Agricultural Business Entities Research Articles

Investment support for sustainable development of the agricultural industry

The main methods and sources of investment of agricultural business entities of Belarus are considered. An algorithm for the formation of investment resources of agricultural organizations is proposed, on the basis of which a model of investment support for the sustainable development of the studied business entities is developed, which is formed within the framework of the state policy for the development of the agricultural sector, taking into account the interests of other subjects of the investment sphere.

The Impact of Land Property Right on China’s Rural-Urban Migration

After the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), private ownership of land in rural areas was abolished, and land was collectively owned. However, the Chinese government issued several policies to protect the rights and interests of farmers. The most representative of these are the Household Responsibility System (HRS) and the Rural Land Contracting Law (RLCL). In this paper, we study the impact of land management systems on population migration under market mechanisms (ability to rent land) and government mechanisms (land expropriation). And we used the Probit model to conduct regression analysis to verify the impact of land management systems on population migration and used robustness tests to ensure the stability and validity of the data. The results show that allowing land to be rented out has a positive effect on population migration, while land acquisition by the government has a negative effect on population migration. It proves that the Three Rights Division (TRD) system proposed and implemented by Chairman Xi Jinping, which forms ownership, contracting, and management rights to protect the rights of agricultural business entities, helps reduce urban-rural income inequality, helps upgrade the industrial structure of urban industries, and maintains economic expansion and increases China's long-term development potential.

Promotion paths for regional public brand development of agri-products in urban areas: resource and institutional perspectives

This study aimed to find the determinants of regional public brand development of agri-products in urban areas and to explore the specific enhancement paths for the regional public brand development of agri-products. The regional public brand of agri-products in Shanghai was selected as the research object. The study utilized stratified and random sampling techniques to collect data from 320 questionnaires of agricultural business entities in Shanghai. Then a covariance-based structural equation model with institutional factors as mediating variables was constructed. Furthermore, the study empirically analyzed the mechanism of the role of resource endowment on regional public brand development of agri-products. The study showed that the main factors affecting regional public brand development of agri-products are market maintenance, public marketing, industrial resources, and regional resources, in order of importance. Regional and industrial resources positively affected agricultural regional public brand development through the masking effect of public marketing and the partially mediating role of market maintenance. Among them, market maintenance reversed the significant negative impact of regional resources on the regional public brand development of agri-products. The findings of the study contribute to enriching the existing theoretical literature on regional public branding of agri-products, and provide practical implications for the government to help formulate and improve regional brand development policies in urban areas.

Do large-scale agricultural entities achieve higher livelihood levels and better environmental outcomes than small households? Evidence from rural China.

There is an ongoing debate about the type or scale of agriculture that should be most encouraged. This study explores the differences in livelihood levels and outcomes between new agricultural business entities (NABEs) and traditional small households. We applied the analytical tools of a sustainable livelihood framework and a multiple linear regression model to describe the determinants of livelihood outcomes of 105 NABEs and 119 traditional small households in two typical areas around the Sichuan Basin in China. The results show that the overall livelihood level of NABEs is 1.40 times higher than traditional small households. NABEs with a mixed livelihood strategy of both planting and breeding have the highest livelihood level, followed by planting NABEs and breeding NABEs. About 3.13% of all agricultural entities are at risk of falling into poverty; the greater risk levels are associated with the subsidized households (30.00%), pure farmers (12.50%), and part-time farming households (1.69%). NABEs in the study area are verified to use 2.06 times more pesticide and herbicide inputs compared to traditional small households. Education level, technical training, financial accessibility, and the connection with professional cooperatives are common factors influencing the livelihood levels of the two groups of agricultural entities. Livelihood levels of NABEs are also significantly influenced by the age of NABE leaders, planting area per capita, and agricultural insurance. Based on these results, the study proposes policy interventions that are most appropriate for achieving higher livelihood levels among both NABEs and small households. Although the mixed type of NABEs and non-farming households are recognized as being better agricultural entity types for poverty alleviation, we recommend a balance between fostering NABEs and maintaining traditional small households; guidance related to green agriculture production for NABEs is also urgently needed.

