Analysis on Farmers’ Straw Marketization Behavior and Its Influence Factors: A Case Study of Hubei Province

Crop straw has huge resource potential. It has an important significance for realizing waste recycling and improving eco-environment to prefect straw marketization system and sufficiently stimulate farmers’ straw marketization behavior. Based on 427 copies of investigation data on farmers,influence mechanism framework of farmers’ straw marketization behavior is constructed,and key factors of farmers’ straw marketization behavior are analyzed. Results show that farmers joining in straw marketization account for 42. 1%; in influence factors of farmers’ straw marketization behavior,cultivated land area,market price level,logistics satisfaction and air quality perception have significantly positive impacts on farmers’ straw marketization behavior,while education degree,agricultural income proportion and traffic convenience have significantly negative impacts on farmers’ straw marketization behavior. Therefore,it needs strengthening propaganda intensity,carrying out reasonable subsidies and support,encouraging and breeding new type of organization,and establishing and improving the price mechanism of straw marketization to perfect straw marketization construction.

Analysis of Household Management Behavior in the Reclamation and Agricultural Area under Different Land Systems

In the paper, three farms of Jiansanjiang Farming Bureau and five villages in of Dayushu Town in Fujin county randomly were taken as data sources for the investigation of household behavior of reclamation and agricultural area under different land systems, and it can be concluded that the main content included production scale, arable land use structure, household behavior and economic benefits. By comparison and analysis, the advantages and disadvantages of reclamation and agricultural area can be found, which could provide references for agricultural land reform for achieving a more suitable socio-economic of efficient use and sustained and healthy development of agriculture.

Farmer behavior and perceptions to alternative scenarios in a highly intensive agricultural region,south central China

Intensive agriculture has caused unintended environmental consequences, such as water quality degradation. It is necessary for policymakers to make proper planning of sustainable agricultural development. Using a Pressure-State-Response （PSR） framework, we conducted surveys focused on farmer behavior toward agriculture and environmental protection in 2009 and 2011. The surveys indicated that farmer behavior was complex and contradictory, and caused some environmental effects. Therefore, we used normative landscape scenario method to develop two scenarios. Both scenarios emphasized on stable economic growth along with water quality improvement and presented good effects. A feedback survey was organized in 2013 to interpret farmers＇ perceptions of the alternative scenarios. The results indicate Scenario I is likely to be accepted by farmers; however, the beautiful rural landscape in Scenario.II represents what farmers want, and Scenario I or II can be achieved by changing farm behavior in the future. By logistic regression model analysis, increasing agriculture benefits and new technology popularization were key factors affecting farmer behavior. Relevant policy implications on farmers were proposed. This paper showed how important to understand farmer behavior and perceptions to agricultural development, and a description of the alternative scenarios and policy implications are meaningful for policymakers to manage nature resources.

Pesticide-related Food Safety Risks: Farmers' Self-protective Behavior and Food Safety Social Co-governance

This article investigates the sources of vegetables consumed by farmers, their perception of pesticide-related food safety risks and the behaviors they engage in to protect themselves, and explores the implications for the social co-governance（shehui gongzhi） of food safety emphasized by China’s recent Food Safety Law. The research site is a county in Yunnan Province where vegetable growing is the major source of income and livelihood for local farmers. We surveyed 417 farmers and collected 776 vegetable samples from 377 surveyed farmer households and tested them for organophosphate and carbamate pesticide residues using PR-12 N Rapid Detection Instrument for Pesticide Residues. The results showed that farmers know about the risks to food safety caused by pesticides used in vegetable growing and they purposely avoid these risks by mainly consuming vegetables planted in home gardens or private plots that use little or no pesticides. Vegetable samples from these private plots had the lowest positive rate of pesticide residues（6.10%）, compared with vegetable samples from commercial farmland（13.73%） and markets（12.66%）, and the difference was statistically significant（X2=9.69,0.005〈P〈0.010）. This implies that the efforts of farmers to protect themselves from pesticide-related food safety risks do have some effect; however, the effect is limited due to the environmental pollution caused by the massive use of pesticides in commercial vegetable growing. Furthermore, this self-protective behavior may have a negative impact on the social co-governance of food safety set out in the new Food Safety Law.

An empirical analysis of effective factors on farmers adaptation behavior in water scarcity conditions in rural communities

This paper investigates the effect of factors on Farmers Adaptation Behavior in Water Scarcity Conditions in Rural Communities of Sabzevar,Iran.A survey questionnaire was used for collecting data,the study population was 120 farmers in rural Sabzevar County selected based on the Cochran formula.A questionnaire was designed for the target group for the measurement of on farm adaptation behavior in water scarcity conditions.Research models were drawn using structural equation modeling and the relationships between latent variables and indicators.The findings indicate that there is a significant relationship between awareness and adaptation behavior.Meanwhile,there is a significant relationship among network and media on farmer's perception about water scarcity and their activities toward better management of water in the critical condition.There are also significant relationships among perception and awareness with intention however,intention do not effect on adaptation behavior strongly.In other words,even the that means farmers had information about crisis,they are not able to have not operational plans to confront the water scarcity conditions.

Cropland physical disturbance intensity： plot-scale measurement and its application for soil erosion reduction in mountainous areas

Various kinds of human disturbances on cropland are the main reasons for soil erosion and land degradation.Farming practices in mountainous areas vary greatly among cropland plots because of the heterogeneity of biophysical conditions and differences in farmers'management behavior.The main purpose of this paper is to develop a composite index of cropland physical disturbance intensity(CLDI)to reflect the plot-scale discrepancy of potential soil erosion in mountainous areas.The study was based on both plot survey and household interview data,collected from six typical catchments in mountainous areas of southwestern China.Four kinds of physical disturbance practices and two kinds of conservation practices during one crop rotation period were synthesized to develop the CLDI index.The rough set theory was referenced to avoid subjectivity during weight allocation.The results show that conventional tillage,deep fertilization,and manual weeding are the main causes of cropland soil erosion,whereas manure application in combination with seasonal fallow reduces soil erosion.Different crop types as well as cropland location factors determine the spatial pattern of CLDI.Crop rotation modes with major crops of tobacco and maize resulted in a maximal CLDI,and cropland plots with a distance radius of 150 meters away from households received the most intensive physical disturbance.These results are critical to help better protect rural environments in mountainous areas.Based on the results,methods to reduce cropland soil erosion are suggested.

Drivers of farmers’behavior toward compensation scheme for cultivated land protection in chengdu pilot area,China

Studying farmers’behavior affected by economic incentive is necessary to promote positive behavior among farmers toward protecting the quantity,quality,and ecological environment of cultivated land.In this study,we investigated the current situation regarding economic incentive policies for cultivated land protection,which has attracted the attention of Chinese government.Then,we focused on the earliest pilot scheme(i.e.,Cultivated Land Protection Fund,CLPF)implemented in the west of China since 2008 to empirically analyze farmers’behavior.Statistical analysis and path analysis methods were applied,with data collected from 296 questionnaires.Our results showed that positive actions,including the enhancement of initiatives to protect cultivated land,the improvement of ecological environment of cultivated land,and the investment in agricultural infrastructure,have been adopted by farmers since the implementation of the CLPF.Furthermore,gender,education level,labor force size,cultivated land area,migration out of traditional farming areas,average annual household income,and farmers’knowledge of the policy impacted significantly on farmers’behavior.On the premise of comprehensive consideration of the diversity of farmers’livelihoods,new communication technologies and sufficient funds,we suggested that a long-term and sustainable project should be established at the national level to effectively compensate farmers.