Search Results (132)

Understanding the carbon emission efficiency of apple production (APCEE) is critical for promoting green and low-carbon agricultural development. However, the spatiotemporal dynamics and driving factors of APCEE in China remain inadequately explored. This study employs life cycle assessment, super-efficiency slacks-based measures, and a panel Tobit model to evaluate the carbon footprint, APCEE, and its determinants in China’s two major production regions from 2003 to 2022. The results reveal that: (1) Producing one ton of apples in China results in 0.842 t CO₂e emissions. Land carbon intensity and total carbon emissions peaked in 2010 (28.69 t CO₂e/ha) and 2014 (6.52 × 10⁷ t CO₂e), respectively, exhibiting inverted U-shaped trends. Carbon emissions from various production areas show significant differences, with higher pressure on carbon emission reduction in the Loess Plateau region, especially in Gansu Province. (2) The APCEE in China exhibits a W-shaped trend (mean: 0.645), with overall low efficiency loss. The Bohai Bay region outperforms the Loess Plateau and national averages. (3) The structure of the apple industry, degree of agricultural mechanization, and green innovation positively influence APCEE, while the structure of apple cultivation, education level, and agricultural subsidies negatively impact it. Notably, green innovation and agricultural subsidies display lagged effects. Moreover, the drivers of APCEE differ significantly between the two major production regions. These findings provide actionable pathways for the green and low-carbon transformation of China’s apple industry, emphasizing the importance of spatially tailored green policies and technology-driven decarbonization strategies. Full article

Understanding agricultural production dynamics is vital for addressing global food security in the least developed countries. In Senegal, the issues of rural development and enhancing agricultural productivity are still less understood. Using survey data (n = 600) from the Thiès region, this study aims to explore factors that influence agricultural productivity in Senegal. The multinomial probit model is estimated using maximum simulated likelihood (MSL) methods. This approach is necessary due to the presence of multiple-choice categories. The results highlight that young farmers aged 18–30 are less likely to achieve high production (>10 tons) compared to their older counterparts (p < 0.01). In contrast, older farmers (31–60) report higher income stability (p < 0.05). Education levels also impact production, with farmers having lower or upper secondary education being less likely to attain high production than illiterate farmers (p < 0.05). Receiving subsidies reduces the likelihood of high production (p < 0.01). Larger landholdings (>1 ha) correlate with lower production odds (p < 0.01), suggesting diminishing returns. Gender disparities are evident, with male farmers being 45.6% more likely to report income declines (p < 0.1). Marginal effects show that acquiring land through rental or purchase significantly boosts income (p < 0.01), while traditional ploughing increases the sown area (p < 0.01). Policymakers should enhance training in agriculture, improve subsidies, secure land tenure, and promote certified seeds to boost productivity. This study highlights the need for targeted policies on training, subsidies, land tenure, and sustainable practices to enhance Senegal’s agricultural productivity. Full article

The present study explores the emerging role of “public affairs live streamers” on the short video platform Kuaishou, examining how these individuals have evolved into new forms of rural elites, expanding opportunities for civic participation and rural governance in China. Through content analysis and case studies, the research identifies six key themes central to the streamers’ discourse: land and property issues, financial aid and subsidies, policy and governance, advocacy for the public, educational outreach, and customs. These themes underscore their role as rural knowledge elites who bridge the gap between the government and rural residents through digital platforms. The study further examines the mechanisms behind the emergence of “public affairs live streamers”. Empowered by the platform, these streamers effectively convert their cultural capital into online social capital, which may then be partially transformed into offline social influence and economic returns. However, their empowerment is constrained by the platform’s algorithm distribution mechanisms and opaque content regulation, making the conversion of capital unstable, traffic-dependent, and challenging to sustain. Linking to the broader socio-political landscape, the study delves into the empowering role of “public affairs live streamers” in society. These online rural elites blend knowledge with digital skills to facilitate public engagement and inspire civic awareness in rural areas through their activities. Nonetheless, their contribution to rural governance and civilization is often limited to informal mediation and emotional expression, with limited capacity to foster rational discourse or deeper improvements in rural governance. Overall, this study contextualizes the rise of rural elites within China’s rapid technological and rural development, offering a fresh perspective on how digital media can supplement governance strategies and enhance grassroots’ civic participation. Based on this analysis, the study proposes recommendations for improving platform governance and integrating public affairs streamers into broader participatory frameworks, thereby stabilizing their empowering effects and promoting sustainable rural governance. Full article