Analysis of Influential Elements and Performance Evaluation of the Development of New Business Subjects in the Perspective of Rural Revitalization

Abstract This study deeply explores the development influencing factors and performance evaluation of new agricultural management subjects under the perspective of rural revitalization, provides data support through empirical analysis, and provides guidance for promoting rural economic development and optimizing agrarian management system. A performance evaluation model containing four dimensions of technology, finance, market and society is constructed using the hierarchical analysis method (AHP), multiplicative exponential weights (MEW) and entropy value method. The study results show that among the technical indicators, the member learning ability scores the highest (0.06575), while among the social indicators, the social responsibility and radiation ability scores are the same (both 0.087). Among the financial indicators, operational capacity scored the highest (0.07025) and customer acquisition rate scored the highest (0.07575) among the market indicators. The comprehensive evaluation shows that the technical indicators have the most significant impact on the development performance of new agricultural business entities. This study provides a quantitative analysis of the development of new farm business subjects, which is effective for promoting the rural revitalization strategy.

Spatial and temporal patterns of the dynamic evolution of the survival of new agricultural business entities and influencing factors

Spatial and temporal patterns of the dynamic evolution of the survival of new agricultural business entities and influencing factors

СТРАТЕГІЧНІ НАПРЯМИ СІЛЬСЬКОГО РОЗВИТКУ В УМОВАХ СТАНОВЛЕННЯ «AGRICULTURE 5.0»

The statistics have examined the problems of forming strategic directions of agricultural development in the minds of the formation of “Agriculture 4.0” and its transformation in “Agriculture 5.0” It is stated that when formulating strategic directions for the development of agricultural enterprises, it is important to highlight the specifics of agricultural production, noting that supply chains in the agricultural state are the flow of products, knowing and information and the involved parties (producers and producers) at the skin stage of production processes, marketing and production. The emphasis is placed on the fact that when forming strategic directions, the development of agro-business is necessary to ensure the influx of agricultural production into the country and the development of rural territories. It is clear that in the agricultural economy of Ukraine there are problems arising from the emergence of differences in size, economic efficiency, innovative readiness and capabilities of economical entities tiv, which will require importance on the national level of strategic directions of agricultural development for the promotion of the current state and the “Agriculture 5.0”. The emphasis is placed on the lack of directness of “Agriculture 4.0” (“Industry 4.0”) in addressing environmental and social problems in the context of the implementation of the goals of the current development. Obviously, the particularities of the agricultural business in Ukraine have been brought to the attention of the need to implement a strategy for the development of farming states as the basis for food security and a rural-saving model of state rule. Meta-research – focusing on strategic directions in the development of farming dominions in the context of the security of minds and the formation of “Agriculture 5.0”. Based on the conducted survey, it was explained that the problem for small agricultural business entities is the lack of knowledge among management and government officials about the directions of innovative strategic development and the presence of a consistent level of digital maturity. The emphasis is placed on the fact that small agricultural enterprises do not have a long-term strategy, which is not suitable for long-term investments, and, consequently, the formation of innovative investment potential lu is problematic for them. It has been proven that promising strategic directions include the development of farmer states in combination with healthcare services, the formation and implementation of a digital strategy and the development of cooperation.

Інноваційно-інвестиційний потенціал суб’єктів аграрного сектору економіки: сутність та взаємозв’язок його складових

The essence and structure of the innovation and investment potential of the economy have been studied. The main approaches to consideration and determination of critical directions of formation of innovation and investment potential to meet the requirements of expanded reproduction of the economy have been organized. The main principles of establishing the essence of innovation and investment potential are substantiated, among which this definition should: reveal the meaning of this concept as potential through capacity (ability); identify the base, the foundation of its formation – available resources, as well as investment sources; take into account the ability of subjects to absorb possible resources due to their ability to use innovative activities to finance investments; take into account the innovative ability to realize the innovation and investment potential. It is proposed to understand the innovation and investment potential of agricultural business entities as the actual or potential ability of the business entity to use innovations in its production and management systems through the involvement of investment support tools for modeling the complex concept of strategic management of the enterprise, consisting of individual elements, is based on certain principles and methods. It is substantiated that the structure of the innovation-investment model of the development of agrarian formations includes separate blocks of innovation opportunities, primarily in the production and management spheres of economic entities, which are currently basic in determining their investment attractiveness and thus are decisive in the system of generation, implementation and realization in strategic management potential opportunities for ensuring the competitive development of agricultural enterprises. Keywords: potential, innovation potential, investment potential, innovation-investment potential, investment resources, innovation activity.

