Study on the Impact of Internet Use on Farmers’ Straw Returning to the Field: A Micro Survey Data from China

Abstract

Promoting the use of straw returning technology in rural areas is of great value to improve the use of agricultural technology and to reduce agricultural carbon emissions. However, the low proportion of straw recycling has also attracted more attention all over the world. An effective measure to solve this problem is to increase farmers’ internet use to encourage them to participate in straw recycling. Based on micro survey data from 2126 households obtained from China, this paper uses an ordered probability model (OPM) and seeks to measure the impact of internet use on farmers’ active use of straw returning and its heterogeneity. It aims to answer two questions: what the impact of internet use on farmers’ willingness to participate in straw recycling is, and whether there is heterogeneity. The study found that the use of the internet can significantly drive farmers to use straw to return to the field. Specifically, farmers using the internet are less likely to become non-adoption (−2.95%) or non-voluntary (3.09%), but have a greater probability of becoming voluntary (6.04%). Moreover, the heterogeneity analysis showed that older groups and lower income groups could improve their willingness to actively adopt straw returning technology after using the internet. According to this research, it is suggested to improve local network resources, guide farmers to effectively entertain, study, live, and better enjoy the dividends brought by the internet. In terms of environmental publicity and education, the government should make policy adjustments for older groups and low-income groups to promote the use of technology.