Do Farmers Adopt Fewer Conservation Practices on Rented Land? Evidence from Straw Retention in China

We examine how land tenure arrangements affect Chinese crop farmers’ adoption of straw retention, a key conservation practice promoted by the Chinese government in part to curb rising air pollution. Using data from a 2016 farmer household survey covering 1,659 crop plots in Henan Province in central China, we analyze whether farmers are less likely to adopt straw retention on rented plots compared to own-contracted plots. To address the potential endogeneity of the choice of renting from others, we use an instrument exploiting the role of remittance income from household members migrated to cities in a bivariate probit model and a control function approach, respectively. Our main results reveal that the Chinese crop farmers’ likelihood of adopting straw retention were almost cut in half on rented plots compared to their owned plots, assuming the assumptions for biprobit or control functions hold. This suggests greater attention is needed to examine the spillovers across agricultural and environmental policies as China pushes for both a nationwide land rental market and more sustainable agricultural practices

Land Tenure and Adoption of Straw Retention: Evidence from Henan, China

We examine how land tenure arrangements affect Chinese crop farmers’ adoption of straw retention, a key conservation practice promoted by the Chinese government in part to curb rising air pollution. Using data from a 2016 farmer household survey covering 1,659 crop plots in Henan Province in central China, we analyze how straw retention choices are influenced by two different land tenure arrangements: own-contracted plots versus rented plots. Empirical results from several probit regressions reveal that, after controlling for crop choice, harvest season, spatial climate, and other plot-level and household-level covariates, a rented plot is associated with a 10.7 percent reduction in the probability of adopting straw retention after harvest throughout 2015. A Heckman selection model that corrects the sample selection bias further supports the negative correlation between less secure rented farmland and straw retention adoption. This suggests that more caution and attention is warranted to the long-term sustainability of farmland in urbanizing China as the Chinese government keeps pushing for further development of rural land rental market

Analysis of functional gene polymorphism in Glycyrrhiza uralensis

Glycyrrhiza uralensis is widely used in Chinese herbal compound prescriptions. Itcontains various natural active components, among them glycyrrhizic acid is believed tobe the main effective constituent. The biosynthetic pathway of glycyrrhizic acid iscontrolled and regulated by many different enzymes. In our studies two functional genescoding 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutary CoA reductase (HMGR) and squalene synthase (SQS)were selected as target genes. Several kinds of polymorphism were discovered in thecDNA sequences and amino acid sequences of the two genes, and which inflected thelevel of glycyrrhizic acid in G. uralensis

Micro-Nano Bioactive Glass Particles Incorporated Porous Scaffold for Promoting Osteogenesis and Angiogenesis in vitro

Constructing the interconnected porous biomaterials scaffolds with osteogenesis and angiogenesis capacity is extremely important for efficient bone tissue engineering. Herein, we fabricated a bioactive micro-nano composite scaffolds with excellent in vitro osteogenesis and angiogenesis capacity, based on poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) incorporated with micro-nano bioactive glass (MNBG). The results showed that the addition of MNBG enlarged the pore size, increased the compressive modulus (4 times improvement), enhanced the physiological stability and apatite-forming ability of porous PLGA scaffolds. The in vitro studies indicated that the PLGA-MNBG porous scaffold could enhance the mouse bone mesenchymal stem cells (mBMSCs) attachment, proliferation, and promote the expression of osteogenesis marker (ALP). Additionally, PLGA-MNBG could also support the attachment and proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and significantly enhanced the expression of angiogenesis marker (CD31) of HUVECs. The as-prepared bioactive PLGA-MNBG nanocomposites scaffolds with good osteogenesis and angiogenesis probably have a promising application for bone tissue regeneration

Advances in cell membrane-encapsulated biomaterials for tissue repair and regeneration

The evolution of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have enabled better treatment outcomes for tissue reconstruction, although several shortcomings remain. To enhance the bioactivity and functionality of biomaterials for tissue regeneration, cell membrane coating technology has been proposed as an ideal approach to endow traditional synthetic materials with greater biological functionality. An overview of recent advances in cell membrane-coated materials for tissue regeneration is presented in this review, summarizing the methodologies used to construct cell membrane-coated materials, including physical, chemical, and biological engineering of cell membranes. Cell membrane-coated materials used in different stages of tissue regeneration are discussed, along with anti-infection, immunomodulation, impact on cell proliferation and differentiation, regulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis, and limitations and challenges in developing cell membrane-based therapeutics.</p

Do farmers adopt fewer conservation practices on rented land? Evidence from straw retention in China

We examine how land tenure arrangements affect Chinese crop farmers’ adoption of straw retention, a key conservation practice promoted by the Chinese government in part to curb rising air pollution. Using data from a 2016 farmer household survey covering 1,659 crop plots in Henan Province in central China, we analyze whether farmers are less likely to adopt straw retention on rented plots compared to own-contracted plots. To address the potential endogeneity of the choice of renting from others, we use an instrument exploiting the role of remittance income from household members migrated to cities in a bivariate probit model and a control function approach, respectively. Our main results reveal that the Chinese crop farmers’ likelihood of adopting straw retention were almost cut in half on rented plots compared to their owned plots, assuming the assumptions for biprobit or control functions hold. This suggests greater attention is needed to examine the spillovers across agricultural and environmental policies as China pushes for both a nationwide land rental market and more sustainable agricultural practices.This is a working paper of an article published as Gao, Li, Wendong Zhang, Yingdan Mei, Abdoul G. Sam, Yu Song, and Shuqin Jin. "Do farmers adopt fewer conservation practices on rented land? Evidence from straw retention in China." Land use policy 79 (2018): 609-621. doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.08.026. Posted with permission.</p