Occupational experience types and rural households’ pro-environmental behaviors: taking pesticide reduction as an example

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Purpose Prior studies exploring the effects of rural households’ migrant work and this experience on their pro-environmental behaviors have overlooked potential heterogeneity across different occupational experience types and underlying mechanisms. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of distinct occupational experience types on rural households’ pro-environmental behaviors. Design/methodology/approach Taking pesticide reduction as an example, this study dichotomized occupational experience types into operational and cognitive labor experiences. Utilizing the 2020 China Rural Revitalization Survey (CRRS) data, this study employed Oprobit and endogenous switching regression (ESR) models for examination. Findings Compared with non-migrant smallholders, rural households possessing occupational experience demonstrate a greater propensity to adopt pro-environmental behaviors, such as pesticide reduction. From the perspective of distinct occupational experience types, cognitive labor experience is more effective in promoting these behaviors than operational labor experience, which can be explained by the differences in the accumulation of human and social capital. This impact proves salient for households with larger farmland operational scales, longer occupational duration and rice-growing areas. Within operational labor experience cohorts, those in commerce and service industries show stronger pro-environmental tendencies than operators and related personnel in production and transportation equipment sectors. Originality/value Based on different occupational experience types, the findings reveal the differential effect of migrant working experience on rural households’ pro-environmental behaviors and underscore the crucial role of smallholders with cognitive labor experience in transitioning traditional agriculture. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the importance of occupational imprinting and planting culture.

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