Technical training and rice farmers’ adoption of low-carbon management practices: The case of soil testing and formulated fertilization technologies in Hubei, China

Abstract

More than a decade ago, the Chinese government created several agricultural programs with the objective to promote food security and to foster environmental sustainability via the adoption of more eco-conscious practices in agriculture. While the overall application rate of chemical fertilizer has significantly declined, the adoption of low-carbon technologies promoted through these initiatives remains relative low—partly due to the lack of a wide-reaching systems to implement the recommended practices and farmers' lack of awareness and knowledge about the technologies. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of technical training on low-carbon management practices, specifically on the adoption of soil testing and formulated fertilization technologies. We hypothesize that technical training and education facilitates the adoption of promoted technologies. Data for this research come from a random sample of 1115 rice farmers in Hubei, China. Using a logistic regression, we empirically examine the effect of having received formal technical training within the last 12 months on the likelihood of adopting low-carbon technologies. To account for potential heterogeneity and selection bias, we employ counterfactual framework and propensity score matching and estimate the average treatment effect for those who have received formal technical training. Our results revealed a positive and significant association between formal technical training and rice farmers’ adoption of low-carbon technologies, with an average treatment effect of 0.2078. Males, younger farmers, and members of agricultural cooperatives were more likely to adopt soil testing and formulated fertilization technologies. Further, a gender analysis, conducted only with those who indicated having received technical training on low-carbon technologies, showed that trained females were more prone to adopt these technologies than trained males. Our findings provide and discuss meaningful implications for the development of future efforts to promote the adoption of low-carbon agricultural technologies in China.