Optimization of Rural Governance Structure under the Development of New Agricultural Management Entities

The positive impact of the development of new agricultural business entities and their institutional systems on the optimization of rural governance structures can be examined from various perspectives, including the state, market, rural society, urban-rural relations, and grassroots governance structure in rural communities. The development of these new agricultural business entities has not only redefined but also restructured the power distribution and governance patterns in rural developing countries, markets, and villages. The rural social order has evolved into a ternary mutual structure governance pattern, often referred to as the “state market rural” model. This transformation has prompted adjustments in the national economic and social policy structure and management systems at both macro and micro levels. It has led to the reshaping of power dynamics, benefit distribution, and governance structures in both urban and rural areas, resulting in significant changes to the economic and social fabric of rural regions. Furthermore, the grassroots governance structure in rural society, characterized by “township governance and village governance,” is undergoing continuous development and improvement. This transition is marked by a shift towards a collaborative governance structure that encourages diverse participation. Building upon the aforementioned optimizations, the rural governance structure now exhibits new characteristics. These include a more extensive and diverse range of rural governance mechanisms, increased openness in governance processes, and a heightened synergy among various governance mechanisms. This dynamic evolution reflects a richer, more diverse, and more open approach to rural governance, fostering a stronger collaborative effort in the pursuit of effective governance.

Can development of large scale agricultural business entities improve agricultural total factor productivity in China?: an empirical analysis

Large scale agricultural business entities (hereinafter referred to as “the large scale entities”) are newly sprouted in the process of China’s agricultural transformation from traditional production to modern mode, while the improvement of agricultural total factor productivity is an important driving force to realize agricultural transformation in China. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore whether the former has a promoting effect on the latter. First of all, the effective improvement of agricultural total factor productivity by the large scale entity development is analyzed from the two aspects of scale effect and technology utilization effect, and the effect mechanism is discussed in depth in this paper. Secondly, empirical test was carried out by using the panel data of prefecture-level cities from 2015 to 2020. The benchmark regression results show that the development of large scale entities can significantly improve agricultural total factor productivity. The mechanism test results indicate that the development of large scale entities improves the agricultural total factor productivity by raising the agricultural mechanization level. The results of heterogeneity analysis show that the difference between large scale entities would affect the benchmarking results. Therefore, it is believed through the study as discussed in this paper that devoting greater effort to support the development of large scale entities is an important measure to improve agricultural total factor productivity and promote China’s agricultural transformation, but it is necessary to act according to local conditions based on the difference of entity types in the process.

Spatial Pattern and Influencing Factors of Agricultural Leading Enterprises in Heilongjiang Province, China

