Chemical fertilizer use efficiency and its determinants in China's farming sector : Implications for environmental protection

Purpose – The objective of this paper is to examine chemical fertilizer use efficiency at the household level and provide an assessment of the causes of efficiency variation. Design/methodology/approach – A stochastic frontier production function approach is employed to estimate fertilizer use efficiency at the household level. Findings – It is estimated that on average about two‐thirds of the chemical fertilizers utilized are excessive in China. This has serious consequences as the excessive chemicals like nitrogen and phosphate either remain in the soil or flow into rivers and underground water systems or evaporate into the atmosphere. Originality/value – This study is probably first of its kind in the field and is based on the latest household survey data.