Agric. Econ. - Czech, 2025, 71(4):173-184 | DOI: 10.17221/296/2023-AGRICECON

Effect of agricultural socialisation services on green grain production efficiency: Evidence from Jiangsu Province, ChinaOriginal Paper

Yue-Dong Zhang1, Jing-Jing Li2, Yi-Fang Zheng3, Jia-Xian Xu3
1 School of Government, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P.R. China
2 School of Economics and Management, Yango University, Fuzhou, P.R. China
3 School of Public Administration and Law, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, P.R. China

In this study, we examine the effect of Agricultural Socialisation Services (ASS) on green grain production efficiency in Jiangsu Province, China, by using data from the China Land Economy Survey. We used the generalised random forests model in this research to address potential issues of farming household self-selection into ASS and unobserved heterogeneity in treatment effects. The results show that participation in ASS significantly improves green production efficiency, particularly for small-scale farmers. Efficiency gains are most pronounced in critical agronomic operations such as pest control, seeding and planting, whereas smaller efficiency effects are observed in plowing, harvesting and straw treatment. The findings suggest that targeted expansion of ASS could substantially enhance sustainable farming practices, especially for resource-constrained farms. This study provides important policy insights for promoting agricultural sustainability through improved access to and delivery of agricultural services, contributing to more efficient and ecofriendly grain production.

Keywords: generalised random forests; small-scale farmers; sustainable farming practises

Received: September 6, 2023; Revised: February 5, 2025; Accepted: February 13, 2025; Prepublished online: April 11, 2025; Published: April 30, 2025  Show citation

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Zhang Y, Li J, Zheng Y, Xu J. Effect of agricultural socialisation services on green grain production efficiency: Evidence from Jiangsu Province, China. Agric. Econ. - Czech. 2025;71(4):173-184. doi: 10.17221/296/2023-AGRICECON.
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