Abstract
It is difficult to control agricultural Non-point Source (NPS) pollution, caused by overusing of chemical fertilizer, through laws alone. An agricultural extension program is an alternative way to reduce fertilizer input. This paper estimates the average change in fertilizer use of farmers, which is attributable to their participation in the agricultural extension program. The Inverse-Probability Weighted matching method is used to evaluate the average treatment effect for the farmers who engaged in the program and, to a limited extent, evaluate the impact of individual elements of the program. Surprisingly, we find that farmer-to-farmer training may have had a counterproductive effect while the posters may be the most effective program element in reducing fertilizer use in the context.
Highlights
Overuse of fertilizers leads to agricultural Non-point Source (NPS) pollution
A positive average treatment effect on the treated (ATET) value estimated for the outcome indicates that the farmer who received that treatment applied more fertilizer than they would have without treatment
The hope of the extension programs is that the ATET will be negative, i.e., that participation in the program led to a reduction in fertilizer use
Summary
Overuse of fertilizers leads to agricultural Non-point Source (NPS) pollution. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus that cannot be absorbed by crops leave the farm into underground water, lakes and rivers. This can result in significant environmental and human health impacts [1,2,3]. Since 1999, various national laws and rules have been passed with the goal of reducing agricultural NPS pollution. Because of challenges associated with regulation and enforcement, it is difficult to control agricultural NPS pollution through laws alone. Researchers have pointed out that one important reason for widespread NPS pollution in China is that farmers have limited knowledge of “rational fertilization”, which refers to the proper balance between yield gain and fertilizer use [5]
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