Journal of Ecology and Rural Environment ›› 2023, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (3): 344-352.doi: 10.19741/j.issn.1673-4831.2022.0347

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Impact of Cultivated Land Fragmentation and Labor Force Aging on Rice Fertilizers Application Intensity

ZHANG Chao-zheng1, CHEN Dan-ling2, ZHANG Xu-peng3   

  1. 1. College of Economics and Management, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China;
    2. College of Public Administration, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China;
    3. College of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
  • Received:2022-04-20 Online:2023-03-25 Published:2023-03-21

Abstract: Excessive application of chemical fertilizers has become a common phenomenon in agricultural production, and small farmers dominated management is still the main form of agricultural management in China. Therefore, exploring the internal mechanism of the excessive application of chemical fertilizers by small farmers is the focus of China's agriculture to reduce the quantity and improve the efficiency of chemical fertilizers. Based on the survey data collected from 775 rice farmers in southeast Hubei Province, the ordered logit model was employed to analyze the impact of cultivated land fragmentation and labor force aging on chemical fertilizer application intensity of paddy fields. The results indicate that: (1) Cultivated land fragmentation and labor force aging have a significantly positive effect on chemical fertilizer application intensity, and the effect of cultivated land fragmentation on chemical fertilizer application intensity is far greater than that of labor force aging; (2) The influence of labor force aging and cultivated land fragmentation on chemical fertilizer application intensity are restricted by geomorphology types. The effect of labor force aging on chemical fertilizer application intensity in the low mountain and hilly area is slightly larger than that in the downland and plain area, while the effect of cultivated land fragmentation on chemical fertilizer application intensity in the low mountain and hilly area is much greater than that in the downland and plain area; (3) Cultivated land quality and rice planting scale have significantly negative impact on chemical fertilizer application intensity, while rice commercialization rate has significantly positive impact on chemical fertilizer application intensity.

Key words: cultivated land fragmentation, labor force aging, chemical fertilizer, rice, geomorphology heterogeneity

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