ORIGINAL RESEARCH
From Technology Adoption to Scientific
Application: Can Agricultural Extension
Services Effectively Promote Farmers’
Scientific Fertilization?
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1
College of Economics and Management, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
2
School of Economics and Management, Hubei University of Education, Wuhan, 430205, China
3
School of Law and Business, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430205, China
Submission date: 2023-09-25
Final revision date: 2023-12-09
Acceptance date: 2023-12-29
Online publication date: 2024-05-21
Publication date: 2024-06-07
Corresponding author
Di Liu
School of Economics and Management, Hubei University of Education, 430205, Wuhan, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2024;33(4):4747-4758
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ABSTRACT
Farmers in China generally have unreasonable fertilization behavior. Agricultural extension
services are not only related to popularizing scientific fertilization technology but also affect
farmers’ subsequent technology use behavior to a great extent, which is a critical factor in promoting
farmers’ scientific fertilization. This study aims to clarify whether there are differences in the impact
of agricultural extension services provided by different organizations on farmers’ fertilization behavior,
and to explore the feasible path of agricultural extension services to promote farmers’ scientific
fertilization. This study used the survey data of 1262 farmers in the main rice-producing areas
of Hubei Province to empirically analyze the impact and mechanism of agricultural extension services
on farmers’ scientific fertilization behavior. The study finds that agricultural extension services
have a significant positive impact on farmers’ scientific fertilization behavior. Moreover, the impact
of different agricultural extension service providers on farmers’ scientific fertilization behavior varies.
Specifically, the public sector and farmers’ organizations have a more significant impact on farmers’
scientific fertilization behavior than the private sector. The public and private sectors promote farmers’
scientific fertilization behavior by increasing their value perception. These findings help clarify
the influencing factors of farmers’ fertilization behavior, clarify the path of agricultural technology
extension services, and provide practical policy guidance for developing countries to reduce fertilizer
effectively.