested Citation

  • Jin Zhang & Günther Manske & Pi Qi Zhou & Bernhard Tischbein & Mathias Becker & Zhao Hua Li, 2017. "Factors influencing farmers’ decisions on nitrogen fertilizer application in the Liangzihu Lake basin, Central China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 791-805, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:19:y:2017:i:3:d:10.1007_s10668-016-9765-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s10668-016-9765-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10668-016-9765-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10668-016-9765-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alan de Brauw & John Giles, 2018. "Migrant Labor Markets and the Welfare of Rural Households in the Developing World: Evidence from China," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 32(1), pages 1-18.
    2. Darrell J. Bosch & Zena L. Cook & Keith O. Fuglie, 1995. "Voluntary versus Mandatory Agricultural Policies to Protect Water Quality: Adoption of Nitrogen Testing in Nebraska," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 17(1), pages 13-24.
    3. Meyer-Aurich, Andreas & Weersink, Alfons & Gandorfer, Markus & Wagner, Peter, 2010. "Optimal site-specific fertilization and harvesting strategies with respect to crop yield and quality response to nitrogen," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 103(7), pages 478-485, September.
    4. Wang, Xiaobing & Huang, Jikun & Zhang, Linxiu & Rozelle, Scott, 2011. "The rise of migration and the fall of self employment in rural China's labor market," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 573-584.
    5. Jikun Huang & Xiaobing Wang & Huayong Zhi & Zhurong Huang & Scott Rozelle, 2011. "Subsidies and distortions in China’s agriculture: evidence from producer‐level data," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 55(1), pages 53-71, January.
    6. HU, Ruifa & YANG, Zhijian & KELLY, Peter & HUANG, Jikun, 2009. "Agricultural extension system reform and agent time allocation in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 303-315, June.
    7. Yunju, Li & Kahrl, Fredrich & Jianjun, Pan & Roland-Holst, David & Yufang, Su & Wilkes, Andreas & Jianchu, Xu, 2012. "Fertilizer use patterns in Yunnan Province, China: Implications for agricultural and environmental policy," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 78-89.
    8. Nathaniel D. Mueller & James S. Gerber & Matt Johnston & Deepak K. Ray & Navin Ramankutty & Jonathan A. Foley, 2012. "Closing yield gaps through nutrient and water management," Nature, Nature, vol. 490(7419), pages 254-257, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Šarauskis, Egidijus & Masilionytė, Laura & Juknevičius, Darius & Buragienė, Sidona & Kriaučiūnienė, Zita, 2019. "Energy use efficiency, GHG emissions, and cost-effectiveness of organic and sustainable fertilisation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 1151-1160.
    2. Yansong Zhang & Xiaolei Fan & Yu Mao & Yujie Wei & Jianming Xu & Lili Wu, 2023. "The Coupling Relationship and Driving Factors of Fertilizer Consumption, Economic Development and Crop Yield in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-20, May.
    3. Amaka Nnaji & Nazmun Ratna & Alan Renwick & Wanglin Ma, 2023. "Risk perception, farmer−herder conflicts and production decisions: evidence from Nigeria," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 50(2), pages 683-716.
    4. Hua Lu & Hualin Xie & Qianru Chen & Jinfa Jiang, 2018. "Impact of Agricultural Labor Transfer and Structural Adjustment on Chemical Application: Comparison of Past Developments in the Ecological Civilization Pilot Zones of China and Their Future Implicatio," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-14, June.
    5. Xiang Gao & Binglong Li & Song Jiang & Yunbin Nie, 2021. "Can Increasing Scale Efficiency Curb Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-17, August.
    6. Caixia Xue & Tingting Zhang & Shunbo Yao & Yajun Guo, 2020. "Effects of Households’ Fertilization Knowledge and Technologies on Over-Fertilization: A Case Study of Grape Growers in Shaanxi, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-17, September.

