Does Organic Agriculture Foster Conservation Behavior Among Farmers? Evidence from Chinese Crested Ibis Habitats

Résumé fourni par la source

This study investigates the impact of organic agriculture on farmers’ conservation behaviors, focusing on a sample of 816 households in the Chinese Crested Ibis habitats of Yang County, Shaanxi Province, China. Employing partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), we analyzed the ecological feedback mechanisms bridging agricultural practices and species protection outcomes. The results identify two primary pathways through which organic agriculture fosters conservation: (1) Enhanced perceived benefits directly drive conservation behaviors, with significant path coefficients for ecological benefits (0.105, p < 0.05) and overall benefits (0.290, p < 0.001). (2) Government regulations fortify ecological cognition and conservation efforts (0.123, p < 0.001). Notably, while ecological cognition alone exhibited no direct behavioral impact, ecological emotions emerged as a critical mediator (0.153, p < 0.001). These mechanisms align with the remarkable recovery of the Crested Ibis population—from near extinction to over 7000 individuals—since the reserve’s establishment in 1981. Ultimately, this study highlights organic agriculture’s capacity to generate a positive ecological feedback loop, wherein economic viability and emotional connections to conservation mutually reinforce sustainable behaviors. The findings underscore that personal emotional investment in environmental stewardship is a stronger behavioral catalyst than cognitive understanding alone. This research offers robust empirical evidence to inform policy designs that harmonize agricultural livelihoods with biodiversity goals through targeted organic agriculture incentives and emotionally engaging ecological education programs.

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