| With the acceleration of urbanization and industrialization,massive high-quality rural labor forces were compelled to migrate into the city,which in turn raised the costs for rural labor forces.Most remarkably,this migration has dramatically altered the allocation of agricultural resources.Farming machinery,as a result,emerged as an ideal choice for farmers and substituted the role of human labor.It turns out to be a dominant force that propels the shift from traditional farming to modern agriculture.To promote agricultural mechanization,the Chinese government promulgated the Law of PRC on Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization in the year of 2014,aiming to offer financial support to popularizing the uses of machines in agricultural practices.This act,by cutting the cost of machine purchasing,greatly promoted the input into farming machinery.Yet,as the economy,rural human capital as well as planting practices vary strikingly from one region to another in China,the demand for farming machines in agricultural production also differs.Under the concept of sustainable agriculture,farming machinery input should be carried out in accordance with the situations of different regions as well as the actual demand from farmers with various planting scales,so as to avoid the waste of resources resulted from excessive input,which in turn would affect the elevation of the efficiency of agricultural production.Green Total Factor Productivity(GTFP)is a comprehensive indicator on the efficiency of agricultural production which focuses on a coordinated development of resources-saving,environmental production and economic growth.Raising agricultural GTFP is a requisite for the establishment of an efficient agricultural production system as well as the realization of sustainable agriculture.As the investment in farming machines during agricultural production keeps rising,a study on whether the input contributes to the elevation of agricultural GTFP by exploring how machinery input of the current human capital in rural areas might affect this indicator and analyzing if the machinery input in various regions and by farmers of various planting scales is reasonable would contribute to avoiding the waste of resources during the promotion of agricultural mechanization,in which most of purchased machines are seldom used.Farming machinery,as an advanced technology for agricultural production,is quite demanding to the ability of agricultural laborers.An analysis of how this input from human capital might affect agricultural GTFP could offer empirical evidences for the government to modify its supportive policies for farming machinery purchasing.This paper,based on an analysis of farming machinery input as well as the status quo of agricultural GTFP,discuss The influence of farm machinery input on agricultural GTFP and the possible threshold effect.Analysis The regional differences of farm machinery input on agricultural GTFP from a macro perspective.From the micro perspective,based on the survey data,this paper analyzes the scale difference of farm machinery input of farmers of different sizes on agricultural GTFP.Consider the impact of human capital.From the macro and micro levels,the threshold value of the existing form machinery input is judged.It provides empirical basis for formulating differentiated form machinery support policies.First,this paper,via the application of Fixed Effect Model,analyzes the impact of farming machinery input in the three types of grain producing regions on agricultural GTFP as well as the regional differences therein,so as to judge how this input affects this indicator as well as explore how far the input of human capital impacts it.Furthermore,it seeks to discover whether the farming machinery input in the three types of grain producing areas is reasonable by employing the Panel Threshold Model,in an effort to find the rationality of farming machinery input in these areas and the whole country under limited human capital.Moreover,it analyzes how the farming machinery input of the farmers with three kinds planting scales impacts agricultural GTFP as well as the heterogeneity of the existent scales,in order to judge how the input might affect this indicator and explore how influential the input could be to it.Subsequently,this paper attempts to investigate whether the input of the farmers with the three types of planting scales via the Cross-Section Threshold Model and seek the rationality of the farmers’ machinery input under limited human capital.Finally,this papers aims to offer feasible suggestions to the elevation of agricultural GTFP by promoting agricultural mechanization in accordance with the status quo of various regions and farmers of varied planting scales.The findings of this paper are presented as follows:(1)Farming machinery input and variations of agricultural GTFP across the country are on the rise,yet one region varies sharply from another.From 2000 to 2017,the total input power of form machinery in major grain producing areas and in the balanced areas,the average annual growth rate was 3.82% and 4.57%,respectively.the farming machinery input per acreage in major grain producing areas and in the balanced areas,the average annual growth rate was 3.18% and 4.09% respectively.while the total input power of agricultural machinery grew only 0.87% in the agricultural production of main grain sales areas;yet,the farming machinery input per acreage rose 3.33%.The agricultural GTFP in major grain producing areas,on the whole,was up 0.6 percent.The indicator of major grain sales areas,on the other hand,that’s a 4.4 percent increase.The overall agricultural GTFP in the balanced areas of production and marketing somewhat dropped1.6 percent.(2)Farming machinery input is conducive to the promotion of agricultural GTFP across China and in the three types of grain producing regions,yet the degree and means of influence vary from place to place.The influence coefficient of agricultural machinery input on the increase of GTFP of agriculture in main grain area is 0.45.The influence coefficient of the grain production and marketing balance area is 0.405,and the influence coefficient of the GTFP in the main grain production areas is 0.283.In major grain producing areas and in the balanced areas,the machinery input,by promoting agrotechnological efficiency as well as the advancement of agricultural technologies,facilitates the elevation of agricultural GTFP.In the agricultural production of main grain sales areas in which machinery input mainly contributes to the elevation of agricultural GTFP through agricultural technologies.