The Impact of GAPPs on the Technology Efficiency of Family Farms

The establishment of Green Agricultural Development Pilot Programs (GAPPs) is a strategic initiative aimed at advancing agricultural green transformation in China. It plays a crucial role in transitioning the production methods of family farms to more sustainable practices and facilitating their high-quality development. This study utilizes the China Academy for Rural Development-Qiyan China Agri-research Database (CCAD) to measure the production efficiency of family farms and investigates the mechanisms and effects of the Green Agricultural Pilot Programs on their productivity. The results show that: (i) The average production efficiency of family farms in China is 0.395, and the efficiency value is still low. (ii) The establishment of GAPPs significantly enhances the production efficiency of family farms through three synergistic mechanisms: technological integration, institutional innovation, and demonstration-driven effects. This conclusion remains statistically robust after rigorous econometric analyses addressing potential endogeneity concerns and conducting comprehensive robustness tests. (iii) The heterogeneity analysis reveals that establishing GAPPs has a more noticeable effect on improving the production efficiency of family farms in the western region, where internet use is lower. The findings of this study reveal that establishing GAPPs is conducive to improving the production efficiency of family farms, which provides a theoretical basis for future policy formulation.