Contract signing and low-carbon technology adoption in rice production: survey evidence from China

Contract farming, as an innovative agricultural management model, has proven highly effective in stabilizing agricultural production growth and sustaining farmers' incomes. However, its role in promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of agricultural production under current sustainability imperatives remains insufficiently explored empirically. To address this gap, this study develops a theoretical framework to systematically examine the impact and mechanisms of contract signing on farmers' low-carbon production behaviors, while also investigating heterogeneous effects. The findings are as follows: First, farmers exhibit a relatively strong sense of contract, with 57.7 % of the sampled farmers having signed contracts with purchasers. Second, contract signing has a significantly positive effect on farmers' low-carbon production behavior. Third, mechanism analysis reveals that the impact of contract signing on farmers' low-carbon production behavior primarily operates through two pathways: reducing transaction costs and mitigating sales risks. Fourth, in heterogeneous contexts, bargaining power moderates the relationship between contract signing and farmers’ low-carbon production behavior. Therefore, encouraging and guiding farmers to actively enter into purchase contracts with buyers and improving the market sales system for agricultural products are crucial for advancing the green and low-carbon transformation of agriculture.