Ma Wenqiu, Liu Tongxin, Li Wenqing, Yang Heng
College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China.
Key Laboratory of Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation, Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Center, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing, 100035, China.
Heliyon. 2023 Sep 21;9(10):e20279. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20279. eCollection 2023 Oct.
Agricultural machinery is effective in improving food production and labor productivity, but it also raises environmental concerns. The impacts of agricultural machinery on the green total factor productivity (GTFP) of grain in China are still under debate in the scientific literature. This study proposed an integrated framework for confronting this issue. The findings suggest that both agricultural mechanization and the GTFP of grain demonstrate a consistent upward trend with moderate fluctuations between 2001 and 2019. By expanding the spatial pattern, there is a positive spatial correlation between them. In addition, we compared the results in three grain functional areas by using the spatial Durbin model (SDM). There were significantly positive spatial spillover effects in major grain-producing areas, which were attributed to the -regional operation of agricultural machinery and its carbon reduction effects on neighboring provinces. Notably, the direct effects in major grain-marketing areas and producing-marketing balance areas were significantly positive because agricultural machinery has played a critical role in filling the gap in local labor shortages in grain production. Accordingly, adaptive strategies including building the "Internet + agricultural machinery operation" platform, implementing the land consolidation suitable for machinery, and developing low-carbon agricultural machinery should be fully considered by Chinese policy-makers to promote mechanized agriculture and a low-carbon economy. The findings of this study can help us better understand the role of agricultural machinery in improving green grain productivity in China and thus have significance for the modern and green transformation of agricultural production systems.
农业机械在提高粮食产量和劳动生产率方面成效显著，但也引发了环境问题。农业机械对中国粮食绿色全要素生产率（GTFP）的影响在科学文献中仍存在争议。本研究提出了一个应对这一问题的综合框架。研究结果表明，2001年至2019年间，农业机械化和粮食GTFP均呈一致的上升趋势，且有适度波动。通过扩展空间格局，它们之间存在正空间相关性。此外，我们使用空间杜宾模型（SDM）比较了三个粮食功能区的结果。主要粮食产区存在显著的正向空间溢出效应，这归因于农业机械的区域作业及其对邻近省份的碳减排效应。值得注意的是，主要粮食销区和产销平衡区的直接效应显著为正，因为农业机械在弥补当地粮食生产劳动力短缺方面发挥了关键作用。因此，中国政策制定者应充分考虑包括构建“互联网 + 农机作业”平台、实施适合机械化的土地整治以及发展低碳农业机械在内的适应性策略，以促进机械化农业和低碳经济发展。本研究结果有助于我们更好地理解农业机械在中国提高绿色粮食生产率中的作用，从而对农业生产系统的现代化和绿色转型具有重要意义。
