Pest control practices, information sources, and correct pesticide use: Evidence from rice production in China

Substantial pesticide use results in severe negative externalities. The relationship of technology information with pest control practices and pesticide use among farmers is a crucial issue. However, it remains unclear how various information sources impact on farmers' correct pesticide use. Using cross-sectional survey data covering 1135 rice-producing farmers in China, this study analyzes farmers' pest control practices and information sources, and further investigates the impact of information sources on correct pesticide use. Results show that on average each farmer had 3.9 observations in which the applied pesticides well matched the target pests, accounting for 60.8% of a total of 7317 pest-control observations. At the household level, the average percentage of correct-use observations was even smaller than 62%. There were 35.6%, 30.1% and 25.4% of farmers obtaining information regarding pesticide use from personal experience, pesticide retailers and governmental agricultural extension agents, respectively. The Probit and Tobit estimation illustrate that farmers obtaining information regarding pesticide use from personal experience, governmental agricultural extension agents as well as Internet and media had a significantly higher probability and larger percentage of correct pesticide use in rice production, relative to those obtaining information from pesticide retailers. Several policy implications for improving farmers' pest control practices are discussed.