Analysis of the Impact of Rural Households’ Behaviors on Heavy Metal Pollution of Arable Soil: Taking Lankao County as an Example

Abstract

As heavy metal pollution of arable soil is a significant issue concerning the quality of agricultural products and human health, the rural households’ behaviors have a direct impact on heavy metal content in arable soil and its pollution level, but only a few researches have been done at such microscopic scale. Based on 101 field questionnaires of rural households in Lankao County and the monitoring data on heavy metal of arable soil of each rural household, the kind of rural households’ behaviors which impose obvious influence on heavy metal content of arable soil are investigated via single-factor pollution index, Nemerow pollution index and econometric model in this study. The results show that, rural households’ land utilization mode affects heavy metal content in soil, e.g., the degree of heavy metal pollution of soil for intensive planting is higher than that of traditional planting, viz. vegetable greenhouse > garlic land > traditional crop farmland. The management of cultivated land with due scale is beneficial to reducing heavy metal content in soil, that is, the land fragmentation degree is in direct proportion to heavy metal content in soil, so rural households are encouraged to carry out land circulation and combine the patch into a large one. Excess application of fertilizer, pesticide and organic fertilizer will lead to heavy metal pollution of soil, while agricultural technical training organized by government department and the foundation of agricultural cooperative can promote the technical level and degree of organization of rural households and enable them to be more scientific and rational in agrochemicals selection and application, hence reducing or avoiding heavy metal pollution of soil. Single factor pollution level of heavy metal in the soil for planting various crops is different, so it is recommended to prepare various pollution reduction programs for different land types and pollution levels for the harmony and unity of human-nature system.