The pig-breeding industry is one of the pillar industries of China’s agriculture. Improving the green total factor productivity of pig breeding is the basis for ensuring the stable supply of pork, and is also the key to the green transformation of the pig industry. The existing studies about the green total factor productivity of pig breeding lack an analysis of regional coordination and the spillover of spatial technology efficiency at the macro level, and most studies focus on the impact of agricultural production’s environment pollution and other undesirable outputs. Based on the input–output index system of the pig-breeding industry’s green production, the DDF directional distance function model and the Malmquist–Luenberger (ML) productivity index were combined to measure the green total factor productivity of the pig-breeding industry. Moran’s I-Theil index model was used to measure and reveal the technical efficiency differences among the dominant regions of the pig-breeding industry in China and the σ-convergence test was adopted to reveal the convergence trend of green total factor productivity. The results showed that: (1) The growth level of green total factor productivity of pig breeding in China was generally low from 2006 to 2018, and there were obvious regional and scale differences. (2) The green total factor productivity of pig breeding in each province had spatial autocorrelation; that is, there was technology spillover. From 2006 to 2018, with the advance of time, a pattern of gradual evolution from low-level equilibrium to high-level imbalance was formed. (3) Through the convergence test, the convergence trend of large and medium-scale development between different regions fluctuated, while the convergence trend of small-scale development between different regions was not obvious. Therefore, it is necessary to increase investment in technological innovation, promote the large-scale and standardized development of the pig-breeding industry, and strengthen the promotion of technology in producing areas with advantages in pig breeding.
Developing low-carbon agriculture has become a development goal for low-carbon economies in various countries, and consumers’ awareness and willingness to pay (WTP) for low-carbon agricultural products is an important link in achieving the sustainable development of low-carbon agriculture. The theory of planned behavior is a widely used framework to explain consumers’ food choices. Considering the intrinsic norms of consumers, their perceptions of low-carbon agricultural products, and shifts in consumer behavior, our study adds the influence of environmental awareness and consumer preferences to the theoretical framework of analysis. We choose the contingent valuing method (CVM) and use 532 consumer questionnaires in Shanghai to validate Chinese urban consumers’ WTP for low-carbon products and its influencing factors. The findings show that Chinese urban consumers have a high overall awareness of low-carbon agricultural products and, after strengthening the conceptual information of consumers, most consumers agree that low-carbon vegetables are more conducive to ecological environment protection, quality, and safety guarantees than conventional vegetables. The existing analysis showed that some variables such as bid price, behavioral attitudes, subjective norms, and consumption preferences significantly influenced consumers’ willingness to pay for low-carbon leafy greens, while the effect of the environmental awareness variable was not significant. Further research found that consumers’ WTP for low-carbon leafy greens showed significant group differences across income, gender, age, and education. Therefore, to promote the consumption of low-carbon agricultural products in China, we should attach importance to the publicity and guidance of low-carbon vegetables and strengthen the certification of low-carbon vegetable products. This study can provide policy reference for reasonably regulating and subdividing China’s low-carbon agricultural products market.
Based on 908 consumer questionnaire data from 15 urban areas in Shanghai, we use the binary logit model to empirically analyze the impact of traceability label trust on consumers’ traceable pork purchase behavior and the moderating effect of food safety identification. After constructing the theoretical analysis framework, this paper verifies it from the two aspects of statistical analysis and econometric analysis and tests the robustness of the final results. The results show that: first, traceability label trust has a significant positive impact on consumers’ traceability pork behavior. Second, food safety identification can significantly strengthen and promote this process. Third, consumers’ purchasing behavior is significantly positively affected by traceable pork consumption scenarios and price labels, but the permanent elderly in the composition of family members significantly negative impact on it. Therefore, we put forward relevant policy suggestions, such as strengthening the knowledge popularization and publicity based on the advantageous commodity attributes of traceable pork, carrying out food safety knowledge popularization education, and enhancing consumers’ risk perception and food safety identification ability.
23 November 2022 in Environment, Development and Sustainability
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on people’s consumption behavior and habits. This paper takes Shanghai, China as a case study and uses a questionnaire survey of urban residents in all districts in Shanghai from April to May in 2022. Herein, we empirically analyze the factors affecting shopping modes for agricultural products, describe how things have changed compared to before the outbreak of the pandemic, and explore the underlying mechanism. This paper can provide a policy reference for how to ensure the safety of people’s food supply in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that urban residents pay more attention to the basic attributes of agricultural products such as the quantity guarantee and health safety, and will adjust their consumption modes for agricultural products according to the needs of families and management. Compared with shopping malls and supermarkets, the quantity and quality assurance of community groups and e-commerce platforms can better meet the consumption situation of agricultural products during the pandemic period. The moderating effect of consumer commodity preference in the positive influence of safety evaluation on the transformation of shopping mode is significant. In general, online e-commerce platforms and community group buying have played a significant role in ensuring the acquisition of supplies needed by people during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it remains to be determined whether the changes in the shopping modes for agricultural products of urban consumers brought by the current COVID-19 pandemic are long term or solidified.
Preventing food waste is important. Analyzing the effects of food waste attitudes on urban residents’ waste production behaviors is necessary to reduce food waste. As Shanghai is a mega-city with a population of 24 million people, once food is adequately supplied, more attention is paid to the safety of food in terms of quantity, quality, and nutrition. COVID-19 gave a shock to the food supply in Shanghai, which in turn resulted in food waste behavior. The moderating effect of pandemic during the COVID-19 is one that has rarely been mentioned in previous studies. An investigation of urban residents was conducted in Shanghai. A total of 1030 valid questionnaires were collected in October 2020. This study examined the influence of food waste attitudes on food waste behavior under the moderating effects of pandemic expectations, quantity safety, quality safety, and price stability using a multivariate ordered probit model. The results show that food waste attitudes had a significant negative effect on food waste behavior at a p < 0.01 level of significance, which means that the more people feel shame about food waste, the less food waste they will have. The interaction coefficient between food waste attitudes and pandemic expectations was positive at a p < 0.1 level of significance. This paper concludes with strategies for dealing with food waste in the future.
About Me
Zengjin Liu, Associate Researcher, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201403, China.
Zengjin Liu, Associate Researcher, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201403, China.