Using Voluntary Incentive Policies To Reduce Fertilizer And Pesticide

Since the 70s of the 20th century, water environment in China has been deteriorating. The major pollutants emissions significantly exceed the environmental capacity, and especially the eutrophication caused by TN and TP seriously deteriorates. Hence, some areas appear that rivers are dry and water is polluted. The first national census on pollution sources published in February 2010 shows as the most sources of TN and TP, agriculture pollution source is a main origin that damages the water environment, in which COD emissions also exceed the industry source. At the same time, a great deal of study show that agriculture nonpoint source (ANPS) pollution is the main cause for eutrophication in Lake Tai watershed.As an active agent of rural environment, Farmer's practice and daily behavior make a direct impact on ANPS pollution. From the perspective of farmers, this study reveals the mechanisms which farmers'practices affects ANPS pollution and the farmers'response to voluntary incentive policies. The purpose of this research is to explore the appropriate voluntary incentive policy and the countermeasure for ANPS pollution control.First of all, based on the literature review of ANPS pollution control techniques and policy instruments, this study proposes that voluntary incentive policies which emphasis on the participation of farmers and balance farmers'practices and environmental protection is the suited policy instrument for ANPS control in China.Secondly, based on farmers'agriculture practices, this study constructs an analysis framework of farmers'practices for nonpoint source pollution control in Lake Tai watershed and designs peasant household questionnaire. Then according to Comprehensive Management Program of Water Environment in Lake Tai Watershed issued by the State Council, fix on the sample area, organize the peasant household survey, and collect the information about farmers'practices, daily behavior and otherwise at last.In addition, after data processing, the study analyses the farmer preferable choice of voluntary incentive policies for ANPS pollution control and the factors with related econometric models. Simultaneously, it reveals the mechanism how farmers respond to environment-friendly agriculture practice polices. Otherwise the econometric models contain two parts:(1) In the policy combination for Fertilizer and Pesticide Reduction Program, with the conjoint analysis method, it designs five attributes which are reduction operations, soil testing and fertilizer recommendation, technical assistance, discount loan, and subsidies. According to the econometric analysis of several models, the preferable voluntary incentive policy is the technical assistance.(2) Furthermore, to analyze the influences of farmers training with the multi-logistic regression and the result shows that in the total sample model, age, land scale, training history and environmental awareness are significant variables; in Zhejiang model, the significant variables are age, residents type, education, floating population and training history variable; however, in Jiangsu model, the significant variables are age, land scale, training history and environmental awareness, which is the same with the total sample model.Finally, this article concludes that:(1) Due to emphasizing the farmers participation and balancing farmers'practices and water environment protection, voluntary incentive policy is the suited instrument for ANPS control in China. (2) Technical assistance is the preferable choice in Fertilizer and Pesticide Reduction Program. (3) In the factors which affect farmers'participation in ANPS control program, land scale and environmental awareness play positive roles while floating population, the rural aging and concurrent occupation problems play negative roles contrarily.