The Symbiotic Mechanism of the Influence of Productive and Transactional Agricultural Social Services on the Use of Soil Testing and Formula Fertilization Technology by Tea Farmers

In this investigation, we analyze data from 929 tea farmers across Shanxi, Sichuan, and Anhui provinces to elucidate the impact of productive and transactional agricultural social services on farmers’ adoption of soil testing and formula fertilization technology. Our perspective centers on the farmers’ standpoint and the underpinning mechanisms of these influences. Our findings delineate several key points: Both transactional and productive socialized services exert a positive influence on farmers’ decisions to adopt green production technologies, with the impact of productive socialized services being more pronounced than their transactional counterparts. The enthusiasm and the scale of adoption for green production technologies among farmers are positively impacted by both types of socialized services, a conclusion robust even when potential endogeneity and other statistical biases are corrected using IV Probit. The influence mechanism of transactional and productive social services operates symbiotically, primarily fostering trust, enhancing farmers’ tea price expectations and industry cognition, driving positive social evaluations, and motivating speculative behavior among farmers. Transactional and productive socialization services show varying propensities in promoting the adoption of soil testing and formula fertilization technology, depending on the farmers’ type, endowments, and income levels. Involvement in these agricultural socialization services enables farmers to bolster their income, improve technical proficiency and information-gathering capabilities, jointly participate in market competition, reduce market risks, and enhance their recognition and choice of green production technologies. This appears to be a crucial catalyst for the successful promotion of greener development and transformation within agriculture and rural areas.