Effects Of Social Network And Risk Preference On Cultivated Land Quality Protection Behavior Of Rice Farmers In Aksu Region

In recent years,the state has become increasingly concerned about the land strength of arable land.financial compensation incentives have been proposed for the first time since 2005,and compensation policies for arable land protection have been continuously optimised and improved in the documents and acts promulgated in China.However,while China has a large population base and a large total arable land area,the arable land area per capita is significantly insufficient,limiting the increase in grain production.China’s arable land has always been used for agricultural production according to the model of high input and high output,which has led to the problem of high-intensity over-utilisation of arable land,lowering the quality level of arable land and making it difficult to further increase grain production.Moreover,due to the topographical characteristics of China,the distribution of arable land is unbalanced,with less arable land located in plains and basins,resulting in a lack of balance in agricultural resources,a low level of arable land and a serious problem of arable land degradation.The problem of arable land degradation is accompanied by arable land pollution,with heavy metal pollution and acidification in the industrially developed south,and salinisation in the north,where a large amount of agricultural film remains in the soil in the northwest,reducing soil quality and hindering agricultural development.Improving the quality of arable land,improving the arable strength of current arable land and securing food security,strengthening agricultural infrastructure and ensuring healthy agricultural development are the core keys.Farmers are the direct beneficiaries of arable land quality protection.By scientifically guiding the behavioural patterns of farmers and promoting their active participation in arable land protection,we can lay a good micro foundation for the improvement of arable land quality in China.Based on social networks and risk preferences,this paper explores the current situation of arable land quality protection in Aksu region,based on the theory of farmers’ behaviour,prospect theory,social network theory and risk preference theory,by combing through relevant literature and researching 532 growers.A factor analysis model was used to measure the social networks of growers,risk preferences were introduced,and an ordered Probit model and one-way variance were used to empirically analyse the effects of social networks and risk preferences and other influencing factors on the level of growers’ participation in cultivated land quality protection.The conclusions drawn are as follows: firstly,the level of active participation of growers in arable land quality protection is low,mainly relying on government-led arable land quality protection to adopt the five types of arable land quality protection behaviors of soil formula application,land leveling,planting green manure,increasing the application of organic fertilizer,and reducing pesticides and chemical fertilizers accounted for 49.06%,9.77%,34.96%,30.26%,and 19.55% of the overall,respectively,through Secondly,social network has a significant positive influence on the level of participation of cultivators in cultivation quality protection,and network size and network trust have a significant positive influence on the level of participation of rice cultivators in cultivation quality protection.Secondly,social networks had a significant positive influence on the level of growers’ participation in farmland quality protection,and network size and network trust had a significant positive influence on the level of rice growers’ farmland quality protection behaviour.Third,risk preference had a significant negative effect on the level of participation of rice farmers in farmland quality protection,and the more risk averse rice farmers were,the more they adopted different farmland quality protection adaptation measures.Fifth,other influencing factors have an impact on the level of participation of rice growers in farmland quality protection,including the proportion of income from rice cultivation to total household farm income,the proportion of total household farm income to total household income,the degree of part-time employment,the importance of farmland quality protection,and the degree of knowledge of farmland quality protection policies.The degree of part-time employment,the importance of cultivated land quality protection,and the knowledge of cultivated land quality protection policies had a significant positive effect on the level of cultivated land quality protection behaviour of rice farmers;the overall health status of the household and the number of household members had a significant negative effect on the level.Six recommendations are made through the conclusions:(1)raise awareness of cultivators on the protection of arable land quality;(2)expand and strengthen the social network of cultivators;(3)promote the diversification of agricultural production by combining cultivation and breeding;(4)improve the agricultural infrastructure and the overall quality of the rural population;(5)enrich and improve the quality of production information for cultivators;(6)improve policies and regulations related to the protection of arable land quality.