Small Family Farms Cause Pesticide Overuse in China: Study

Bigger farms in China could cut up to half of the impact agrochemicals have on the environment, according to a recent study by researchers in China, the U.S., and Australia.

With just 9 percent of the world’s arable farmland, China consumes about 30 percent of the world’s fertilizer and pesticides. If Chinese farms were bigger they would use 30 percent to 50 percent fewer chemicals, the study said.

Excessive application of pesticides and fertilizers on China’s small farms cause widespread water, soil, and air pollution.

Technological innovations such as using big data or equipment, like drones for applying agrochemicals, ...