Some natural rubber farmers mistakenly equate the ecological functions of rubber plantations with those of primary forests. This cognitive bias can hinder pesticide reduction efforts. Meanwhile, natural rubber farmers gain security through price insurance, which helps them adopt a long-term perspective on environmental protection, mitigating the negative impact of cognitive biases on pesticide use decisions. However, existing research often overlooks the influence of ecological cognitive bias on pesticide reduction and the moderating role of price insurance satisfaction. This study utilizes field survey data from Hainan and employs logit models and double machine learning models to empirically analyze the impact of ecological cognitive bias on pesticide reduction among natural rubber farmers. It further tests the underlying mechanisms using moderation models. The results indicate that (1) ecological cognitive bias negatively affects pesticide reduction among natural rubber farmers, and (2) price insurance satisfaction mitigates the impact of ecological cognitive bias on pesticide reduction. Based on these findings, the government should enhance education and training to raise ecological awareness among natural rubber farmers and reduce ecological cognitive biases. Disseminating knowledge about price insurance and establishing a comprehensive insurance system can secure farmers’ income and promote the rational use of pesticides.

Against the backdrop of increasingly frequent extreme weather events and heightened market price volatility, investigating the relationship between agricultural insurance and farmers’ livelihood resilience is crucial for ensuring rural socioeconomic stability. This study utilizes field survey data from 1196 households across twelve county-level divisions (three cities and nine counties) from China’s Hainan and Yunnan provinces, specifically in natural rubber-producing regions. Using propensity score matching (PSM), we empirically examine agricultural insurance’s impact on household livelihood resilience. The results demonstrate that agricultural insurance increased the effect on farmers’ livelihood resilience by 1%. This effect is particularly pronounced among recently poverty-alleviated households and large-scale farming operations. Furthermore, the analysis highlights the mediating roles of credit availability, adoption of agricultural production technologies, and production initiative in strengthening insurance’s positive impact. Therefore, policies should be refined and expanded, combining agricultural insurance with credit support and agricultural technology extension to leverage their value and ensure the sustainable development of farm households.

The development of cooperatives represents an effective solution to address the looming issue of “who will harvest the rubber”. Participation in cooperatives has the potential to increase the income of natural rubber farmers, enhance agricultural operational efficiency, and mitigate risks inherent in agricultural production. Livelihood capital and speculative preferences are key factors influencing natural rubber farmers’ decisions to participate in cooperatives. However, the existing literature has largely overlooked the intrinsic relationship between livelihood capital, speculative preferences, and the participation of natural rubber farmers in cooperatives. This study employs data from a field survey of 506 natural rubber farmers in Hainan Province, utilizing a Logit model to assess the impact of livelihood capital on farmers’ participation in cooperatives. The results indicate that (1) Livelihood capital encourages natural rubber farmers’ participation in cooperatives at the 5% significance level; (2) Speculative preferences negatively moderate the effect of livelihood capital on farmers’ participation in cooperatives. Therefore, the government can enhance farmers’ livelihood capital through education and training while providing financial instruments, such as insurance, to reduce speculative demand, thereby encouraging their participation in cooperatives.

Evaluating the effect of recycling Pesticide Packaging Waste (PPW) is essential for improving recycling rates, which plays a crucial role in controlling environmental pollution and optimizing the efficiency of agricultural resources worldwide. Based on the micro-survey data of 1223 farmers in Yunnan and Hainan provinces of China, this study measures the economic effect by the farmers’ annual total household income and the ecological effect by the ecological environment quality of villages. The propensity score matching method (PSM) is employed to empirically test the economic and ecological effects of farmers’ recycling behavior of PPW and their differences. The research findings are as follows: Farmers’ recycling of PPW can generate significant positive economic and ecological effects, which are 116.7% and 4%, respectively. The heterogeneity analysis shows that farmers with a low degree of land fragmentation have a more obvious economic effect from PPW recycling, while farmers with a higher degree of land fragmentation have a more significant ecological effect; farmers with high pesticide costs have more significant economic and ecological effects from PPW recycling. Based on these findings, it is suggested to increase the attention at the policy level, enhance farmers’ environmental awareness and capacity, and focus on the characteristics of different groups.

Enhancing the capabilities of farmers is of significant importance for improving the sustainability of their development and preventing large-scale poverty reversion. This study is based on field survey data from Wuzhishan city, Baoting, Baisha, and Qiongzhong counties in Hainan Province, collected in 2023. The study employs PSM to empirically analyze the impact of the ecological migration (eco-migration) policy on farmers’ capabilities and its underlying mechanisms. Results show: (1) the eco-migration policy significantly improves the capabilities of farmers and demonstrates strong robustness. (2) the mechanism analysis indicates that the eco-migration policy affects farmers’ capabilities through their participation in agricultural cooperatives. (3) the heterogeneity analysis indicates no significant intergenerational difference in benefits between new and older-generation farmers; however, the eco-migration policy exerts a more substantial impact on ordinary farmers compared to those from cadre families, and its effect on enhancing farmers’ capabilities is more pronounced in villages with higher cadre competence than in those with lower competence. Therefore, continuously improving the eco-migration policy, providing ongoing support to farmers, and encouraging their participation in farmer cooperatives are crucial strategies for enhancing farmers’ capabilities and promoting rural revitalization.