The impact of specialization and large-scale operation on the application of pesticides and chemical fertilizers: A spatial panel data analysis in China

The abuse of pesticides and Chemical fertilizers seriously affects human health and the ecological environment. This study constructed an absolute specialization index and a relative specialization index, investigating the effects of agricultural large-scale operations and two types of specialization on the application of pesticides and chemical fertilizers in China. Considering the vast and differentiated territory of China, the study identified and applied spatial econometric models based on spatial linkages. The results of the spatial econometric regression using panel data from 31 Chinese provinces from 2009 to 2019 can be summarized as follows. (1) Specialization in agricultural production reduces green innovations and thus increases the application of pesticides and fertilizers. (2) Absolute specialization effectively reduces pesticide application in surrounding areas and reduces pesticide abuse caused by scattered farmers due to a lack of professional knowledge. (3) The nexus between large-scale operations and the applications of pesticides and fertilizers can be described as N-shaped curves. (4) Government amass wealth propensity weakens the impact of specialization on the pesticide application and strengthens the impact on the chemical fertilizers application. (5) The asynchrony between absolute specialization and large-scale operation effectively reduces the intensity of pesticide application and exerts an N-shaped impact on the chemical fertilizer intensity. The research results of this article help regional governments, especially the agricultural sectors, to plan regional agricultural specialization and scale management more reasonably from the perspective of green innovation and government amass wealth capacity.