ENVIRONMENTAL KUZNETS CURVE DERIVED EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM THE MAIN GRAIN-PRODUCING REGION IN HEILONGJIANG PROVINCE OF NORTHEASTERN CHINA FROM 2005 TO 2017

In Heilongjiang of China, the income of farmers affects the consumption of chemical agricultural products. This study simulated the relationships between chemical fertilizers, pesticides, agricultural film, and farmers' income growth for Heilongjiang (2005-2017) using Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) models. The results show that the total agricultural output value and the per capita income of farmers showed a decreasing trend, respectively. However, influenced by economic and policy factors, both chemical fertilizers and pesticides showed an N-shaped curve. The total agricultural output value and farmers' income growth in Heilongjiang had been at the "fast-growing" stage, with low environmental pollution according to the agricultural pollution level. Thus, the control of agricultural non-point source pollution has been quite effective, and as a result the agricultural environment improved significantly. The EKC models provided scientific evidence for estimating agricultural non-point source pollution load as well as their changeable trends for Heilongjiang from an economic perspective.