From adaptation to action: climate change behaviour and farm-level investment in Rural China

Understanding how climate change adaptation behaviours shape farmers’ investment decisions carries both theoretical and practical significance for advancing resilient agricultural development. Drawing on survey data from 1064 farm households, this study examines the effects of climate change behaviour on productive investment and the underlying mechanisms. Three findings emerge: (1) adaptation behaviour significantly promotes farm-level investment; (2) information acquisition and efficacy perception are two critical mediating pathways; (3) county-level heterogeneity reflects differences in institutional capacity and resource constraints across counties. The negative, insignificant subsidy coefficient reflects offsetting incentive and crowding-out effects across subsidy intensity levels.