Impacts of policy cognition on low-carbon agricultural technology adoption of farmers.

Abstract

Agriculture is the second-largest source of carbon emission, which is not only a burden for the government to achieve the goal of carbon emission reduction but also is a huge threat to food security and the sustainable development of agriculture. Therefore, how to quantify the impacts of policy cognition of farmers on their low-carbon agricultural technology adoption is of great importance in China. Based on the survey data from 704 farmers in Jianghan Plain, China, we used the entropy method and Heckman sample selection model to quantify the effects of farmers' policy cognitive degree on their low-carbon agricultural technology adoption behavior and adoption intensity. The results showed that the level of farmers' cognition of low carbon policy should be improved. The average level of farmers' policy cognition was only 1.89. The adoption rate of single low-risk, high-efficiency low-carbon agricultural production technology by farmers was relatively high, but that of multiple low-carbon agricultural technologies was low, with an average adoption intensity of only 1.62. Policy cognition could effectively promote farmers' low-carbon agricultural technology adoption behavior and adoption intensity. Farmers' policy cognition had a significant positive impacts on their low carbon agricultural technology adoption behavior and adoption intensity. Local government should take more effective supporting measures, including strengthening the propaganda, enhancing the training and improving the subsidy standard of low-carbon agricultural technology, to improve farmers' low-carbon agricultural technology adoption intensity. Such strategy would help achieve the target of carbon emission reduction and sustainable development of agriculture.