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Protecting and improving cultivated land quality is a key way to the realization of agricultural modernization. The Chinese government advocates agricultural producers to implement cultivated land protection and quality improvement behavior (CLPQIB). However, the cultivated land management rights of family farms are not so stable. In order to study how stability of land management rights (SLMR) affects family farms’ CLQPIB, promoting family farms in adopting technologies to protect cultivated land, this study investigated 117 family farms in Anhui and Hubei provinces by stratified sampling and analyzed data through the logistic regression model and marginal effects model. The results showed that transferred land ratio, contract types, and contract duration affected family farms’ CLPQIB significantly. The probability of family farms applying organic fertilizer decreased by 0.9% for every 1% increase of the transferred land ratio. Family farms’ rented land through formal contracts have a 21.4% higher probability of adopting planting–breeding technology than family farms’ rented land through informal contracts. For every additional year of the rental contract duration, the possibility for family farms to replace chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer, pesticides reduction, and integrated planting-breeding increase by 2.1%, 2.2%, and 1.3%, respectively. The results of this study can guide policy makers with further regulating land transfer behavior, guide family farms with signing formal lease contracts, and extending the duration of lease contracts, improving the cultivated land protection behavior of family farms.

Nowadays, there is a growing interest in pro-environmental foods produced by pro-environmental practices. However, consumers’ payment motivations towards such foods are currently poorly understood. This manuscript provided a critical investigation of Chinese consumers’ intention to pay a premium (ITPP) for rice grown with green manure as crop fertilizer (GMR). One focus was the establishment of an explanatory structural research framework that includes effects of environmental behavior spillover (EBS) and public information induction (PII), another focus was to analyze the impacts of the selected structural elements on ITPP by introducing education as a moderator. Results suggest that consumers’ ITPP can be largely influenced by PII, therefore, for GMR marketers and policy makers, measures should be developed to widen consumers’ access to public information related to GMR and to improve their capacity of screening effective information. EBS, when ITPP remains low, emerged as a pivotal predictor of consumers’ ITPP. This observation provides us with the enlightenment that breeding consumers’ daily environmental behaviors is highly valued to inspire their payment intention in the early stages of GMR market development. Another finding is that, with the introduction of the educational variable, the influence coefficients of EBS and PII on ITPP increased from 0.42 and 0.53 to 0.61 and 0.66, respectively, which means that it is possible to boost consumers’ payment intention by improving their educational attainment. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence for the GMR industrial upgrading strategy and have significant implications for the environmental governance of the agricultural sector.

Currently, the Chinese government is promoting the transformation of clean energy in rural areas to reduce the consumption of coal to cope with the smog. It is mainly based on “coal to gas”. The development of biomass resources in agricultural areas is an alternative means of energy supply. In order to improve rural energy structure, we propose to upgrade “coal to gas” to “coal to biomass” derived from centralized biogas production (CBP) and straw-briquetting fuel (SBF). This study deals with the question of financing such projects. The public–private partnership (PPP) model is seen as a response that can mobilize social capital to finance investments in these new modes of production and energy supply in rural areas. Based on an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of the two projects considered above, an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was carried out with the assistance of experts in order to clarify the strategic choices which are more suitable for investors. First, we built a PPP strategic-decision model. The decision model was divided into four strategies (pioneering strategy, struggling strategy, conservative strategy and striving strategy) and two development intensities (conservative and proactive). We used this method to construct a SWOT–AHP model of the PPP strategy for CBP and SBF based on the investigation from the experts. The strategic-decision model identified that a pioneering strategy based on opportunity type is promised for SBF, while a more aggressive type strategy in struggling strategy is essential for the CBP. In order to encourage investors to adopt a positive and optimistic attitude towards the two projects, the public authorities have a role of guidance to ensure the mobilization of the social capital necessary for the construction of the projects.

Corn stalk return (CSR) can manage agricultural residues on the spot to avoid field open burning and protect the environment. However, the implementation of this measure encounters reluctance from farmers which hinders its sustainability. This study combined the economic (cost) and technical (return amount, crushing quality, and decomposition of corn stalk) aspects to examine the factors affecting farmers' willingness to participate in the CSR by using a logistic regression model. The level of willingness to accept (WTA) compensation and its determinants were analyzed by using a tobit model. Based on the survey of 925 farmers, this study found the likelihood of farmers' participation in CSR will be decreased when CSR has high machinery cost, an excessive amount of stalk, poor quality of crushing, and slow decomposing rate. The farmers' WTA for CSR was estimated at about 711 Chinese Yuan (RMB) per ha annually, much higher than the current compensation level of 75-225 RMB per ha in Henan. Farmers were willing to be compensated more because of the high cost and slow decomposing rate. The issues in economic and technical sides should attract more attention, and the compensation should be increased and the technical problems should be solved to stimulate farmers' willingness of CSR. By providing a fuller understanding of farmers' CSR behavior, this study can serve as a reference for the Chinese government to develop and implement better policies.

