Social network, environmental cognition and organic fertilizer application behavior of small farmers

Abstract

Small farmers are the main organizational form of agricultural production and management in China, and it is very important to study their organic fertilizer application behavior to promote the development of green agriculture in China. Based on the survey data of 334 small farmers in Sichuan Province, this paper uses bivariate Probit model to analyze the influence of social network and environmental cognition on organic fertilizer application behavior. The research shows that:(1) The application of commercial organic fertilizer and farmyard manure by small farmers has a significant complementary effect.(2) Social network has a significant positive impact on organic fertilizer application behavior, and there are significant differences between kinship social network and friendship social network on organic fertilizer application behavior.(3) The level of environmental cognition has a significant positive effect on the application behavior of organic fertilizer. Therefore, it is necessary not only to make full use of and expand the social network of small farmers, but also to pay attention to improving their environmental awareness and promoting organic fertilizer application behavior.