An Analysis On Farmers' Adoption Of IPM Technology And It's Economic Effects

With ecosystem as a governing unit, the technology of IPM has facilitated pest control of agriculture by combining all possible preventing and curing measures,. Although many researches have indicated that IPM technology can alleviate negative effects of traditional chemical pesticides, study on IPM technology's adoption and promoting effects was limited. Following questions have not been fully answred, they are:to what extent did Chinese farmers adopt IPM technology and what are its influences on agricultural production, pesticide saving, and farmers'health, and so on? What was the inner mechanism of these effects? How to improve the promoting efficiency of IPM technology?Based on surveyed data from the rice planting peasants in Wuhu city of Anhui province, following issues were analyzed:(1) factors affecting farmers'IPM technology's adoption of rice planting; (2) the effect of IPM technology on peasants' cost of pesticide application; (3) the effect of IPM technology on farmers'health cost; (4) the effect of IPM technology on grain output; (5) farmers'potential desire on specialized uniform service against agriculture pests.Following conclusions could be reached in this paper:First, the results of empirical research indicated that:among 386 peasant household samples, there were 64.77% peasant household using chemical prevention technology,12.95% using physical prevention technology, and 35.75% using biological prevention technology. It was indicated from analyzing results that:Such factors as peasants'gender, peasants'education degree, and peasants'participation in agricultural training class had positive effects on promoting all types of IPM technology.Head of the household whether engaged in non-farm activities, agricultural labor force within a family and scale of planting area had remarkable effects on adopting chemical prevention IPM technology; percentage of planting rice income in family's total income and scale of planting area had remarkable effects on adopting physical prevention IPM technology; head of the household whether engaged in non-farm activities, the amount of agricultural labor in a household, percentage of planting rice income in family's total income, planting area and farming segments had remarkable effects on adopting biological prevention IPM technology. Second, the household's pesticide cost was reduced remarkably by IPM technology. The research displayed that pesticide cost was reduced remarkably after adopting IPM technology. Moreover, there were other factors of effecting peasant household's pesticide cost:the percentage of rice's commercialization, the ratio of rice income/total income, planting area, employments of workers in spraying pesticide, the type of spraying tools. Third, Peasant health cost of spraying pesticide was reduced remarkably when IPM technology was adopted. Research indicated that a peasant's health cost of spraying pesticide was 74.46 Yuan per year. Peasants'health cost of spraying pesticide was reduced notably with IPM technology adopted. The other factors of effecting peasants'health cost were:age and education of the farmer spraying pesticide, protective measures used by farmer, frequency of spraying pesticide, spraying time, planting area, spraying tools, distance form a farmer to a clinic(hospital), and farmers'ability to read pesticide's label.Fourth, grain output increased rapidly after IPM technology was adopted. It was proved by experiments that compared with traditional pest's prevention and cure methods, on the condition of other factors remaining the same, IPM technology of chemical prevention and curing method could enhance output of early rice; IPM technology of chemical and biological prevention and cure method could boost second rice's output of grain. Analyzing result of econometric model indicated that output of grain was higher under following conditions:seed was more expensive, householder was a male, literacy of householder was higher, and scale of planting area was bigger. Fifth, peasants had showed certain desire and need for specialized and uniform pest specialized unified prevent service. it could be indicated by positivism analysis that 22.02% of farmers were willing to buy "Alternative Prevention", and 12.44% farmers were willing to join "Contracting Prevention"; Econometric result indicated:factors affecting farmers'desire and need for "Alternative Prevention" were:ages of householders, difficulty of householders in nonagricultural employment, the amount of agricultural labor in a household, planting area, planting distance and possibility of planting double cropping rice; the factors affecting farmer's willingness to join "Contracting Prevention" service were:difficulty of householder's in nonagricultural employment, the amount of agricultural labors, planting area, planting double cropping rice and income structure.On the whole, theory and positivism were closely integrated in this paper. Through the empirical research in this paper, the following policy inspiration could be reached:(1) IPM technology should be popularized actively by related departments, and its coordination effect on environment, economy and society should be exerted. Since external benefits exist, farmers' self-selection will not achieve the socially optimal level. In order to guide the farmers choices achieve socially optimal level of adoption, the government must increase efforts in promoting IPM technologies and achieving socially optimal level. (2) Reducing farmer's cost of using pesticide by integrating all kinds of means:in terms of information, systems of non-profit pest monitoring and warning and information spreading should be strengthened; in terms of stimulation, foodstuff market based on pest control and agricultural chemicals residue should be developed; in terms of science, research and subsidy of pest control machinery should be increased. (3) It is necessary to take active measures to reduce health cost of pesticide application: strengthening pesticide safety training for farmers, increase peasants' awareness of pesticide risks, promotion IPM technology, provide convenient and cheap protective equipment and instructions of pesticide application, Improved pest and disease information service system, increase state subsidies for related project. (4) It is necessary to enhance policy support and publicity. Dig out and release latent and hidden desire and need for pest specialized unified prevent diseases and insect Pest through mechanism innovation. Differentiation spreading strategy and service type should be taken by related serving department to promote the efficiency of policy.