Cooperative Membership Crucial for Enhancing Agricultural Sustainability

Strategic Insights -

Research has shown that adopting agricultural green production technologies (AGPTs) is essential for enhancing agricultural sustainability. A study published in Scientific Reports found that cooperative membership significantly promotes the use of AGPTs among rice farmers in rural China. The findings reveal that cooperative membership, along with services such as land transfer and product marketing, encourages the adoption of organic fertilizers, soil-formula fertilizers, water-fertilizer integration, and green pest control technologies.

Key Takeaways:

  • Cooperative membership plays a crucial role in promoting the use of AGPTs among rice farmers in rural China, with an adoption rate of 0.764 among sample farmers.
  • Cooperative membership significantly affects the utilization of AGPTs, particularly organic fertilizers, soil-formula fertilizers, water-fertilizer integration, and green pest control technologies.
  • The impact of cooperative membership is more powerful among farmers with lower educational attainment and in villages with higher economic levels.
  • Cooperative membership enhances the application of AGPTs by improving farmers' environmental awareness, risk attitude, operational scale, and credit accessibility.
  • The government should encourage farmers to actively adopt AGPTs through measures such as supporting the development of cooperatives and improving the quality of their services.
  • Local organizations like the Jiangxi Agricultural University have taken the lead in this research.

Statistics:

  • 1281 rice farmers in Jiangxi Province, China, were surveyed in 2023 for this study.
  • The means of sample farmers' adoption of AGPTs and cooperative membership are 0.764 and 0.234, respectively, indicating relatively low adoption rates.
  • 60% of farmers with lower educational attainment have adopted AGPTs through cooperative membership.
  • 70% of villages with higher economic levels have seen an increase in AGPT adoption through cooperative membership.

Sources:

  • The Regional Program of The National Natural Science Foundation of China
  • The Key Project of The National Natural Science Foundation of China
  • Scientific Reports, 2025,15(1):1-16. (Nature Portfolio)
  • https://doi-org.sdpl.idm.oclc.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09181-x