Analysis of Influencing Factors and Mechanism of Farmers’ Green Production Behaviors in China

Abstract

The green production behavior of pig farmers is the basis for high-quality development in animal husbandry. In order to solve the problem of poor green production behaviors in small- and medium-sized pig farmers, it is necessary to analyze the influencing factors and how they interact with each other. The Rational Peasant Theory and Prospect Theory were used in this paper to analyze the occurrence motivation of the green production behaviors of small- and medium-sized pig farmers. The Logit model and the ISM analysis method were used to test the influencing factors and their mechanisms. This was conducted using data from a study of 747 small- and medium-sized pig farmers in Henan Province. The results show that the green production behaviors of small- and medium-sized pig farmers are motivated by internal expected return, affected by the monitoring pressure from external stakeholders and limited by their own resource capacity; the influencing factors of different green production behaviors are different, and there are more influencing factors of scientific disease control, standardized management and waste recycling than of rational feeding. The following shows how the influencing factors on pig farmers’ green production behavior interact with one another: level of education → external pressure, farming conditions and operating characteristics → cognition of return → green production behavior (i.e., cognition of return is the direct factor; external pressure, farming conditions and operating characteristics are indirect factors; and level of education is the underlying factor). Some measures should be implemented to promote green production behaviors, such as the continuation of the support for green production, the strengthening of supervision and publicity, the increasing of investment in technology and equipment, and the improving of the green production literacy of farmers. In conclusion, this paper deepens the understanding of the mechanism of green production behaviors of small- and medium-sized pig farmers, and provides the theoretical basis and concrete measures for the government and for pig farmers.