Ruifa Hu

Transgenic varieties and productivity of smallholder cotton farmers in China

Genetically modified cotton varieties have greater production efficiency for smallholders in farming communities in China. We also find that the adoption of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton varieties leads to a significant decrease in the use of pesticides. Hence, we demonstrate that Bt cotton appears to be an agricultural technology that improves both production efficiency and the environment. In terms of policies, our findings suggest that the government should investigate whether or not they should make additional investments to spread Bt to other cotton regions and to other crops.

Improving nitrogen fertilization in rice by site-specific N management. A review

Excessive nitrogen (N) application to rice (Oryza sativa L.) crop in China causes environmental pollution, increases the cost of rice farming, reduces grain yield and contributes to global warming. Scientists from the International Rice Research Institute have collaborated with partners in China to improve rice N fertilization through site-specific N management (SSNM) in China since 1997. Field experiments and demonstration trials were conducted initially in Zhejiang province and gradually expanded to Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangsu, Hubei and Heilongjiang provinces. On average, SSNM reduced N fertilizer by 32% and increased grain yield by 5% compared with farmers’ N practices. The yield increase was associated with the reduction in insect and disease damage and improved lodging resistance of rice crop under the optimal N inputs. The main reason for poor fertilizer N use efficiency of rice crop in China is that most rice farmers apply too much N fertilizer, especially at the early vegetative stage. We observed about 50% higher indigenous N supply capacity in irrigated rice fields in China than in other major rice-growing countries. Furthermore, yield response of rice crop to N fertilizer application is low in China, around 1.5 t ha− on average. However, these factors were not considered by rice researchers and extension technicians in determining the N fertilizer rate for recommendation to rice farmers in China. After a decade of research on SSNM in China and other Asian rice-growing countries, we believe SSNM is a matured technology for improving both fertilizer N use efficiency and grain yield of rice crop. Our challenges are to further simplify the procedure of SSNM and to convince policy-makers of the effectiveness of this technology in order to facilitate a wider adoption of SSNM among rice farmers in China.

The Creation and Spread of Technology and Total Factor Productivity in China's Agriculture

The studys overall goal is to create a framework for assessing the trends of Chinas national and international investment in agricultural research and to measure its impact on total factor productivity. The main methodological contribution is to provide more convincing measures of crop-specific technologies from Chinas national research program and of those imported from the international agricultural research system. Our results find that from 1980-95, Chinas total factor productivity for rice, wheat and maize grew rapidly and new technology accounts for most of the productivity growth.

Genetically modified cotton and farmers ' health in China

Abstract This study provides the first evidence of a direct link between the adoption of a genetically modified (GM) crop and improvements in human health. Estimation of the impact of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton adoption on pesticide use from data from a survey of cotton farmers in northern China, 1999–2001, showed that Bt cotton adoption reduced pesticide use. Assessment of a health-production function showed that predicted pesticide use had a positive impact on poisoning incidence. Taken together, these results indicate that the adoption of Bt cotton can substantially reduce the risk and the incidence of poisonings.

Training programs and in-the-field guidance to reduce China's overuse of fertilizer without hurting profitability

Chemical fertilizer plays an important role in increasing agricultural production in all countries. The problem in many developing countries typically has been that because farmers are credit constrained (and perhaps are unused to using chemical fertilizers or do not have access to the appropriate complementary inputs—e.g., high quality seeds and water), farmers do not use enough. Fertilizer use in many countries of Africa, for example, is very low, on average only about 5 to 10 kg ha-1 (4 to 9 lb ac-1). Underuse of fertilizer, however, is not a problem in China. Chemical fertilizer expenditures account for the largest component of cost for all staple crops in the country (about 20% to 30%). China is the worlds largest fertilizer producer and consumer. After Japan, Holland, and South Korea, Chinas farmers use more fertilizer per hectare (more than 200 kg ha-1 [179 lb ac-1]) than farmers anywhere else in the world. A study by the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy (Qiao et al. 2006) recently confirmed that Chinas farmers are overusing fertilizer. Specifically, farmers in many parts of China are applying chemical fertilizers—especially nitrogen—inefficiently. Using fertilizers more efficiently and effectively is important in terms of farm incomes. On average, the last

Bt Cotton in China: Are Secondary Insect Infestations Offsetting the Benefits in Farmer Fields?

