Beyond economic benefits: how rural industrial integration shapes farmers’ household waste sorting behavior through spatial reconstruction

This study examines whether and how rural industrial integration influences farmers’ household waste sorting behavior from the perspective of spatial production theory. Using data from the 2021 China Land Economy Survey, which covers 1861 rural households in Jiangsu Province, this study employs baseline regression models, propensity score matching, and instrumental variable approaches to identify the impact and mechanisms of rural industrial integration on farmers’ household waste sorting behavior. The results show that rural industrial integration significantly promotes farmers’ household waste sorting behavior. Mechanism analysis reveals that rural industrial integration affects environmental behavior through spatial reconstruction: livelihood space reconstruction improves livelihood opportunities, social space reconstruction strengthens social relationship networks, and cultural space reconstruction enhances cultural participation. This study extends existing explanations of environmental behavior that primarily emphasize macro-level policies or micro-level psychological factors by developing an analytical framework of “meso-level industrial transformation → spatial reconstruction → behavioral response.” It provides a new perspective for understanding the synergy between economic development and social, cultural, and environmental governance in the context of rural revitalization and offers implications for sustainable rural development.