Farm Size, Risk Aversion and Overuse of Fertilizer: The Heterogeneity of Large-Scale and Small-Scale Wheat Farmers in Northern China

The excessive use of fertilizer has resulted in serious environmental degradation and a high health cost China. Understanding the reasons for overuse is critical to sustainable development Chinese agriculture, large-scale operation considered as one measures deal with use. Under premise fully considering resource endowment heterogeneity farmers small-scale production management, different decision-making frameworks were constructed. Based on 300 480 eight provinces northern China wheat region, we analyzed optimal amount its deviation well influencing factors farmers, then further clarified whether scale management could solve problem empirical results show that: (1) both deviated from application amount, where degree significantly higher than that 35.43% 23.69% small large respectively; (2) not all growers North had chemical fertilizer, level Heilongjiang Inner Mongolia are 346.5 kgha?1 335.25 kgha?1, while actual was 337.2 324.6 (3) risk aversion level, tended apply more ensure grain output. Therefore, increasing farm size should be integrated into actions such improving technological innovation providing better information transfer achieve goal zero-increase