Gap between knowledge and action: understanding the consistency of farmers’ ecological cognition and green production behavior in Hainan Province, China

The pivotal role of greening production methods is indispensable in facilitating the sustainable development of China’s agricultural sector and its modernization process. Translating farmers’ ecological cognition into environmentally conscious production behavior constitutes a fundamental strategy for advancing the green transformation within China’s agriculture. However, a recurrent issue arises from an inconsistency between farmers’ green production behavior and their ecological cognition. Meanwhile, the current research has fewer studies on the consistency of farmers’ cognition and behavior, and more analysis of the logical hierarchical relationship between their influencing factors needs to be done. Based on a field survey of 399 farmers in Hainan Province, this paper first employs descriptive statistics to assess the consistency of farmers’ ecological cognition with their green production behavior. Second, this study uses a Logistic model and Interpretative Structural Model (ISM) to empirically analyze the factors influencing such consistency and the internal logical relationships of these factors. The results reveal that merely 28% of farmers exhibit consistency between their ecological cognition and green production practices. Secondly, education level, health status, political capital, household expenditure, planting scales, risk preference, peer influences, policy cognition, social networks, and information acquisition significantly influence this “consistency.” Thirdly, the logical hierarchical relationships established via the ISM indicate that peer influences and risk preference are the surface direct factors; policy cognition, information acquisition, social networks, and planting scales are middle indirect factors; education level, political capital, health status, and household expenditure are deep-rooted factors that underpin the entire framework. Given these insights, this study recommends that the government undertake initiatives to reinforce education and training programs, enhance accessibility to information and technical support, and tailor policies to accommodate small-scale farmers. This study endeavor contributes to an enhanced comprehension of the factors influencing the transformation of farmers’ ecological cognition into green production behavior, also presenting pragmatic policy proposals to advance sustainable agriculture in China.