(3)The impact of machinery input on the agricultural GTFP of the three types of grain producing regions is confined by human capital,while how the latter affects the impact of machinery input on this indicator vary from one area to another.The educational level of labor forces on a national scale enhances of the impact of machinery input on agricultural GTFP;on the other hand,the aging of labor forces abates this impact.In terms of region,the educational level of labor forces in major grain producing regions strengths the positive impact of machinery input on agrotechnological efficiency,which in turn contributes to the promotion of machinery input on agricultural GTFP.The elevated educational level in major grain sales areas and the balanced areas of production and marketing curbs the positive influence of machinery input on the advancement of agricultural technologies,thus further lessening the promotion of machinery input on agricultural GTFP.The aging of labor forces in major grain producing regions abates advancement of agricultural technologies,thus weakening further weakening the promotion of machinery input on agricultural GTFP.The aging of labor forces in major grain sales areas undermines the positive impact of machinery input on the advancement of agricultural technologies and farming efficiency,thereby affecting the conducive impact of machinery input on agricultural GTFP.Furthermore,the aging of labor forces in the balanced areas of production and marketing,by enhancing the positive role that machinery input plays in the advancement of agricultural technologies,further promotes the conducive effect of machinery input on agricultural GTFP.(4)A threshold effect is manifested in the impact of machinery input on agricultural GTFP across China as well as the three types of grain producing regions.The impact of an interaction between farming machinery and human capital upon agricultural GTFP is founded on a threshold effect which treats machinery input as the threshold variable.Meanwhile,a double threshold effect is perceived in the impact of machinery input on agricultural GTFP across China and major grain sales areas.Only when machinery input surpasses the second threshold value(0.317 kw/mu and 0.272 kw/mu)can machinery input exhibit a remarkable effect on the promotion of agricultural GTFP.The impact of machinery input on agricultural GTFP in major grain sales areas and the balanced areas of production and marketing,however,witnesses a single threshold effect.Only when machinery input surpasses the threshold value(0.3112 kw/mu and 0.317 kw/mu)can machinery input exhibit an evident impact on the promotion of agricultural GTFP.The impact of an interaction between farming machinery and education upon agricultural GTFP in major grain sales areas has a double threshold effect that is based on machinery input.Only when machinery input surpasses the second threshold value(0.8375 kw/mu)can the joint influence manifests marked impact on the promotion of machinery input on agricultural GTFP.Furthermore,an interaction between machinery input and aging across China and major grain producing areas on agricultural GTFP displays a double threshold effect based on machinery input.When machinery input exceeds the second threshold value(0.318 kw/mu and 0.272 kw/mu),this interaction proves to show the slightest checking effect on the positive impact of machinery input on agricultural GTFP across China and major grain producing areas.(5)Based on micro survey data.Machinery input displays a positive impact on the promotion of agricultural GTFP for farmers with varied planting scales.Machinery input boosts their agricultural GTFP,yet with the growing of planting scales,this conducive impact starts to decrease.The influence coefficients of agricultural machinery input of small-scale,medium-scale and large-scale growers on GTFP of peasant household agriculture were 0.3018,0.1206 and 0.0711,respectively.The positive impact of machinery input on agricultural GTFP for farmers with small planting scales,on the other hand,is chiefly realized through promoting agrotechnological efficiency.Meanwhile,its impact on farmers with medium or large planting scales is manifested through uplifting agrotechnological efficiency and scale efficiency.(6)Based on micro survey data.The impact of machinery input on agricultural GTFP for farmers with small planting scales is confined by human capital,whose means of affecting the impact varies with scales.The elevated educational level of farmers with small and large planting scales enhances the positive impact of machinery input on agrotechnological efficiency,in turn strengthening the positive role that machinery input play in promoting agricultural GTFP.The improvement of labor force education level of medium-sized farmers has a weakening effect on agricultural machinery input in promoting the improvement of agricultural technical efficiency and scale efficiency,which further weakens the promoting effect of agricultural machinery input on the improvement of GTFP.The ages of farmers with small planting scales enhances the positive impact of machinery input on agrotechnological efficiency,thereby contributing to the positive impact of machinery input on agricultural GTFP.The ages of farmers with medium planting scales work to undo the positive impact of machinery input on agrotechnological efficiency and scale efficiency,in turn weakening the positive impact of machinery input on agricultural GTFP.The ages of farmers with large planting scales,with their marked contribution to the positive impact of machinery input on agrotechnological efficiency and scale efficiency,enhance the positive impact of machinery input on agricultural GTFP.(7)Based on micro survey data.A threshold effect is exhibited in the impact of machinery input on agricultural GTFP for farmers with varied planting scales.The impact of machinery input,which includes the interaction between machinery and human capital,on this indicator also shows a threshold effect.Yet,the impact of machinery input of farmers with small or medium planting scales on agricultural GTFP manifests a single threshold effect,the threshold values are 0.23 kw/mu and 0.47 kw/mu,respectively,while that of farmers with large planting scales exhibits a double one,the threshold values are 0.34 kw/mu and 0.43 kw/mu,respectively.No threshold effect is evinced in the impact of machinery input,including the interaction between machinery and human capital,from farmers with small planting scales,on agricultural GTFP.The impact of the machinery input,including the interaction between machinery and education,from farmers with medium planting scales,on agricultural GTFP displays a single threshold effect,the threshold value is 0.47 kw/mu.The impact of the machinery input,including the interaction between machinery and age as well as between machinery and education from farmers with large planting scales,on agricultural GTFP all manifests such an effect as well,the threshold value is 0.38 kw/mu.Compared with previous studies,this paper seeks to undertake novel explorations and analyses from the following three perspectives.First,this paper,while analyzing the impact of the abundant input farming machinery on agricultural GTFP after the migration of rural labor forces into cities following the tide of urbanization,not only tries to investigate the regional differences present in the impact of machinery input on agricultural GTFP from a macroscopic perspective,but explores the scale differences of the machinery input from farmers with varied planting scales on this indicator.Moreover,in its analysis of the impact of machinery input on agricultural GTFP,this paper explores the role that human capital plays in this impact,by taking into full consideration of the weakened rural labor forces resulted from the departure of high-quality rural workers.Finally,taking the factor of human capital into account,this paper proceeds to judge the rationality of the current farming machinery input from both macroscopic and microscopic perspectives,aiming at providing empirical evidences to the formulation of differentiated supportive policies for agricultural machinery. |
