Does land transfer-in promote pesticide reduction? Evidence from Chinese rice farmers

Abstract Pesticide reduction is an important means of achieving sustainable agricultural development and promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of agriculture. Previous studies have generally emphasized the pesticide-reduction effects of farm scale and land transfer, but differences in the pesticide-reduction potential of different land transfer-in models have not been fully explored. Using survey data from 1,130 rice farmers in China, this study examined the effects of land transfer-in, including decentralized and contiguous transfer-in, on pesticide use and further analyzed the mechanisms and heterogeneity underlying the effects of contiguous land transfer-in. The results showed that, first, different modes of land transfer-in had significantly different effects on farmers’ pesticide use. Contiguous land transfer-in significantly reduced pesticide use, whereas decentralized land transfer-in was associated with an increasing trend in pesticide use. Second, the pesticide-reduction effect of contiguous land transfer-in was more pronounced among farmers who signed written land transfer contracts, those operating on a large scale, and lower transaction cost groups. Third, the mechanism analysis showed that contiguous land transfer-in primarily reduced pesticide use by changing farmers’ pesticide application methods and regulating their pesticide-use behavior. Therefore, government departments should fully realize the pesticide-reduction potential of contiguous land transfer-in by promoting contiguous land transfer, standardizing land transfer contracts, cultivating large-scale farm operators, and improving pesticide application technologies, thereby contributing to the achievement of pesticide-reduction targets.