Return migration, peer effects, and green agricultural transformation

Using nationally representative data from the 2020 and 2022 China Rural Revitalization Surveys, we identify the relationship between return migration and the green transformation of agricultural production. The results indicate that return migration can generate the peer effect in the green transformation of agricultural production. For every 1% increase in the village-level return migration rate of out-migrant labour, the average fertiliser application by local rural households decreases by 0.134 kg/mu, and the likelihood of adopting crop rotation and water-saving irrigation increases correspondingly. Further analyses suggest that information dissemination, risk mitigation, and the creation of income incentives serve as the mechanisms underlying these effects. Our findings demonstrate that return migrants are an important mainstay in promoting green development and transforming traditional agriculture.