As one of the major new agricultural business entities, agricultural leading enterprises (ALEs) are responsible for ensuring national food security, leading agricultural and rural modernization, and increasing farmers’ employment prospects and incomes. From the perspective of headquarters and branches, this study used a point pattern analysis, the local Moran’s index, the rank-size rule, and the geographical detector to depict the spatial pattern of ALEs in Heilongjiang Province, detect influencing factors, and reveal the spatial layout mechanism. The main conclusions are as follows. (1) ALE headquarters and branches in Heilongjiang Province had different location requirements, and their layout orientation, clustering areas, and influencing factors were different. (2) The headquarters displayed a pronounced urban and agglomeration orientation, while branches exhibited a significant farm dependence and raw material orientation. (3) Both the headquarters and the branches showed a significant trend towards spatial clustering. The headquarters were mainly in the Harbin municipal district and surrounding counties, including Wuchang, Zhaodong, and Beilin, which showed a high–high cluster pattern. The branches were mainly in the Sanjiang Plain. Tongjiang, Fujin, Hulin, Mishan, Raohe, Baoqing, and Suibin showed a high–high cluster pattern, while the Harbin municipal district and Bei’an showed a high–low outlier pattern. (4) The ALEs’ regional connection network in Heilongjiang Province was radially distributed with the Harbin municipal district as the centre. The agricultural reclamation system deeply influenced it. (5) The number of supporting enterprises, number of permanent residents, gross domestic product, railway mileage, number of people with Bachelor’s degrees or above, and distance from the provincial capital were the main influencing factors of the headquarters spatial pattern in Heilongjiang Province. The number of state farms in Heilongjiang Province, the per capita grain yield, highway mileage, and distance from the provincial capital were the main influencing factors of the branch spatial patterns in Heilongjiang Province. The interaction results indicated that the explanatory power of two-factor interaction was stronger than that of a single factor regardless of headquarters or branches, and most interaction types were bilinear enhancements. This study aims to provide a decision-making reference for the long-term development of ALEs in Heilongjiang Province at the present stage and accelerate the development of agricultural industrialization in major grain-producing areas.

Moderate operation scales of agricultural land under the greenhouse and open-field production modes based on DEA model in mountainous areas of southwest China

The identification of the moderate scale of agricultural land was recognized as one of the key measures promoting sustainable agriculture development. However, due to the research gap in mountainous areas, new agricultural business entities (NABE) in these areas usually either refer to the plain area or simply pursue large scale, resulting in low production efficiency and even posing a threat to their sustainable survival. In this study, the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model and Tobit regression model tools were employed to quantitatively reveal the moderate scale and key driving factors of agricultural land under the scale operation modes of greenhouse and open-field types. It was based on 154 NABE questionnaires in the mountainous areas around the Sichuan Basin in China, where NABEs are flourishing. The findings show an approximately "inverted U-shaped" curve relationship between NABE's production efficiency and their planting scale. The primary reason for the failure of NABE to achieve an overall high level of production efficiency is scale inefficiency. The optimal scale intervals for the greenhouse and open-field types of scale operation modes are 3.0–4.3 ha and 3.3–5.0 ha, respectively. Business entities' age, land circulation scale, land rent, and agricultural insurance are common factors that influence the scale efficiencies of both the greenhouse and open-field types. Accordingly, policy interventions regarding the guidance of moderate-scale operation of agricultural land are proposed for achieving the dual goal of cultivating NABE and implementing the Rural Revitalization Strategy in mountainous areas of China. While contributing to the knowledge on scale efficiency of agricultural land, this research also enlightens the practice of policy-making targeted to the sustainable development of agricultural industry led by NABE worldwide.

Research on the Influencing Factors of the E-commerce Adoption Behavior of New Agricultural Business Entities under the TAM Model

<p>Based on the theoretical model of technology acceptance, this paper uses 372 questionnaire data to explore the influencing factors of the e-commerce adoption behavior of new agricultural business entities. The results show that: (1) Among the factors affecting the e-commerce adoption behavior of new agricultural business entities, perceived usefulness has the strongest impact, followed by perceived ease of use, and its standardized impact path coefficients are 0.81 and 0.20, respectively; (2) Perceived ease of use Usability not only positively affects the e-commerce adoption attitude of new agricultural business entities, but also positively affects the perceived usefulness of new agricultural business entities; (3) The e-commerce adoption attitude of new agricultural business entities positively affects their adoption behavior. Therefore, this paper puts forward relevant suggestions to improve the willingness of new agricultural business entities to adopt e-commerce, and then guide the sustainable development of e-commerce platforms.</p>

Research on Online Sales of Low-Carbon Agricultural Products by New Urban Agricultural Business Entities: Evidence from Shanghai, China