With China’s urbanization process and changes in rural family structures, the abandonment of farmland in scattered villages within hilly mountainous regions is becoming an increasingly serious issue, restricting the improvement of land use efficiency. This study analyzes the basic characteristics and variations in abandoned farmland by conducting surveys and interviews with peasants in a scattered village in southern China. Using the Heckman two-stage model, we perform empirical analysis on the factors influencing farmland abandonment, addressing potential sample selection bias. The findings show the following: peasants with better health and higher education levels are more likely to transition to non-agricultural occupations which contributes to an increased abandonment of farmland. However, larger and more integrated land parcels, along with favorable farming conditions, help reduce abandonment. Additionally, rural land transfer and agricultural subsidies are important factors that enhance farmland utilization and mitigate abandonment. These results provide a reference for addressing the abandonment of farmland and improving both the farming environment and social policies in rural villages. Full article

As a cornerstone of agricultural modernization, agricultural mechanization plays a pivotal role in driving rural revitalization and establishing agricultural competitiveness. Drawing upon the theoretical framework of happiness economics, this study investigates the impact, mechanisms, and heterogeneous effects of agricultural machinery adoption on farmers’ subjective well-being, utilizing comprehensive household survey data collected from Jiangxi Province in July 2023. The empirical results demonstrate a significant positive correlation between agricultural machinery adoption and farmers’ subjective well-being, a finding that remains robust after addressing endogeneity concerns through instrumental variable approaches. The mechanism analysis reveals that the enhancement of well-being is primarily mediated through facilitated transitions to non-agricultural employment. The purpose of the mechanism analysis is to explain why agricultural mechanization adoption improves farmers’ subjective well-being. This analysis finds that agricultural mechanization adoption improves farmers’ subjective well-being by helping them transition to non-agricultural employment more smoothly. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis indicates that the beneficial effects are more substantial among male farmers, individuals with higher educational attainment, and younger demographic groups. These findings suggest that policy interventions should focus on enhancing innovation in agricultural machinery technology, optimizing subsidy programs for agricultural equipment, improving rural education systems, and facilitating the structural transformation of rural labor markets. Full article

Agriculture is central to Nepal’s economy but faces growing challenges such as environmental degradation, labor shortages, and the increasing feminization of farming due to male outmigration. Environmental Conservation Agriculture (ECA) offers a sustainable solution, yet adoption remains inconsistent due to knowledge gaps and resource constraints. This study examines the socio-demographic, economic, and environmental factors influencing the farmers’ willingness to learn about ECA and its relationship with women’s empowerment. A cross-sectional survey of 383 ECA farmers across the Kavre, Dhading, and Chitwan districts in Bagmati Province reveals that 72.6% are willing to learn about ECA, driven by climate change concerns, economic incentives, and market access. Farmers who have experienced climate-related crop losses (64%) and those engaged in consumer-driven markets (59%) show a greater inclination to learn ECA. Spearman correlation analysis highlights key factors influencing willingness to learn, including perceptions of ECA as a climate-resilient practice, interest in ECA, and awareness of FAO’s promotion of ECA. Farmers who believe that ECA enhances sustainability, resilience, and income are also more likely to engage, while market dissatisfaction presents a challenge. Receiving ECA subsidies is positively associated with willingness to learn, highlighting the role of financial support in adoption. Women play a crucial role in agriculture but face barriers such as household responsibilities (22%), lack of education and training (18%), and limited financial access (12%). Key motivators for their participation include capacity-building initiatives (48%), financial support (16%), and empowerment programs (5%). Notably, households where women participate in early decision-making are 19% more likely to express willingness to learn about ECA, and perceptions of ECA as empowering women are positively linked to willingness to learn. Addressing these barriers through targeted policies, institutional support, and market-based incentives is essential for fostering inclusive and sustainable agricultural development. This study provides actionable insights for strengthening ECA adoption, promoting gender equity, and enhancing Nepal’s climate resilience. Full article

Farmer professional cooperatives are essential in promoting China’s rural revitalization. However, the widespread occurrence of “empty shell” cooperatives, which are characterized by operational stagnation and human resource depletion, presents significant challenges to achieving this objective. This study explores the role of award-rated demonstration cooperatives in addressing this issue by utilizing a unique dataset of 1570 cooperatives from a particular city in Guizhou Province. The analysis employs mediation and moderation effect models and identifies two primary mechanisms. First, the policy improves cooperatives’ access to government subsidies and loan facilities, which helps mitigate constraints related to human resources and operational risks. Second, cooperative characteristics, including member size, education levels, and leading entity, positively influence the effectiveness of these policy measures. Conversely, the equity structure shows a dual moderating effect, reducing policy benefits in resource retention while enhancing them in operational improvement. These findings highlight the intricate relationship between policy design and cooperative attributes in addressing structural inefficiencies and provide valuable insights for strengthening cooperative governance and advancing rural development. Full article

