Internal control, government regulation, and adoption of green production technologies in farmer cooperatives: A case study of fertilizer reduction technology
To explore the impact mechanisms of internal control and government regulation on the adoption of green production technologies by farmer cooperatives, this study empirically tests the impact of internal control and government regulation on the adoption of green production technologies by cooperatives based on 585 planting production and operation cooperatives in Henan and Shaanxi provinces. The results indicate that both internal control and government regulation significantly promote the adoption of green production technologies by cooperatives. From the perspective of internal control, the effects of input control varies on different green technologies adoption behaviors, while process control and outcome control have significant positive effects on the adoption of certain technologies. Among government regulations, incentive, constraint and service regulations display promotion effects on the adoption of some green production technologies by cooperatives, but service regulation significantly inhibits the adoption of integrated water and fertilizer management technology. The interaction between government regulation and internal control shows significant substitution effect in the adoption of integrated water and fertilizer technology. The promoting effects of internal control and government regulation on the adoption of green production technologies are stronger for cooperatives with higher levels of independent operation and less standardized democratic decision-making. Based on these findings, it is recommended to strengthen internal control mechanisms in cooperatives and improve the targeting and effectiveness of government regulations to fully harness the potential of farmers’ cooperatives in promoting green agricultural development.
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