Traditional agricultural business entities present environmental problems such as high energy consumption and high pollution. To achieve goals such as carbon capping and carbon neutrality, governments should encourage urban agricultural operators to sell low-carbon agricultural products online. This could play an important role in smoothing the connection between production and marketing, achieving industrial prosperity and promoting low-carbon agricultural development. This paper explores the formation and behavioral transformation of online sales intention by combining the theory of planned behavior, the Motivation–Opportunity–Ability (MOA) model, and the binary Probit regression model using data from 106 questionnaires. The study found that economic expectations and social norms can significantly improve online sales intention during the formation stage of online sales intention. Behavior control is not conducive to improving online sales intention. In addition, we found a gap between the willingness of urban agricultural operators to sell online and their behavior. This gap requires activation and adjustment of the opportunity and capability factors in the behavior transformation phase. Finally, we found that the strengthening of policy conditions and management capacity facilitated the transformation of urban agricultural operators’ willingness to sell online into behavior. This paper provides recommendations for the online sales of low-carbon agricultural products. While we continue to deepen urban agricultural operators’ knowledge of online sales, we should also pay attention to the creation of external opportunities that are suitable for the development of online sales, and identify differences in capacity among operators. This will provide precise services.

Building a Rural Industrial Green Ecosystem based on Geographical Indications

At the intersection of the transition from rapid economic growth to high-quality development and the comprehensive promotion of rural revitalization, geographical indication trademarks can facilitate further integration of agricultural industries. This not only achieves the goal of high-quality development of the rural economy but also satisfies the requirements of a green and ecological economy. This article, based on the application of geographical indication trademarks, constructs a green ecological system for rural industries. However, there are still prominent issues in the countryside: the system and mechanism are not smooth; there is insufficient trademark awareness in county organizations; the degree of rural infrastructure construction is low; and the development quality of new agricultural business entities needs to be improved. We should: promote the simplification of geographical indication applications; enhance rural infrastructure construction; boost the awareness of patents and trademarks among rural enterprises; and improve the development quality of agricultural business entities to build a green ecological system for rural industries based on geographical indications.

Tillage conditions or social economy? An analysis of the dominant driving force of farmland marginalization from the farmers' perspective

Farmland marginalization has been one of the main directions of land use transition in the process of industrialization and urbanization in recent years. With the increase in rural labor opportunity costs, the influence of natural resource endowment and socioeconomic conditions on farmers' farmland marginalization behavior at the micro level remains unknown, and the relevant literature is insufficient. In this study, the quantile regression method is adopted to explore the evolutionary trend of the role of tilling-based factors and socioeconomic factors under mild, moderate and severe marginalization levels of cultivated land. The results show that with farmland marginalization aggravation, the influence of tillage-based factors represented by tillage conditions on marginalization weakens while that of socioeconomic factors deepens. This study elucidates various regulation strategies at different farmland marginalization levels. At mild marginalization levels, attention should be given to improving tillage conditions; at moderate and severe marginalization levels, efforts should be made to improve the economic production capacity of farmland and promote the transfer of marginalized farmland to new agricultural business entities.

Dynamic Evolutionary Game Approach for Blockchain-Driven Incentive and Restraint Mechanism in Supply Chain Financing

The sustainability of financing is an important measure in the development of supply chains. However, the difficulty and high cost of financing have always been critical factors hindering the sustainable development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Blockchain technology (BT) is an effective tool to relieve the current problem. Based on it, this study aims to establish Blockchain-driven incentives and restraint mechanisms for SME financing using a dynamic game model in which financial institutions (FIs) and new agricultural business entities (NABEs) are regarded as game subjects. By analyzing the impact of key parameters on the equilibrium state of the game for all stakeholders, several findings are drawn as follows. (1) The usage of BT affects FI loan strategies by influencing their cost in supply chain financing. (2) The usage of BT affects NABE’s strategy choice by influencing their loan interest rate. (3) The usage of BT affects NABE’s strategy choice by influencing their default losses. (4) The usage of BT affects NABE’s and FI’s strategy choices by influencing their additional benefits. This study provides decision-making support for optimal strategy decisions under different conditions and serves as a theoretical reference for the government in formulating financing incentive and restraint mechanisms.

