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Designing efficient catalysts and understanding the underlying mechanisms for anodic nucleophile electrooxidation are central to the advancement of electrochemically-driven technologies. Here, a heterostructure of nickel boride/nickel catalyst is developed to enable methanol electrooxidation into formate with a Faradaic efficiency of nearly 100%. Operando electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and in situ Raman spectroscopy are applied to understand the influence of methanol concentration in the methanol oxidation reaction. High concentrations of methanol inhibit the phase transition of the electrocatalyst to high-valent electro-oxidation products, and electrophilic oxygen species (O* or OH*) formed on the electrocatalyst are considered to be the catalytically active species. Additional mechanistic investigation with density functional theory calculations reveals that the potential-determining step, the formation of *CH 2 O, occurs most favorably on the nickel boride/nickel heterostructure rather than on nickel boride and nickel. These results are highly instructive for the study of other nucleophile-based approaches to electrooxidation reactions and organic electrosynthesis. Understanding the role of active sites in electrooxidation reactions is important yet challenging. Here, the authors use operando spectroscopies to monitor the effect of methanol concentration on Ni 3 B/Ni heterostructures during formate production.

PurposePrevious studies focused on the influence of outsourcing (labor division) on productivity, especially in the industrial economy. However, few studies have focused on how labor division in agriculture affects agricultural productivity. To bridge this gap, this study uses survey data from 4864 farmer households in China to explore the impacts of outsourcing on agricultural productivity.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs an endogenous switching regression to account for selection bias and a counterfactual framework to measure the degree of influence. Thus, this study analyzes determinants of outsourcing and the impacts of outsourcing on agricultural productivity under the same framework.FindingsThe results revealed the following. (1) Farmer households with the below average productivity tended to outsource; conversely, farmer households with the above average productivity tended to cultivate the land by themselves. (2) Productivity increased by 25.61% for farmer households who choose to outsource. Moreover, if nonoutsourcing farmer households would choose to outsource, their productivity would increase by 10.86%.Originality/valueThis study furthers one’s understanding of how outsourcing affects agricultural productivity among farmer households.

IntroductionChina’s rural financial landscape has long been characterized by exclusion, leaving countless farmers without access to essential financial services. However, the advent of digital financial inclusion presents a promising solution, offering low-cost, high-penetration avenues to bolster agricultural sustainability. This paper unravels how “Byte-Sized Finance” can yield “Bushel-Sized Benefits” in China’s agricultural green development.MethodsMethodologically, we pioneer a novel system to gauge agricultural green development across 31 Chinese provinces spanning from 2013 to 2021. Empirically, employing fixed-effect, mediation effect, and spatial Durbin models.ResultsOur study reveals the intricate pathways through which digital financial inclusion influences agricultural green development. We find that it exerts its impact through the lenses of industrial structure and entrepreneurship, operating at both macro and micro levels. Furthermore, our analysis uncovers spatial spillover effects, shedding light on the differential roles played by these mechanisms across regions.DiscussionThis groundbreaking discovery underscores the transformative potential of leveraging digital financial inclusion to propel China toward agricultural green development. By shedding light on these crucial dynamics, our findings offer insights for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners striving to foster sustainability within China’s agricultural sector.

Under the backdrop of the “double-carbon” target, the primary grain-producing regions in China are confronted with the tasks of mitigating pollution and carbon emissions and ensuring food security. This paper explores the eco-efficiency of cropland utilization and the factors influencing the primary grain-producing regions in China, utilizing panel data from 13 provinces spanning the period from 2000 to 2019. The analysis employs three models: the super-efficiency SBM model, the Malmquist index model, and the random-effect panel Tobit model. The findings suggest the following: (1) Although the eco-efficiency of cropland utilization in China’s primary grain-producing regions did not reach the production frontier during the period of 2000–2019, it exhibited a high level with an overall upward trend. The limiting factor inhibiting the growth of total factor productivity is lower technical efficiency. (2) There is evident spatial variation in the eco-efficiency of cropland utilization across China, displaying a dynamic evolution from northeast > western > central > eastern to northeast > western > eastern > central. Total factor productivity in each province demonstrates an upward trend, with the east > northeast > west > central ranking. (3) Regarding the influencing factors, the utilization of agricultural production chemicals exerts a negative influence, while the proportion of government financial input, labor input, and irrigation index have a positive impact.

At a time when COVID-19 is sweeping the world, farmland abandonment is obviously not conducive to solving food security problems. Since the formal institutions of local government in China have not been effective in the reduction of farmland abandonment, this study aims to explore whether informal institutions can help mitigate this problem. Based on big survey data from 8031 farmer households in 27 provinces in mainland China, this study uses an econometric model to investigate the quantitative impact of social capital on farmland abandonment, and to analyze the channels through which that impact manifests itself. The empirical results point to the following conclusions: (i) Social capital, as a key informal institution, can help reduce farmland abandonment. More specifically, after controlling for other variables, for every unit increase in social capital, the proportion of farmland abandonment can be predicted to drop by 7.17 percentage points. (ii) Both off-farm employment and farmland rent are channels for the impact of social capital on farmland abandonment. However, social capital’s effect on increasing farmland abandonment via the promotion of off-farm employment is small when compared with its effect on reducing farmland abandonment via the promotion of farmland rent. This study’s conclusions may help generate new ideas for reducing farmland abandonment. At the same time, the study may provide a sound, empirical basis for policies aimed at reducing the negative impact of COVID-19 on food security while also revitalizing rural areas.

