Ziyuan Kexue (Jun 2023)
Impact of farmers’ time preference on their adoption intention of bio-pesticides: Based on the moderating effect of agricultural technology extension mode
Abstract
[Objective] Time preference is the psychological preferences of actors about the current and future utility in cross-decision making. The preference for “current utility” or “future utility” of pesticides is essential for bio-pesticide adoption. [Methods] Based on the experimental data of farmers in Sichuan Province in 2021, this study analyzed the impact of time preference on the willingness of farmers to adopt bio-pesticides, and further examined the moderating effect of extension approaches on time preference. [Results] The results show that: (1) Time preference significantly weakened the willingness of farmers to adopt bio-pesticides, and farmers who pay high attention to “current utility” always showed lower willingness. (2) The moderating effect suggests that agricultural technology extension measures, such as the establishment of demonstration bases for green pest control technologies, could inhibit the negative impact of time preference on farmers’ willingness to adopt bio-pesticides. For farmers with different levels of literacy，the moderating effect of extension services was heterogeneous. Free distribution of biopesticide products had a more obvious positive effect on farmers with high educational level, while technical training had a more obvious positive effect on farmers with low educational level. [Conclusion] The high time preference of farmers leads to a preference for the “current utility” of pesticides, resulting in a lack of willingness to adopt biopesticides. Agricultural technology extension can effectively mitigate the adverse effects of high time preference, but attention should be paid to adopting differentiated extension methods for farmers with different levels of education.
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