The Spatio-Temporal Patterns and Influencing Factors of Different New Agricultural Business Entities in China—Based on POI Data from 2012 to 2021

The high-quality development of new agricultural business entities (NABEs) is an important driving force for realizing rural revitalization and accelerating the modernization of agriculture and rural areas. The main purpose of the study is to investigate the spatial distribution pattern, aggregation scales, development mechanism, and internal differences of various types of NABEs in different regions. It provides targeted ideas for alleviating regional differences in the development of NABEs in different agricultural regions. Kernel density estimation, nearest neighbor distance analysis, Tyson’s polygon coefficient of variation, and Ripley’s K function are used to study the spatial and temporal evolution, spatial aggregation, and scale divergence of various types of NABEs, and Pearson correlation analysis is incorporated to explore the specific factors affecting the development of various types of NABEs. The study results: First, family farms are the most widely distributed, and agricultural enterprises are the most sparsely distributed, being distributed “more in the southeast and less in the northwest” in all three categories. Second, the strongest aggregation scales of different NABEs are increasing, and the strongest aggregation scales of agricultural enterprises are larger than those of family farms and cooperatives in all agricultural areas. Third, the development of specialized farmers’ cooperatives (abbreviated as ‘cooperatives’) is more constrained by traditional agricultural inputs and is a kind of agricultural input-oriented development. Family farms are more constrained by the living standards of rural residents in the region and are a kind of rural economy-oriented development. Agricultural enterprises are more subject to the economic level of the region, which is a kind of market economy-oriented development. Finally, in the process of developing NABEs, regional differences should be emphasized, and a small number of agriculturally leading enterprises and model cooperatives should drive a large number of small-scale family farms and smallholder farmers in order to become a characteristic path for China’s agricultural development.

The effects of quality certification on agricultural low-carbon production behavior: evidence from Chinese rice farmers

ABSTRACTLow-carbon agricultural practices have received increasing attention, and the rapid development of agricultural product quality certification in China has provided a potential way to implement low-carbon agriculture. This study employs an endogenous switching regession to examine the effects of quality certification on low-carbon production behaviors using the survey data of 1,042 rice farmers in Hubei Province, China. The empirical results show that, first, the quality certification participation has a positive and statistically significant impact on farmers’ low-carbon production behaviors. In particular, the treatment effect of quality certification participation is to increase farmers’ low-carbon production level to appropriately 71.85%. Second, a disaggregated analysis by quality certification type reveals no significant difference between public geographical indication certification and private green food and organic product certification in promoting farmers’ low-carbon production behaviors. Nevertheless, the effect of multiple certifications on low-carbon production behaviors is significantly stronger than that of single certification. Third, disaggregated analysis indicates that new agricultural business entities are more likely to implement low-carbon production after participating in quality certification than traditional farmers.

Tripartite Evolutionary Game Study on Decision-making Behavior of Cooperative Development of Agricultural Operation Subjects


 How to give full play to the driving role of the new agricultural business entities to the small farmers, guide the small farmers into the modern agricultural development track, and realize the coordinated development of the agricultural business entities has become an urgent problem to be solved in the construction process of the new agricultural operation system. Therefore, based on evolutionary game theory, this paper constructed a three-party evolutionary game model of "government-new agricultural business entities - small farmers", and got the evolutionary and stable strategy of the three in different situations. And it studied how to promote the coordinated development of the three by Matlab numerical simulation. The results of the game show that: first of all, the decisions of the government, small farmers and new agricultural business entities are all influenced by the government itself and the other two parties, especially the government and small farmers' behavior choice is more sensitive. Second, if the three parties do not share the same direction of action, a series of guiding and supporting policies can still form a sound situation of common governance among the three parties. However, the decision-making of government guidance process has nothing to do with tax revenue and the rewards and punishments of the superior government. The guiding cost and loss of public credibility are the key factors that affect the choice of government behavior. Finally, as rational people, farmers will choose the strategy of "cooperation" only when they are satisfied that their income when participating in cooperation is higher than their own income when not participating in cooperation.