Climate change in China, which is characterized by uncertain rainfall and changing weather patterns, poses a major threat to the agricultural systems. Higher temperatures and a greater incidence and intensity of extreme weathers may lead not only to significant yield reduction, but also to an expanding range of crop pests and an increase in the use of agrochemicals, which in turn will impair food quality. It is anticipated that such practice will result in a higher risk of elevated exposures of humans to pesticides via residues in their food. However, the consequences of climate change on food quality and safety have received less attention compared with food security issues. Moreover, few studies in China have related the climate change with the farmers' use of pesticides and fertilizers. In order to find the truth and enhance the governance towards challenges posed by the climate change, the present study takes rice, the staple food of Chinese, as an example for the questionnaire survey of 1 063 farmers in main rice production areas, looking into the impact of climate change on the farmers' use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers both subjectively and objectively. The farmers' decision- making corresponding to climate change is carried out in two- steps: in the first step, the farmers perceive the change in climate; in the second, they take actions to it. So ″perception of climate change″ is used as the measurable indicator of the influence of climate change on farmers. With other factors unchanged, the result shows that the core variable″perception of climate change″ of the farmers has a significant effect on the claim of increase the amount of pesticides and fertilizers in order to mitigate the potential losses. Actually, it is found that the farmers who are more aware of the climate change may use 7 kilograms more pesticides and fertilizers per mu land. In addition, their risk attitudes and their membership in some agricultural industrialization organizations also greatly affect farmers' pesticides and fertilizers use. Based on the above findings, some countermeasures and suggestions are put forward to cope with the challenges posed by climate change: (1) More attention should be paid to the impact of climate change on the quality and safety of agricultural products. (2) More guidance should be given on pesticides and fertilizers use of the farmers who are significantly affected by climate change. (3) Various measures should be taken to reduce the potential yield risks caused by climate change on the farmers. (4) The agricultural industrialization should be reinforced, especially the cooperatives that guarantee the quality and safety at the mean time.
周洁红 刘青 王煜. 气候变化对水稻质量安全的影响——基于水稻主产区1 063个农户的调查[J]. 浙江大学学报(人文社会科学版), 2017, 3(2): 148-160.
Zhou Jiehong Liu Qing Wang Yu. The Impact of Climate Change on Quality and Safety of Rice: Based on the Survey of 1 063 Farmers in Main Rice Production Region. JOURNAL OF ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY, 2017, 3(2): 148-160.