Economic valuation of grassland ecosystem services is important for protecting and restoring grassland ecosystems. This study aims to investigate Chinese netizens’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) for protecting grassland ecosystem services in Inner Mongolia by using the contingent valuation method. The results indicate that 61.55% of respondents expressed a positive WTP. The mean WTP was estimated to be CNY 170.76 (USD 25.11) per person per year. We found that there is a significant spatial difference in respondent’s WTP. Factors such as respondent age, education, household income and concern about grassland protection significantly affected their WTP. Younger, more educated and wealthier respondents have a higher probability of willingness to pay, and those who are concerned about grassland protection present a higher WTP. The regression results also show that distance from the grassland negatively affects the probability and values of people’s WTP. Findings of this research provide useful policy implications for decision-makers involved in grassland protection and management.

Revealing the behavioral decision-making mechanism and behavioral effects of farmers adopting green production technologies will help motivate farmers to actively adopt green production technologies, thereby promoting the development of green agriculture. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 607 Chinese rice farmers, while the endogenous switching regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors and behavioral effects of farmers adopting green production technologies. The results show that the adoption of green production technologies by farmers can significantly increase household income. Among the green production technologies, soil testing and formula fertilization technology has the greatest impact on farmers’ income, followed by straw returning technology and planting green manure. The main influencing factors of farmers adopting green production technologies are education level, cultivated land area, cultivated land fragmentation, soil fertility, and the distance between home and agricultural technology stations. The results of this study provide an empirical basis for relevant government departments to carry out agricultural technology extension work and formulate relevant policies.

Introduction: The ecological and environmental pollution problem at the source of agriculture cannot be ignored, and the manifestation of the fertilizer reduction effect of pro-environmentally agricultural technologies (PEATs) will help motivate farmers to adopt technology, thereby promoting sustainable agricultural development.Methods: From the dual perspectives of farmers’ perception and behavior effects, this paper uses 607 survey data of Chinese farmers, and an endogenous switching regression model is employed to identify the influencing factors of farmers’ adoption of PEATs and manifest its fertilizer reduction effect.Results and discussion: The results of the perception survey show that the farmers’ recognition of the fertilizer reduction effect of PEATs is not high, and the technical effect needs to be further demonstrated. Moreover, the estimated results suggest that PEATs can significantly reduce the fertilizer application of farmers. Specifically, if farmers who have adopted PEATs do not adopt them, they will apply more chemical fertilizers, the farmers who have not adopted PEATs will use less chemical fertilizer if they do. Overall, the main influencing factors for farmers adopting PEATs include education level, government officials, cultivated land area, soil fertility, information access channels, and the distance of home-agricultural technology station. This study aims to provide empirical evidence for the formulation of strategies and plans to promote sustainable agricultural development.