This study employs a comparative fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to examine the combined effects of traditional factors and green patents on innovation performance in Chinese listed agricultural enterprises, offering insights into sustainability in agriculture through innovation. By analyzing 84 valid cases from 107 agricultural companies, we conduct two fsQCA analyses to compare innovation pathways with and without green patents as a conditional factor. The first analysis investigates the impacts of five factors—firm size, executives’ educational background, return on net assets, ownership concentration, and government subsidies—on non-green innovation performance, identifying four distinct pathways: executive-dispersed, employee-financed, executive-centralized, and executive-profitable. In the second analysis, green patents are introduced as an independent variable. The overall solution coverage remains stable, but the configurational landscape shifts, with two original pathways persisting and two new pathways emerging—both involving green patents. The findings suggest that the impact of green patents on innovation is condition-dependent rather than universally beneficial. Green patents amplify innovation performance only when supported by strong managerial education, financial stability, and policy incentives, particularly in the executive green synergy pathway, where raw coverage reaches 0.41, underscoring their role as a conditional multiplier in sustainable innovation. These results provide theoretical and empirical evidence for balancing economic benefits with environmental responsibility in agricultural enterprises and emphasize the need for targeted policy subsidies, enhanced managerial education, and optimized shareholder structures to drive sustainable innovation. Full article

Education subsidies play a crucial role in allocating educational resources and significantly impact students’ ability development. This study utilizes data from the China Education Panel Survey to examine the effects of education subsidies on junior high school students’ ability development, employing the framework of new human capital theory along with least squares, propensity score matching, and quantile regression models. The findings reveal that, first, education subsidies exert a significant positive effect on students’ noncognitive abilities, although no similar effect is observed for their cognitive abilities. Second, education subsidies exhibit a “compensatory effect” in enhancing noncognitive abilities, with a more pronounced impact observed among students with lower levels of noncognitive ability. Third, education subsidies particularly benefit female students, students from less affluent families, and those residing in rural areas, with these groups experiencing greater improvements in noncognitive abilities. The study suggests refining education subsidy policies and implementation strategies to foster a collaborative system among families, schools, and society, thereby promoting junior high school students’ comprehensive development through multiple avenues. Full article

This study proposes an analysis of the impact of farmers′ demographic characteristics and their perceptions of economic sustainability and barriers on organic farming implementation in Turkey’s Thrace region. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from 400 farmers through surveys and analyzed using SPSS v27 The findings revealed that age, education level, land ownership, and organic farming training were significant predictors of adoption. Perceptions of economic sustainability positively influenced adoption, while perceptions of barriers had a negative effect. The qualitative findings identified certification costs, insufficient credit opportunities, and difficulties in accessing organic inputs as the most common challenges faced by farmers. The most requested forms of support included product purchase guarantees, financial aid during certification, and fertilizer–pesticide subsidies. This study provides a foundation for developing policies and programs to promote organic farming in Turkey, contributing to the country’s sustainable agriculture goals. Full article

In light of global climate change and sustainable agricultural growth, it is critical to look at producers’ green production methods. Enhancing the quality of agricultural goods and reducing agricultural pollution are the main goals of future agricultural growth, and this is accomplished by farmers using green production methods. Regarding the research data of 364 vegetable farmers, this study uses structural equation modeling and a mediation effect model to empirically assess the effect of livelihood capital and farmers’ cognition on their green behavior. The results show that (1) natural capital, human capital, financial capital, and social capital in the livelihood capital of vegetable growers may significantly impact producers’ green production behavior. It is not immediately clear how physical capital affects the way green manufacturing practices work. (2) Natural capital and green production behavior are completely mediated by environmental and policy cognition, while human capital and green production behavior are partly mediated by environmental and policy cognition. Human and natural capital indirectly influence farmers’ sustainable production techniques via these activities. Financial and social capital directly influence farmers’ sustainable production methods, with no mediation effect seen. (3) Farmers’ green production behavior is more significantly influenced by their cognitive behavior than by their livelihood capital. Accordingly, it is recommended that environmental education and policy promotion be strengthened, that farmers’ livelihood capital be accumulated via a variety of channels, that farmers’ subsidies for green production be increased, and that farmers’ knowledge of green production be improved. The cognitive level of farmers should also be raised. In addition to providing theoretical justification for analyzing farmers’ green production practices within the framework of sustainable agricultural development, this study also acts as a guide for pertinent government agencies to help farmers choose more ecologically friendly farming methods. Full article

