Capital endowments and adoption of agricultural green production technologies in China: A meta-regression analysis review

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2023-11, Vol.897, p.165175-165175, Article 165175
• Main Authors: Han, Hongyun, Zou, Kai, Yuan, Zhen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural green production technologies; Capital endowments; China; Meta-regression analysis
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165175

The promotion of agricultural green production technologies (AGPTs) is a fundamental channel of agricultural sustainable development, and the capital endowments that drive farmers to adopt AGPTs have sparked an enormous interest. Given the mixed findings of 237 primary empirical studies on the link between capital endowments – AGPTs adoption, this systematic quantitative review conducts a meta-regression analysis method to estimate the genuine effects of different capital endowments in terms of eleven proxy factors on AGPTs adoption in China. Combining the estimation strategies of Weighted Least Squares (WLS) and Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA), our findings reveal that three proxy factors (Technical training, Family income, and Government subsidies) are infected by publication bias, and the study-to-study variation between those published studies that focus on these proxy factors stems from several heterogeneity features, such as the types of AGPTs, measurements of adoption decision, and model specification. After controlling the above issues, there are still six proxy factors attached to five types of capital endowments—Technical training, Labor force, Assets, Land size, Social network, and Government subsidies—present positive and significant genuine effects on AGPTs adoption. These effects are robust to different estimation strategies or model specifications. As farmers normally possess a low level of capital endowment and willingness to adopt AGPTs in most developing countries, such study findings are expected to provide some enlightenment for future research and policies related to the effective promotion of AGPTs, which may contribute to carbon reduction, environmental protection of farmland, and agricultural sustainable development. [Display omitted] •Findings of existing studies about agricultural green production technologies adoption are conflicting in China.•Meta-Regression Analysis of capital endowments promoting technology adoption.•Conflicting findings steam from some heterogeneity features and publication bias.•Six proxy factors present positive genuine effects on technology adoption.