Adoption patterns and productivity impacts of agricultural mechanization services
研究了中国小农户对多种农业机械化服务的采用决策及其对土地生产力的因果影响，发现工资与机械服务价格比促进采用，且不同作业环节的机械化服务对水稻产量影响各异，喷药服务存在道德风险问题。
Abstract Agricultural mechanization services (AMS) have emerged as a viable and effective solution for helping farmers gain access to machinery equipment in developing countries. This study investigates the simultaneous decision‐making regarding multiple mechanization services and the causal impacts of the AMS on land productivity among Chinese smallholders. We find that: (i) The ratio of off‐farm wage to AMS price, or the wage‐rent ratio, has a significant positive effect on AMS adoption; the sequential adoption of AMS starts with power‐intensive followed by control‐intensive production tasks, (ii) Switching to AMS in plowing, transplanting, and harvesting increases rice yield by 48.0 kg, 23.7 kg, and 7.9 kg, respectively, and (iii) The AMS of pesticide spraying significantly decreases yield but the negative effect can be mitigated with professional service providers and effective labor monitoring, highlighting potential moral hazards associated with AMS when monitoring is costly. Simulation illustrates that increased AMS adoption can significantly enhance food security in China.