Research On China Rural Non-Point Pollution During The Urban-Rural Dual Structure Transformation

In Chinese rural areas,one of the greatest environmental challenges caused by using agrochemicals(fertilizers and pesticides)in large quantities is non-point pollution,which has a negative impact on people's health and the sustainable development of rural areas.As part of the national physical sciences fund project,called "Research on the Evolvement of the Rural Settlement System and the Optimization of the Rural Inhabitable Environment in Jianghan Plain(40671050)", this dissertation aims to research into,non-point pollution in the process of the urban-rural dual structure transformation.Firstly,it analyzes the formation of non-point pollution in the process of the city-rural dualistic structure transformation from the macro level,the micro level and the institutional level.Secondly,it attempts to establish a framework for the analysis of non-point pollution.Thirdly,it tries to put forward some suggestions on how to control non-point pollution at low costs.The dissertation argues that non-point pollution in the process of the urban-rural dual structure transformation is mainly caused by structural adjustment of agriculture,behavior of farm households and institution.The dissertation is divided into five parts,namely seven chapters.The first part is Chapter One—Introduction,which aims to introduce the topic and the way of research.It outlines the structure,content and research method of the dissertation,and also briefly explains the innovations and limitations of the dissertation.The second part consists of Chapter Two and Chapter Three,which is a macro-level study on the effects of structural adjustment of agriculture on the environment.Chapter Two expounds the correlation between agricultural production and the environment.On the one hand,as a land-using activity,agriculture influences the environment to a large extent;on the other hand,agriculture also depends on the environment.In the process of the urban-rural dual structure transformation,structural adjustment of agriculture gives impetus to agricultural development.However,structural adjustment and element substitution has also led to rapid increase in the amount of application of agrochemicals in the past three decades.As a result,non-point pollution has become more serious.Chapter Three is theoretical explanation of effects of structural adjustment of agriculture on the environment and empirical verification it with chronological data.The dissertation constructs a model which shows the effects of structural adjustment of agriculture on the environment.The model makes it clear that the effects can be positive or negative,with structural adjustment as the determining factor. A regional analysis of structural adjustment and changes in agricultural input demonstrates that the input of fertilizers and pesticides is on the rise in most regions.The model of agricultural development in many regions is turning quickly from depending on traditional input to depending on capital input. The "high input,high yield,high emission" pattern of agricultural development has come into being. This hypothesis is substantiated through co-integration analyses and Grange Causality Test.The third part consists of Chapter Four and Chapter Five,which is a micro-level study on the agrochemical input behavior of farm households.Structural adjustment of agriculture in essence results from behavior of farm households.Chapter Four is an empirical research on the input of fertilizers by farm households.The output elasticity of fertilizers is only 0.1 on average,and excessive fertilizers are used in farming.There are three main factors affecting the application of fertilizers: working population in farm households,level of urbanization and average net income.The empirical research shows that with the population keeps increasing,most farm households still choose to use more fertilizers to guarantee the yield,but they no longer use organic fertilizers to preserve the productivity of the land.The reason for this is that the urbanization process has changed the opportunity cost of farmers' labor.Chapter Five studies the input of pesticides by farm households.An empirical study on the use of pesticides on three crops(corn,wheat and late rice)shows that the output elasticity of pesticides is as low as below 0.1,which means rural households tend to increase the input of pesticides despite the small marginal output.The use of pesticides is determined by many factors,such as land per household,revenue,prices of pesticides,working population in farm households,and non-cereal crop ratio.The micro-level analysis of the agrochemical input behavior of farm households concludes that the input of both fertilizers and pesticides is far from optimal and it results in non-point pollution.The fourth part is Chapter Six,which analyzes the behavior of farm households from an institutional standpoint.There is an institutional reason for the wide use of agrochemicals in China. The absence of property rights to farmland has encouraged a preference for short-term profit.Since farm households value land use rather than land maintenance,input which brings profit in the short run rather than input which brings profit in the long run,using agrochemicals in large quantities has become a possibility.Besides,other institutional problems which encourage the production and distribution of agrochemicals have made matters worse,turning the "possibility" into a "reality."The fifth part is Chapter Seven—Conclusion.The dissertation argues that in order to control non-point pollution,transforming incentive factors should play a leading role,adjusting the behavior of farm households should be given priority,and non-point pollution in intensive farming areas should be dealt with first.An integrated non-point pollution control system which combines legal,economic and administrative means should be established.To reduce the environmental cost agricultural production,it is necessary to strike a balance between the benefits and costs of a policy. Fundamentally speaking,the right way to develop agriculture is to control non-point pollution and develop a resource-saving and environment-friendly pattern.The innovations of the dissertation can be summed up in four points.First,the research object is specific.The dissertation focuses on non-point pollution caused by using agrochemicals in "agricultural development." Therefore,the analysis of the problem is more insightful and the suggestions more pertinent.Second,the dissertation tries to study non-point pollution in agricultural development against the background of urban-rural dual structure transformation,and construct an analytical framework that incorporates the macro level,micro level and institutional level,which provides theoretical support to the control of non-point pollution.Third,the dissertation combines theoretical analysis with empirical verification.It elaborates and validates the effects of structural adjustment of agriculture on the environment,evaluates the agrochemical input behavior of rural households,identifies the factors affecting the use of agrochemicals by farm households,and analyzes the institutional reasons for the use of agrochemicals.Last but not least,the dissertation uses many kinds of research methods,both macro and micro,qualitative and quantitative,inductive and deductive.It refers to the research results of many other disciplines and tries to provide methodological support to the conclusions of the study.