    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. 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.
    2. Jia, Xiangping & Xiang, Cheng & Huang, Jikun, 2013. "Microfinance, self-employment, and entrepreneurs in less developed areas of rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 94-103.
    3. Wang, Xiaobing & Hockmann, Heinrich, 2012. "Technical Efficiency Under Producer’S Individual Technology: A Metafrontier Analysis," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 126755, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    4. Huang, Jikun & Huang, Zhurong & Jia, Xiangping & Hu, Ruifa & Xiang, Cheng, 2015. "Long-term reduction of nitrogen fertilizer use through knowledge training in rice production in China," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 105-111.
    5. Jing You, 2014. "Dietary change, nutrient transition and food security in fast-growing China," Chapters, in: Raghbendra Jha & Raghav Gaiha & Anil B. Deolalikar (ed.), Handbook on Food, chapter 9, pages 204-245, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. Giacomo Falchetta & Nicolò Stevanato & Magda Moner-Girona & Davide Mazzoni & Emanuela Colombo & Manfred Hafner, 2020. "M-LED: Multi-sectoral Latent Electricity Demand Assessment for Energy Access Planning," Working Papers 2020.09, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    7. Weber, Daniela, 2011. "Agri-environmental attitudes of Chinese farmers – The impact of social and cognitive determinants," 85th Annual Conference, April 18-20, 2011, Warwick University, Coventry, UK 108964, Agricultural Economics Society.
    8. Zhongen Niu & Huimin Yan & Fang Liu, 2020. "Decreasing Cropping Intensity Dominated the Negative Trend of Cropland Productivity in Southern China in 2000–2015," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-14, December.
    9. Gale, Fred, 2013. "Growth and Evolution in China's Agricultural Support Policies," Economic Research Report 155385, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    10. Huang, Jikun & Zhi, Huayong & Huang, Zhurong & Rozelle, Scott & Giles, John, 2011. "The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Off-farm Employment and Earnings in Rural China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 797-807, May.
    11. Mr. Emmanuel Momolu Pope & Prof. Wilson Opile & Dr. Lucas Ngode & Dr. Chepkoech Emmy, 2023. "Assessment of Upland Rice Production Constraints and Farmers’ Preferred Varieties in Liberia," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 7(2), pages 1307-1322, February.
    12. Samuthirapandi Subburaj & Thiyagarajan Thulasinathan & Viswabharathy Sakthivel & Bharathi Ayyenar & Rohit Kambale & Veera Ranjani Rajagopalan & Sudha Manickam & Raghu Rajasekaran & Gopalakrishnan Chel, 2024. "Genetic Enhancement of Blast and Bacterial Leaf Blight Resistance in Rice Variety CO 51 through Marker-Assisted Selection," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-20, April.
    13. F. Jorge Bornemann & David P. Rowell & Barbara Evans & Dan J. Lapworth & Kamazima Lwiza & David M.J. Macdonald & John H. Marsham & Kindie Tesfaye & Matthew J. Ascott & Celia Way, 2019. "Future changes and uncertainty in decision-relevant measures of East African climate," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 156(3), pages 365-384, October.
    14. Purola, Tuomo & Lehtonen, Heikki, 2020. "Evaluating profitability of soil-renovation investments under crop rotation constraints in Finland," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    15. Meyer-Aurich, Andreas & Karatay, Yusuf Nadi, 2019. "Effects of uncertainty and farmers' risk aversion on optimal N fertilizer supply in wheat production in Germany," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 130-139.
    16. Li, Daiyue & Jin, Yanhong & Cheng, Mingwang, 2024. "Unleashing the power of industrial robotics on firm productivity: Evidence from China," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 500-520.
    17. Ding, Shijun & Meriluoto, Laura & Reed, W. Robert & Tao, Dayun & Wu, Haitao, 2011. "The impact of agricultural technology adoption on income inequality in rural China: Evidence from southern Yunnan Province," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 344-356, September.
    18. Nina Repar & Pierrick Jan & Thomas Nemecek & Dunja Dux & Martina Alig Ceesay & Reiner Doluschitz, 2016. "Local versus Global Environmental Performance of Dairying and Their Link to Economic Performance: A Case Study of Swiss Mountain Farms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-19, December.
    19. Gassmann, Franziska & Siegel, Melissa & Vanore, Michaella & Waidler, Jennifer, 2012. "The impact of migration on elderly left behind in Moldova," MERIT Working Papers 2012-082, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    20. Klara Fischer & Giulia Vico & Helena Röcklinsberg & Hans Liljenström & Riccardo Bommarco, 2025. "Progress towards sustainable agriculture hampered by siloed scientific discourses," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 66-74, January.

    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:spr:endesu:v:19:y:2017:i:3:d:10.1007_s10668-016-9765-z. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.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.