Impact of contract farming on green technological efficiency of farmers: a comparative study of two contract organizational models

作者：Qi Li, Zixuan Wang · 发表于：Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.3389/fsufs.2024.1368997 · 被引用次数：9 · 研究领域：Agricultural Innovations and Practices、Agricultural risk and resilience、Agricultural Economics and Practices

Introduction Engaging in contract farming represents a crucial avenue for developing countries to integrate small farmers into modern agricultural practices. Existing research believes that contract farming offers a promising opportunity for fostering sustainable agricultural development. However, insufficient attention has been directed toward investigating the varying impacts of different organizational models within contract farming on farmers' transition to green production practices. Methods This study investigates the impact of contract farming on green technological efficiency of farmers using survey data from 719 wheat growers in Shandong Province, China. The propensity score matching method and multiple mediation effects models are employed for empirical analysis. Results The organizational model plays a pivotal role in determining whether participation in contract farming can improve the green technological efficiency of farmers. Participation in an integrated model demonstrates a significant effect on improving green technological efficiency, whereas participation in a quasi-integrated model does not show a significant improvement. Integrated contract farming can improve green technological efficiency through expanding the degree of land consolidation and enhancing the level of productive service, whereas quasi-integrated contract farming improves green technological efficiency only by enhancing production intensification. As an economic incentive measure, the effe...