Evolutionary Game Analysis of Agricultural Non-point Source Pollution Control Behavior
Resource utilization and livestock waste management are two important aspects of sustainable agricul-ture in China,especially in the agricultural non-point source(NPS)pollution.In order to analyze the influence mechanism of NPS pollution,this study proposes a two-party evolutionary game model to characterize interactions between local governments and farmers.Firstly,we obtain the optimal strategies of local governments and farmers by a theoretical analysis,and then numerical simulations are applied to assess the impact of various factors on strategy selection.A comprehensive evaluation of government incentives and environmental regulations is carried out to find a balanced approach to environmentally sustainable agriculture.Analytical results reveal that environ-mental and economic factors significantly affect the local government's decisions,with economic considerations exerting a more pronounced influence.An increase in the environmental quality index coefficient motivates farm-ers to actively manage NPS pollution,while an increase in the economic index coefficient disincentivizes farmers to do so.Changes in local government spending have a more substantial impact on local government than farmers,who adapt their strategies in response to government actions,albeit with a time lag.Reducing local government operational costs improves the likelihood of farmers actively engaging in NPS pollution control.If the local govern-ment increases penalties to tighten its control over pollution-related activities,it contributes to higher revenue.Imposing a penalty limit constrains the strategy space of both parties,thereby facilitating optimal equilibriums in the game.However,more government subsidy affects regulatory actions,which may prove ineffective if it fails to cover pollution control costs.Obviously,it is always a challenge to reach an optimal strategy.Prudent incentive policies are the main means for guiding both the local government and farmers towards an appropriate equilibrium.This study offers the following managerial insights:(1)Enhancing local government performance assessment standards by progressively emphasizing environmental quality metrics.Prioritizing the evaluation of rural environ-mental quality during local government tenures.Considering reducing the weight of economic development indi-cators in these assessments and reward local governments effectively by balancing environmental and economic factors through optimized agricultural production methods.(2)Establishing an environmental supervision system to control agricultural NPS pollution.This system should engage local environmental public interest organizations and public participation in improving feedback,information sharing,and incentive mechanisms for local government interactions with the public.It will reduce the supervisory costs incurred by local governments.(3)Actively guiding farmers for reducing fertilizer and pesticide usage while raising awareness of agricultural NPS.Promoting environmentally friendly agricultural practices to optimize the rural environment through modified planting and breeding methods,operational techniques,and management models.(4)Employing macroeconomic control measures to institute rational incentive systems and corresponding penalties.Ensuring the regularity and institutionalization of local government oversight and inspection activities while enhancing the efficiency of detecting agricultural NPS pollution.These actions are essential for advancing sustainable development of rural ecological environment.
two partiesagricultural nonpoint source pollutionevolutionary gamebehavioral decisionnumerical simulation