Let the Farmers Embrace “Carbon Neutrality”: Taking the Centralized Biogas as an Example

Abstract

The promotion of rural centrally produced biogas (CPB) is an effective carbon neutrality development solution in rural areas. How to better encourage farmers to adopt such products is an important part of the sustainable development of a project. For this reason, focus is needed on the “willingness to embrace (WTE)” and “Willingness to motivate (WTM)” of rural residents for CPB projects and their influencing factors. We chose to conduct questionnaire surveys in rural areas of the Hebei and Shandong provinces of China, using the contingent valuation method (CVM). The results show that 85% of the respondents support CPB. Compared with urban gas, the subsidy demand of rural residents for CPB is 56.78%. The influencing factors of the residents’ WTE are affected by the number of children in the family, whether the village cadres are installed in the family, solar water heaters installed in the family, knowledge and attitudes towards environmental protection, and the embracing of daily energy habits. The influencing factors on the residents’ WTM are age, education level, ownership of arable land, knowledge of environmental protection, etc. Therefore, we propose policy recommendations. First, we must fully understand the willingness and demands of farmers, adopt a reasonable compensation response mechanism, and scientifically calculate financial inputs. The second step is to guide farmers through multi-channel publicity. Third, we aim to improve project operation efficiency, reduce operating costs, and minimize the government’s financial burden on the basis of ensuring that farmers’ demands are considered in a coordinated manner.