Environmental impacts of milk production are depending on the production efficiency of livestock and cropland. A mode of integrated maize silage planting and dairy breeding system (IPBS) has been widely promoted in China, as a promising way to recycle manure, reduce chemical fertilizer consumption and improve soil quality. However, quantitative environmental impacts and mitigation potential of this system remains unclear. In this study, based on life cycle assessment (LCA), environmental performance of non-IPBS and IPBS were compared: non-IPBS only involved dairy cow breeding, whereas maize silage planting was incorporated in IPBS. Results indicated that, although 60% of the surveyed dairy farms adopted IPBS, the self-sufficiency rate of maize silage was 57%. Compared with non-IPBS, IPBS had apparent potential in reducing global warming potential (−14%), acidification potential (−10%), eutrophication potential (−18%), non-renewable energy use (−10%), water use (−8%) and land use (−13%). It is estimated that, in China, 81% of dairy farms could adopt IPBS, resulting in a reduction of approximately 21% in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to compared with current situation, but the premise is that 2.0 million ha cropland should be applied for maize silage cultivation. Interestingly, environmental performance of IPBS was affected by the self-sufficiency rate of maize silage and restricted by milk yield and maize silage yield. Thus, mitigation of environmental impacts of milk production could be realized by combining a short-term strategy of increasing maize silage planting area in dairy farms and a long-term plan for technological improvements in the yield of crop and milk.

This study investigated smallholder farmers' adoption preferences for cropping patterns of cover crops, duration of adoption, and supplementing technical support to reduce agrochemicals regarding sustainable farm management (SFM). A discrete choice experiment was conducted in the Hexi Corridor (D1) and the west Loess Plateau (D2) in northwest China. The results show that farmers in D1 preferred intercropping and rotating cover crops to the current single cropping system, while farmers in D2 prioritized intercropping over rotation and least preferred planting cover crops in marginal land in the double-cropping system. Farmers in both sites preferred 1 or 3 years of adoption over 5 years. Additionally, farmers in D2 preferred technical assistance to reduce the high proportion of agrochemicals. The results indicate that younger farmers with higher annual household incomes were most likely to opt out in D1. In D2, more agricultural labor inputs and raising livestock had positive effects on the adoption of the package. Moreover, farmers who cultivated cash crops were more reluctant to move away from the current cropping system. This study highlights the uses of cover crop intercropping and rotation combining with technical assistance in different agriculturally intensive cropping systems that may be useful in guiding site-specific policy.

CONTEXT Farmers' decision-making related to the use of winter fallow fields is an issue of great concern to policymakers in China. An improved agricultural system, the rice-green manure rotation system (RGRS), has attracted more and more attention because of its efficient utilization of these fields and its outstanding comprehensive benefits. Despite the government's growing promotion, unfortunately low adoption has been observed among farmers. OBJECTIVE In this case, exploring the factors that affect farmers' adoption of RGRS has become the key to crack the above dilemma. METHODS This study therefore aims to reveal the factors determining farmers' intention and behavior to adopt RGRS by extending the theory of planned behavior (TPB) based on 1217 samples collected in the southern paddy field region (SPR) of China. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Results firstly validated the applicability of the extended TPB framework in analyzing farmers' intention and behavior to adopt RGRS. Subsequently, we found that farmers' intention to adopt RGRS can be greatly influenced by the perceived behavioral control, especially the control beliefs with regard to capital restriction and the expected environmental benefits of RGRS. Therefore, supportive policies should be formulated to improve farmers' behavioral capacity and, specialized training should be organized to improve their expected environmental benefits. Subjective norm, especially those derived from interpersonal relationships, emerged as another pivotal independent predictor of farmers' intention to adopt RGRS. This observation provides policy makers with enlightenment that strengthening the interpersonal social network is highly valued to improve farmers' adoption intention. Another finding is that there was a highly positive consistency between farmers' intention and behavior to adopt RGRS, which provides a possibility to predict, strengthen and test farmers' behavior based on their intention. More importantly, the comparison between the estimation results of the extended model and the original model shows that eco-compensation significantly increased the probability of intention being converted into behavior by moderating the influence intensity of perceived behavioral control on intention. SIGNIFICANCE These results can help policy makers better understand which influence farmers' adoption of RGRS and what targeted measures can be taken to popularize the improved agricultural system.