The study evaluates the interest of business-educated Gen Z in pursuing careers in various industries and their potential to accelerate Green Innovation (GI). It specifically focuses on Gen Z in Europe, who are business-educated and pursuing their career in different industry sectors, and aiming to address climate change and sustainable practices. By adopting Green Entrepreneurial Orientation (GEO) and building Absorptive Capacity (AC), companies can significantly contribute to improving Environmental Orientation (EO) by appealing to Gen Z—their future employees and customers. The study aims to survey 280 business-educated Gen Z people in Europe. The findings of the study show that the relationship between absorptive capacity and environmental orientation is not always significant, and the impact can be negligible, specifically when the firms have a low commitment to environmental strategies and have a limited strategic emphasis on sustainable practices. The study aims to encourage innovation and sustainable growth among firms, opening the door to a more sustainable future and attracting goodwill from environmentally oriented Generation Z. The publication/article presents the results of the project financed from the subsidy granted to the Krakow University of Economics. Full article

Due to climate, resource endowment, planting habits, policy publicity, subsidies, and constraints, there have been many problems in the utilization of straw resources in the cold, main grain-producing areas in northern China. Based on the theory of value perception, an analytical framework was constructed, and the ordered logistic model was used to form an empirical analysis of the questionnaire data of more than 60 townships in 7 cities of Heilongjiang Province, trying to analyze the problems existing in the utilization of straw resources. The results show that the external factors include policy subsidy, policy punishment, and transportation convenience. Among the internal reasons, farmers’ personal characteristics, production habits, and perception of technical effectiveness and convenience have a significant impact on the application of straw resource utilization technology. Therefore, improving the intensity and precision of subsidies, strengthening the intensity of punishment, improving the popularization of technology, strengthening the ideological education of farmers to clarify the ecological value of straw resource utilization, and strengthening the construction of infrastructure to improve the convenience of transportation are effective means to promote straw resource utilization technology and promote the green transformation of agriculture. Full article

Education is considered an investment in human capital that is gained at the cost of knowledge acquisition. This cost is borne by the beneficiary along with subsidy provided by the government, if any, that is mainly collected through tax revenues. This article aims to systematically review the utility derived and the burden experienced with educational debt borrowers across the globe as per the three types of educational loan schemes present across the globe. This study follows the PRISMA guidelines for review selection, and 47 articles published between 1994 and 2024 were included for the final review. The study results reveal that education improves the quality of life; an educational debt servicing to income ratio above 8% is considered as a financial burden. Also, the results reveal that material benefits are high after education along with an increase in the psychological burden because of repayment concerns. This study highlights the need to move towards designing a flexible repayment system in the education loan scheme based on the income contingent schemes adopted in many countries. Income contingent schemes reduce the repayment burden of the borrowers but the return to the lender is limited to the income of the borrower, and mortgage-based schemes are associated with high repayment burden. Therefore, a dynamic scheme will fix the problems associated with the repayment burden by creating a dynamic link between the benefits received and the contributions made by the borrower. Full article

Following Vision 2040, Oman seeks to achieve economic diversification and environmental sustainability. In this context, the world’s quest of going electric brings along opportunities as well as challenges. This study aims at determining the key barriers and facilitators of EV adoption in the country. This study examines factors such as consumer acceptance, engagement, and safe driving in relation to EVs, with a specific focus on Oman. To establish what Omani clients prefer, what worries them most, and whether they would consider making the switch to electric vehicles, empirical data on a sufficiently representative number of Omani clients were collected through a survey. According to the responses, 55% of the participants reported that they would be willing to think about purchasing an electric vehicle (EV) for their next car, which suggests a somewhat moderate level of consumer acceptance. Adoption is hindered primarily by concerns about the reliability of batteries in extreme weather conditions, high purchase prices, fear of running out of charge, and lack of sufficient charging stations. Most of the EV drivers appreciate the calm and ease of driving an electric vehicle. As the report states, certain actions must be taken, including creating public awareness through educational programs and campaigns, providing government subsidies or financial incentives, and creating the necessary infrastructure for charging equipment. To address these issues and quicken the pace of Oman’s transition to electric vehicles, this calls for collaboration among policymakers, car manufacturers, and transport planners. Aside from offering actionable recommendations regarding eco-friendly means of transport in Oman, which is relevant to the acceptance of electric vehicles in the country, this research also enhances the understanding of the issues related to the acceptance of electric vehicles in the country. Full article