Leveraging agricultural production organizations to reduce fertilizer use: Evidence from China

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cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and developing country institute
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR single centre
cg.contributor.affiliationZhejiang University
cg.contributor.affiliationMAgPIE-China Research Group
cg.contributor.affiliationPotsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Oxford
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Food Policy Research Institute
cg.contributor.donorNational Science Foundation of China
cg.contributor.donorNational Key Research and Development Program of China
cg.contributor.donorFundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
cg.contributor.donorHumanities and Social Science Fund of the Ministry of Education of China
cg.contributor.donorCGIAR Trust Fund
cg.contributor.initiativeLow-Emission Food Systems
cg.coverage.countryChina
cg.coverage.regionAsia
cg.coverage.regionEastern Asia
cg.creator.identifierKevin Chen: 0000-0001-7927-4132
cg.howPublishedFormally Published
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.102891
cg.identifier.projectIFPRI - Development Strategies and Governance Unit
cg.identifier.publicationRankA
cg.isijournalISI Journal
cg.issn0306-9192
cg.journalFood Policy
cg.reviewStatusPeer Review
cg.subject.impactAreaEnvironmental health and biodiversity
cg.subject.impactAreaNutrition, health and food security
cg.volume133
dc.contributor.authorXu, Meng
dc.contributor.authorWang, Xiaoxi
dc.contributor.authorChen, Kevin Z.
dc.date.accessioned2025-06-12T19:49:01Z
dc.date.available2025-06-12T19:49:01Z
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/175082
dc.titleLeveraging agricultural production organizations to reduce fertilizer use: Evidence from Chinaen
dcterms.abstractSmallholder-dominated agriculture in China faces severe fertilizer overuse due to fragmented land, limited mechanization, and low adoption of advanced agricultural technologies. Agricultural production organizations (e.g., family farms, agricultural cooperatives, and agricultural enterprises), characterized by their relatively large scale and advanced agricultural practices, are considered potential solutions for promoting more sustainable practices. This study investigates whether and how different agricultural production organization forms are associated with fertilizer use in China. Linking detailed business registry data with county-level panel data, we find that agricultural enterprises and cooperatives are associated with reductions in fertilizer use at the county level, while family farms do not show a significant relationship. Agricultural mechanization and land consolidation are potential channels through which agricultural enterprises and cooperatives are linked to these reductions. Further analysis with household survey data suggests associations between these two types of organizations and reductions in smallholders’ fertilizer inputs through agricultural services. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that agricultural enterprises have a more pronounced effect in areas with extensive land transfer, advanced fertilization techniques, and in the eastern and plain regions of China. Agricultural cooperatives, benefiting from their unique governance structure, consistently show negative associations with fertilizer use regardless of land transfer, fertilization techniques, and topography constraints. Our findings provide insights into pathways for transitioning smallholder farming toward sustainable agriculture.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.audienceAcademics
dcterms.available2025-05-22
dcterms.bibliographicCitationXu, Meng; Wang, Xiaoxi; and Chen, Kevin. 2025. Leveraging agricultural production organizations to reduce fertilizer use: Evidence from China. Food Policy 133(May 2025): 102891. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.102891
dcterms.issued2025-05
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCopyrighted; all rights reserved
dcterms.publisherElsevier
dcterms.subjectsmallholders
dcterms.subjectagriculture
dcterms.subjectfertilizers
dcterms.subjectland consolidation
dcterms.subjectagricultural mechanization
dcterms.subjectsustainable agriculture
dcterms.subjectsustainable agriculture
dcterms.typeJournal Article

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