The area sown to Bt cotton has expanded rapidly in China since 1997. It has effectively controlled the bollworm. However, in recent years, concern has surfaced about the emergence of secondary insect pests, particular mirids, in Bt cotton fields. This study measures the patterns of insecticide use based on farm-level from 1999 to 2006, the analysis demonstrates a rise in insecticide use to control mirids between 2001 and 2004, secondary insect infestations is largely related to the rise of mirids, but this rising did not continue in more than half of sample villages studied in 2004-2006. Moreover, the increase in insecticide use for the control of secondary insects is far smaller than the reduction in total insecticide use due to Bt cotton adoption. Further econometric analyses show that rise and fall of mirids is largely related to local temperature and rainfall.

Costs and enforcement of biosafety regulations in India and China

This paper examines the cost of compliance and the enforcement of biosafety regulations in China. Costs were higher in India, and enforcement of regulations was more effective in China. Lower costs in China may be because national companies, government research institutes and foreign firms were all pressing for less costly regulation, while in India there was less pressure by these groups to reduce regulatory costs. Enforcement of regulations was less

Genetically Modified Rice, Yields, and Pesticides: Assessing Farm‐Level Productivity Effects in China

Although genetically modified (GM) crops are being grown on increasing large areas in both developed and developing countries, with few minor exceptions, there has been almost no country that has commercialized a GM major food crop. One reason may be that it is unclear how the commercialization of GM crops will help poor, small farmers. The objective of this article is to report on the results of an economic analysis that uses 3 years of data from a series of quasi‐experimental areas (called preproduction trials) in China’s GM rice program that were carried out in the fields of small and relatively poor producers in two provinces in China. The article shows that the use of GM rice by farmers in preproduction trials allows farmers to reduce pesticide use and labor input. The effect on yields is less clear, and the findings suggest that there is very little if any yield effect. The article concludes by arguing that the commercialization of GM rice in China could have consequences that exceed the direct impacts on China’s farmers and could be a key step in breaking the world’s current plant biotechnology logjam.

Improving Nitrogen Fertilization in Rice by Site-Specific N Management

Excessive nitrogen (N) application to rice (Oryza sativa L.) crop in China causes environmental pollution, increases the cost of rice farming, reduces grain yield and contributes to global warming. Scientists from the International Rice Research Institute have collaborated with partners in China to improve rice N fertilization through site-specific N management (SSNM) in China since 1997. Field experiments and demonstration trials were conducted initially in Zhejiang province and gradually expanded to Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangsu, Hubei and Heilongjiang provinces. On average, SSNM reduced N fertilizer by 32% and increased grain yield by 5% compared with farmers’ N practices. The yield increase was associated with the reduction in insect and disease damage and improved lodging resistance of rice crop under the optimal N inputs. The main reason for poor fertilizer N use efficiency of rice crop in China is that most rice farmers apply too much N fertilizer, especially at the early vegetative stage. We observed about 50% higher indigenous N supply capacity in irrigated rice fields in China than in other major rice-growing countries. Furthermore, yield response of rice crop to N fertilizer application is low in China, around 1.5 t ha − 1 on average. However, these factors were not considered by rice researchers and extension technicians in determining the N fertilizer rate for recommendation to rice farmers in China. After a decade of research on SSNM in China and other Asian rice-growing countries, we believe SSNM is a matured technology for improving both fertilizer N use efficiency and grain yield of rice crop. Our challenges are to further simplify the procedure of SSNM and to convince policy-makers of the effectiveness of this technology in order to facilitate a wider adoption of SSNM among rice farmers in China.

Impacts of training on farmers' nitrogen use in maize production in Shandong, China

Inorganic fertilizer plays an important role in increasing Chinese food production. However, recent studies showed that Chinese farmers have been significantly overusing nitrogen (N) fertilizer. The overall goal of this study is to investigate the impact of delivering information and knowledge regarding appropriate N fertilizer use in maize production. Based on an experimental study, which provided training to farmers in maize production in the North China Plain, the present study finds that training does have a positive impact on farmer practices. Indeed, the training was effective in reducing overall N fertilizer use by 22%, though the N application after training was still higher than the level recommended by scientists. These findings have important implications for Chinas extension system, as well as its efforts to reduce nonpoint pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.