Research on relationship between agricultural productive services and farmers’ pesticide reduction

Agricultural productive services are the primary driver of green agricultural transformation, playing a pivotal role in optimizing factor allocation and promoting sustainable production practices. While existing literature has extensively explored the relationship between agricultural productive services and pesticide input, empirical research on the underlying opportunistic behavior mechanisms remains scarce. Using microdata from the 2020 China Rural Revitalization Survey (CRRS), this study systematically examines the influence of agricultural productive services on pesticide reduction and the regulatory mechanisms of opportunistic behavior. Findings indicate a significant decrease in pesticide application to these services, validated through instrumental variable methods and robustness checks. However, opportunistic tendencies within the service market diminish the effectiveness of pesticide reduction efforts. Thus, strengthening rural digitalization emerges as a key strategy to mitigate such behavior. Regional heterogeneity analysis reveals a stronger pesticide reduction impact in the central region compared to eastern and western regions, and a more pronounced effect among large-scale farmers than small farmers. Comparative evaluation highlights the superior efficacy of the full managed service model over conventional pesticide application stages. This model’s advantage lies in its ability to effectively constraint opportunistic behavior of service organizations by establishing long-term cooperation-based “relational contracts”, thereby promoting scientific pesticide reduction. This study contends that in order to advance the agricultural productive services market, opportunistic behavior in pesticide spraying service must be regulated and curtailed through enhanced rural digitalization, ultimately supporting green and high-quality agricultural development. Regions with mature socialized agricultural service markets and modest farmland transfer should prioritize the development of full managed service model.