Cropland abandonment occurring both nationally and globally threatens food security and environmental sustainability. We explore whether agricultural cooperatives help reduce cropland abandonment, using data collected from 5,593 households in 229 villages in China. By estimating a two-stage residual inclusion approach, we provide evidence that the existence of agricultural cooperatives in rural villages reduces the probability of cropland abandonment and the abandonment ratio. Further analysis shows that cooperative effects on cropland abandonment and the abandonment ratio are heterogeneous across geographic locations.
A growing body of research has shown that people’s attitudes toward food safety is affected by their availability and accessibility to food risk information. In the digital era, the Internet has become the most important channel for information acquisition. However, empirical evidence related to the impact of Internet use on people’s attitudes towards food safety is inadequate. In this study, by employing the Chinese Social Survey for 2013 and 2015, we have investigated the current situation of food safety perceptions and evaluations among Chinese residents and the association between Internet use and individuals’ food safety evaluations. Empirical results indicate that there is a significant negative correlation between Internet use and people’s food safety evaluation in China. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis shows that Internet use has a stronger negative correlation with food safety evaluation for those lacking rational judgment regarding Internet information. Specifically, the negative correlation between Internet use and food safety evaluations is more obvious among rural residents, young people, and less educated residents. Finally, propensity score matching (PSM) is applied to conduct a robustness check. This paper provides new evidence for studies on the relationship between Internet use and an individuals’ food safety cognition, as well as additional policy enlightenment for food safety risk management in the digital age.
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