The topic of quality of life has long been a focus of global research and the public. The land transfer policy implemented by the Chinese government affects farmers’ quality of life (FQOL); however, the extent of this effect remains unclear. As land transfer may be a self-selection behaviour, it may be subject to selection bias such that traditional measurement methods are unable to effectively estimate its quantitative impact. This study used data from a questionnaire given to 5668 rural households in 25 provinces of mainland China. It sought to quantify the impact of land transfer on FQOL by using endogenous switching regression (ESR) models to correct selection bias. The results show: (1) for farmers who choose to transfer land, if they choose not to transfer land, FQOL may decrease by 64.11%; (2) for farmers who choose not to transfer their land, if they go on to choose to transfer their land, FQOL may increase by 0.75%; (3) land transfer can improve the quality of life of the older generation of farmers but will reduce the quality of life of the newer generation. The results of this study provide research support for China and other countries seeking to effectively implement land policies and improve the FQOL, helping to provide practical strategies for the sustainable development of rural areas.

Land property security and advanced factor inputs play critical roles in agricultural modernization in developing countries. However, there are unclear relationships between land property security and advanced factor inputs. This study aims to clarify these relationships from the perspective of the differentiation of the realization process of land property security. From the perspective of property rights theory and endowment effects, data from 2934 farming households in rural China are used to determine the quantitative impacts of land registration and adjustment experience on the adoption of agricultural machinery. The results are as follows: (i) Land registration does not affect the adoption of agricultural machinery. (ii) Adjustment experience has a negative impact on the adoption of agricultural machinery. (iii) The interaction of land registration and adjustment experience has a positive impact on the adoption of agricultural machinery. This study provides some policy references with which developing countries can achieve agricultural modernization and revitalize the countryside by improving property rights security.

Waste classification is an important part of the renovation of rural human settlements, and the renovation of rural human settlements is also of great significance to global sustainable development. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to study the factors that affect the classification behavior for promoting waste classification behavior. However, few studies have focused on the political participation of rural residents as a driving factor. Therefore, this study aims to explore whether political participation affects rural residents’ waste classification behavior. In particular, this study uses the China Land Economic Survey (CLES), which surveyed 2628 rural households in Jiangsu Province, China, and uses the Probit model to explore the quantitative impact of political participation on farmers’ waste classification behavior. This study finds that: (1) Political participation may significantly improve farmers’ waste classification behavior. Specifically, farmers who participated in the general election were 10.6% more likely to conduct waste classification than those who did not vote in the general election. (2) Groups receiving government subsidies may be more likely to understand the government’s waste classification policy and then carry out waste classification. (3) Residents in areas with high economic development may be more sensitive to opportunity cost than residents in areas with low economic development, so residents in areas with high economic development degree are less willing to participate in waste classification action, and political participation has less influence on waste classification. Therefore, this research helps improve the efficiency of waste classification, ameliorate waste classification behavior, and provide the references for building a more civilized rural living environment.

Recycle behavior of agricultural film (RBAF) plays an important role in protecting the ecological environment of farmland. Improving RBAF has become an urgent choice for agricultural countries to achieve sustainable development. Construction of high-standard farmland (CHSF) is defined as the artificial improvement of farmland facilities and considered beneficial to agricultural production and farmland environment. This study aims to evaluate the role of CHSF in improving RBAF. Based on survey data of rural areas in Sichuan, China, this study explores quantitative impacts of CHSF on RBAF by econometric model. The results are as follows: (1) There is a positive impact of CHSF on RBAF, i.e., compared with the farmers not participating in CHSF, the possibility of RBAF for the farmers participating in CHSF is increased by 16%. (2) For every 1% increase in the proportion of agricultural labor force in households, the possibility of RBAF is increased by 0.2%. Thus, this study indicates that governments should focus on improving rural infrastructure to help farmers improve their behavior towards environmental protection.

The mental health crisis poses a major challenge to global sustainable development. In response, the United Nations has launched an ambitious plan to “reshape the environment that affects mental health”. Clean toilets are an important measure of civilization, yet it is unclear whether they are helping to alleviate the global mental health crisis. Therefore, using data from a large sample of rural Chinese households and introducing an instrumental variables approach based on the IV-Tobit model to address endogeneity, this study quantitatively discusses that clean latrines have a positive effect on the mental health of farm households. The results showed the following: (1) 89.8% of Chinese rural households had clean toilets, while the average farm household depression index was 12.568; and (2) clean toilets helped to improve the mental health of farmers, which means that the depression index of farmers with clean toilets decreased by 66.9% compared to farmers without clean toilets. The findings of this study can inform the development of policies to mitigate the global mental health crisis and contribute to the resilience of global development.