Exploring Mediating Factors between Agricultural Training and Farmers’ Adoption of Drip Fertigation System: Evidence from Banana Farmers in China
(1) Background: Rare empirical evidence has been explored concerning the ways in which training affects farmers’ adoption of resource conservation technology in agricultural production. This study attempts to analyze the role of three factors, including farmers’ absorptive capacity, social interacti...
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MDPI AG
2021-05-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/10/1364 |
| _version_ | 1797534107562934272 |
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| author | Qian Yang Yueji Zhu Fang Wang |
| author_facet | Qian Yang Yueji Zhu Fang Wang |
| author_sort | Qian Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | (1) Background: Rare empirical evidence has been explored concerning the ways in which training affects farmers’ adoption of resource conservation technology in agricultural production. This study attempts to analyze the role of three factors, including farmers’ absorptive capacity, social interaction and active learning, in bridging agricultural training and farmers’ adoption of the drip fertigation system (DFS), based on the primary data of 632 banana farmers collected in China. (2) Methods: A mediation model is used to estimate the role of farmers’ absorptive capacity, social interaction and active learning in the relationship between agricultural training and farmers’ adoption of the DFS. A treatment effect model (TEM) is employed to address the potential endogeneity problem. (3) Results: The results show that agricultural training has significantly increased farmers’ adoption of the DFS in banana cultivation. The mediating effect of the three factors appears statistically significant. Specifically, farmers’ active learning contributes to the effect of agricultural training on encouraging their adoption of the DFS by around 60 percent; farmers’ absorptive capacity and social interaction contribute about 30 and 10 percent, respectively. This study also find that agricultural training can increase farmers’ adoption rate of the DFS by 18.75 percent after the endogeneity problem has been addressed using the treatment effect model (TEM). (4) Conclusions: The findings suggest that agricultural training can promote farmers’ adoption of the DFS through improving their absorptive capacity, social interaction and active learning. Understating these mediating factors will enable extension agency to design effective agricultural training programs and better promote resource-conservation technologies in developing countries. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:24:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-87ed1677ee15444b99a1beb0db1a864b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:24:58Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
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| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-87ed1677ee15444b99a1beb0db1a864b2023-11-21T19:43:09ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412021-05-011310136410.3390/w13101364Exploring Mediating Factors between Agricultural Training and Farmers’ Adoption of Drip Fertigation System: Evidence from Banana Farmers in ChinaQian Yang0Yueji Zhu1Fang Wang2Department of Agriculture & Forestry Economics and Management, Management School, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, ChinaDepartment of Agriculture & Forestry Economics and Management, Management School, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, ChinaDepartment of Agriculture & Forestry Economics and Management, Management School, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China(1) Background: Rare empirical evidence has been explored concerning the ways in which training affects farmers’ adoption of resource conservation technology in agricultural production. This study attempts to analyze the role of three factors, including farmers’ absorptive capacity, social interaction and active learning, in bridging agricultural training and farmers’ adoption of the drip fertigation system (DFS), based on the primary data of 632 banana farmers collected in China. (2) Methods: A mediation model is used to estimate the role of farmers’ absorptive capacity, social interaction and active learning in the relationship between agricultural training and farmers’ adoption of the DFS. A treatment effect model (TEM) is employed to address the potential endogeneity problem. (3) Results: The results show that agricultural training has significantly increased farmers’ adoption of the DFS in banana cultivation. The mediating effect of the three factors appears statistically significant. Specifically, farmers’ active learning contributes to the effect of agricultural training on encouraging their adoption of the DFS by around 60 percent; farmers’ absorptive capacity and social interaction contribute about 30 and 10 percent, respectively. This study also find that agricultural training can increase farmers’ adoption rate of the DFS by 18.75 percent after the endogeneity problem has been addressed using the treatment effect model (TEM). (4) Conclusions: The findings suggest that agricultural training can promote farmers’ adoption of the DFS through improving their absorptive capacity, social interaction and active learning. Understating these mediating factors will enable extension agency to design effective agricultural training programs and better promote resource-conservation technologies in developing countries.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/10/1364agricultural trainingtechnology adoptionactive learningabsorptive capacitysocial interaction |
| spellingShingle | Qian Yang Yueji Zhu Fang Wang Exploring Mediating Factors between Agricultural Training and Farmers’ Adoption of Drip Fertigation System: Evidence from Banana Farmers in China Water agricultural training technology adoption active learning absorptive capacity social interaction |
| title | Exploring Mediating Factors between Agricultural Training and Farmers’ Adoption of Drip Fertigation System: Evidence from Banana Farmers in China |
| title_full | Exploring Mediating Factors between Agricultural Training and Farmers’ Adoption of Drip Fertigation System: Evidence from Banana Farmers in China |
| title_fullStr | Exploring Mediating Factors between Agricultural Training and Farmers’ Adoption of Drip Fertigation System: Evidence from Banana Farmers in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring Mediating Factors between Agricultural Training and Farmers’ Adoption of Drip Fertigation System: Evidence from Banana Farmers in China |
| title_short | Exploring Mediating Factors between Agricultural Training and Farmers’ Adoption of Drip Fertigation System: Evidence from Banana Farmers in China |
| title_sort | exploring mediating factors between agricultural training and farmers adoption of drip fertigation system evidence from banana farmers in china |
| topic | agricultural training technology adoption active learning absorptive capacity social interaction |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/10/1364 |
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