Work

Pesticide Behaviors Under Output Price Risk: Evidence From China's Lychee Market

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT The influence of output price risk on pesticide behavior is a critical area of research. This study explores the effect of output price risk on pesticide consumption by combining a nationally representative sample of lychee farmers with high‐frequency prices along the supply chain in China. Our findings robustly demonstrate that agricultural households significantly increase their pesticide expenditure when output price risk rises. Furthermore, we identify that the operating mechanism is driven by increased nonfarm work participation among peer households. The heterogeneity analysis indicates that the effects of output price risk are especially pronounced in the consumption of herbicides and conditioners and among small‐scale households. In the analysis of typical plots, we further find that agricultural households tend to increase spraying intensity instead of spraying frequency. The insights derived from this study can assist policymakers in formulating agricultural policies to enhance farmers' pesticide management practices amid the instability of output prices.

Source: Agribusiness

DOI: 10.1002/agr.22033

Authors: Zheng Pan, Xuyun Zheng, Chukun Huang

Institutions: Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University, Beijing Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Agricultural Innovations and Practices

Subfield: General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University, National Natural Science Foundation of China