Designing farmer-centered extension programmes for low-carbon agriculture: evidence from a discrete choice experiment in China

Low-carbon agricultural technologies (LCAT) are central to climate mitigation, yet their adoption remains low, including in emerging economies. While prior research has focused mainly on technology attributes and broad adoption barriers, less attention has been paid to how the design and delivery of organized LCAT extension programmes shape farmers’ willingness to engage. This study uses a discrete choice experiment to examine Chinese farmers’ preferences for organized LCAT extension programmes and focuses on four key attributes: organizing bodies, delivery agents, delivery formats, and participation costs. The findings show that the delivery format emerges as the most influential attribute, suggesting that policy-makers should prioritize it in programme design. Farmers place higher value on programmes organized by local agricultural bureaus and agricultural research institutions than on those organized by agricultural input suppliers, and they evaluate local extension personnel less favourably than the other delivery-agent categories. Participation cost remains an important constraint, and preferences vary systematically across farmer groups. In particular, older farmers, those operating larger farms, those in good health, and those with favourable attitudes towards agricultural technology exhibit greater willingness to participate. Welfare simulations further suggest that extension programmes combining public or research-based organization, formal technical delivery, and on-site field guidance generate the largest gains in farmer welfare. By quantifying farmers’ preferences for specific institutional and delivery configurations, our paper provides evidence for designing LCAT extension strategies that better reflect farmer priorities and for determining how programme components should be prioritized, sequenced, and supported under real-world budget and implementation constraints.