The influence of cropping systems on nutrition and food safety is controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of an organic cropping system (OCS) on wheat nutrition and food safety at the molecular level by using a comprehensive research method. Nutrient deviation in samples from an OCS and a conventional cropping system (CCS) were detected, and 58 biomarkers were selected through multivariate statistical analysis and were further qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. The health risk of heavy metal(loid)s (HMs) for different populations was assessed based on the estimated average daily dose and recommended ingestion reference dose, which indicated that populations ingesting grains from OCSs had higher non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks. Additionally, HMs posed greater non-carcinogenic risks to children under five years old and greater carcinogenic risks to adults.This study highlights the need to consider the potential risk from HMs and nutritive ingredient differences in organic food.

In recent years, residue-to-energy utilization has become an important energy source that can alleviate the reliability of fossil fuel, and agricultural residue (AR) transportation has great potential for optimization in the AR supply chain. However, various methods presented make their correct implementation difficult for sustainable optimization. Therefore, four key issues of the AR transportation for bioenergy production have been thoroughly reviewed: (i) distribution of AR in cropland, (ii) estimation of transportation distance, (iii) variability of vehicle arrangements, and (iv) (de)centralized transportation patterns. This review has several findings. To begin with, land cover classification method with remote sensing technology is suggested to locate the distribution of AR, thereby being helpful for facilitates decision-making optimization. Second, electronic navigator applications (Google Maps or Baidu Maps) are recommended for transportation distance estimation, and the implementation of manipulating Baidu Maps with R is provided. Third, the vehicle selection bias would bring estimation gaps, so a vehicle database is required to satisfy the local needs. And finally, transportation distance, the requirement of AR pretreatments and brokers’ participation can affect the decision of (de)centralized transportation patterns. The findings and technical details discussed are especially useful for researchers and bioenergy project investors who intend to reduce the AR transportation cost in the future, especially for developing counties.

Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) is one of the most common causes of stroke worldwide and, in particular, has been implicated as a leading cause of recurrent ischemic stroke. We developed a new rat model to study intracranial atherosclerosis.Twelve-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into a control (on a maintain diet) and a high-cholesterol group (on a daily 1% cholesterol diet) for up to 6 weeks. During the first two weeks, NG-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME, 3 mg/mL) was added to the drinking water in the high-cholesterol group to induce intimal changes making the rats susceptible to atherosclerosis. Blood lipids, including low-density lipoprotein (LDL), cholesterol (CHO), triglycerides (TG), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), were measured after 3 and 6 weeks. Histological sections of the brains, including internal carotid artery (ICA), middle cerebral artery (MCA), and basilar artery (BA), were prepared to study intracranial artery morphometry and intimal thickening. The levels of CD68, an inflammatory marker, within the vessel walls as determined by immunohistochemistry were also measured.The high-cholesterol diet increased the levels of classic blood markers of atherosclerosis, LDL, CHO, and TG as well as decreased HDL, which became progressively more intensive with time. Rats showed increased intimal thickening in the ICA, MCA, and BA. This protocol also increased the levels of CD68 immunoreactivity within the vessel walls.A rat model of intracranial atherosclerosis was effectively developed by high-cholesterol diet and L-NAME administration. This clinically relevant model would be beneficial for studying ICAS.

Urban households account for most of the milk consumption in China, but their consumption is hampered by safety concerns. Using survey data collected in Beijing and Harbin in 2010, this paper simultaneously analyses urban households' milk consumption using a multiple linear model and their willingness-to-pay for milk safety using an ordered choice model. The results of this study show that as income increases, urban households consume more milk and are willing to pay a higher premium for milk safety. Modern food marketing channels play a positive role in stimulating milk consumption and building consumers' confidence in milk safety. The growth in the elderly population influences milk consumption positively, but their demand for milk safety is negatively affected by higher price. The combined analysis of households' demand for milk quantity and safety may be useful to the Chinese government in promoting the development of the domestic milk industry and to dairy firms in exploring the milk market in China.

Planting green manure in fallow croplands in winter can bring various economic and environmental benefits, including increased food production, carbon capture and sequestration, soil retention, sandstorm prevention, water retention, and provision of habitat for biodiversity. However, the increased production cost of planting green manure reduces farmers&rsquo, willingness to adopt this approach, which is unfavorable for its sustainability. This research aims to investigate the influence of instrumental variables on farmers&rsquo, perceptions of sustainable agriculture practices, especially the use of rotation fallow, and tries to understand the relationship between farmers&rsquo, perceptions of using rotation fallow and planting green manure under incentive measures adopted by local authorities in Guangxi Province, China. Using simultaneous equation models, the results show that subsidies and planting training were the most important drivers for restoring green manure planting in the target region. These incentive measures could be further enhanced as a priority to restore green manure planting. The study also finds that socioeconomic factors such as farmer&rsquo, s income, area of farmland, and labor for agricultural production have a certain influence on planting green manure planting and on farmers&rsquo, perceptions of using rotation fallow as a form of sustainable agriculture practice.