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As a typical green production technology, straw return affects environmental pollution control and waste recycling. However, in reality, farmers are not active in returning straw to the field. This study constructed a theoretical analysis of farmers’ straw-returning behavior under the conditions of labor aging, socialization service, and environmental regulation. Based on the survey data from 540 households in the Province of Sichuan, we empirically study the relationship between labor aging and farmers’ straw-returning behavior by using the binary logistic regression model and explore the moderating effects of socialization service and environmental regulation on labor aging and straw-returning behavior. The results show that: (1) Aging laborers in rural households constitute a higher proportion, accounting for 29% of the rural household labor force. However, there is limited enthusiasm among farmers to adopt straw returning to the field, with only 65% of farmers adopting this technology. (2) The labor aging hinders farmers’ straw-returning behavior. Specifically, under other fixed conditions, the behavior of straw returning decreases by 0.647 units when the labor aging increases by one unit. (3) Socialization services and economic incentives can mitigate the adverse effects of labor aging on straw-returning behavior, while mandatory constraints do not. (4) The heterogeneity analysis shows that labor aging has a stronger inhibitory effect on straw-returning behavior when the land scale of farmers is lower than the average level and the area is not plain.

Land certification and adjustment experience, which are of great significance to strengthen farmers’ acceptance of the green production technologies (the GPTs), are important factors that affect the stability of land property. Based on the research data of 540 farmers in Sichuan, China, the probit model is used in this research to explore the effect of the land certification upon the GPTs acceptance of farmers and discuss the moderation effect of land adjustment experience (large-scale adjustment and small-scale adjustment). The results show the following. (1) Overall, 10% of the farmers have not obtained the certificates, 17% of the farmers have experienced small-scale land adjustment, and 3% of the farmers have experienced large-scale land adjustment. Meanwhile, 15% of the farmers have not adopted any the green production technologies (the GPTs), and the rest have adopted at least one green production technology. (2) Land certification affects farmers’ acceptance of the GPTs in a significant way. (3) Small-scale land adjustment will weaken the role of land certification in promoting farmers’ acceptance of the green production technologies (the GPTs), while large-scale land adjustment will not. (4) For farmers with large scale of land, low extent of land fragmentation, and high extent of dependence on agricultural income, land certification will positively promote farmers’ decision making on whether to accept the GPTs.

Carbon emission reduction in agriculture is an important link to achieving green agricultural development and a rural ecological environment, and Low-Carbon Agricultural Technology (LCAT) of farmers is an important means to achieve carbon emission reduction in agriculture. Based on data obtained from a survey of 540 farmers in Sichuan province in 2021, the Tobit model was used to empirically analyze the effect of trust on farmers’ LCAT adoption. The results show that (1) the trust level of farmers is high and the order is special trust > institutional trust > general trust. At the same time, the intensity of adoption of LCAT by farmers is not high, and the average number of LCAT adopted by each family is 1.13. Among them, straw-returning technology was adopted to a high degree, with 54.63% of farmers using it. (2) Farmers’ trust significantly enhances farmers’ LCAT adoption behavior, and the magnitude of the effect is characterized by specific trust > general trust > institutional trust chain. (3) Heterogeneity analysis shows that the influence of farmers’ specific trust and institutional trust in plain areas on the intensity of LCAT adoption is stronger than that of farmers in non-plain areas, and the influence of general trust of farmers in non-plain areas on the intensity of LCAT adoption is stronger than that of farmers in plain areas. The impact of specific trust, general trust, and institutional trust on LCAT adoption was stronger for the new generation of farmers than for the older generation of farmers. (4) Herding effect plays a mediating role in special trust, institutional trust, and LCAT adoption. This study can deepen our understanding of the relationship between farmers’ trust and LCAT adoption behavior, and then provide theoretical reference and practical basis for the promotion of LCAT and the improvement of farmers’ LCAT adoption level from the perspective of trust.

With the continuous emphasis of the country on the construction of ecological civilization, promoting the utilization of straw resources has become an important measure to achieve green agricultural development. Based on the survey data of 540 households in Sichuan Province and under the guidance of the theory of planned behavior, this paper constructed the IV-Probit model to explore the impact of land transfer on the straw resource utilization of households. The results show that: (1) land transfer in and land transfer out can significantly promote the utilization of straw resources by farmers. (2) Heterogeneity analysis showed that land transfer in had a positive effect on crop straw utilization of the new generation and large-scale farmers. (3) Land transfer in can promote the utilization of straw resources by improving farmers’ economic cognition and efficacy cognition; land transfer out can promote the utilization of straw resources by improving farmers’ efficacy cognition. Accordingly, the government should improve the land transfer market, increase technology propaganda, and create an excellent policy environment to promote farmers’ participation in straw resource utilization.

Rural households are micro-organizational systems that are composed of different family members. Against a background of fragmented land patterns and massive labor migration in China, it is of great significance for the sustainable development of regional economies to explore the optimal selection of livelihood strategies by rural households. Using a survey containing data from 8031 rural households from 27 provinces in China, this study analyzed the characteristics and spatial distribution trends of the land management scale, family life cycle, and livelihood strategy selection of rural households, and constructed Tobit econometric models to explore the correlations among these factors. The results show: (1) Rural households’ land management scale was primarily small-scale and, as it expanded, the proportion of the total cash income coming from agricultural activities increased. A relative majority of rural households were in the middle period of the family life cycle, and relatively few rural households were in the starting and empty nest periods. The proportion of the total cash income of rural households coming from agricultural pursuits while in the stable and the empty nest periods was relatively large, reaching 40.51% and 38.92%, respectively. In most provinces sampled, rural households’ livelihood strategies were non-agriculturally based, and the land management scale was mainly less than 0.67 ha. (2) Rural households’ land management scale positively correlated with their livelihood strategy selection. When other conditions remained unchanged, with every 1 ha increase in land management scale, the proportion of agricultural cash income in total family cash income increased, on average, by 3.7%. In comparison with rural households in the empty nest period, the proportions of agricultural cash income in the total family cash income of rural households in other family life cycles were relatively small. Specifically, for rural households in the starting, rearing, burden, stable, and maintenance periods, the proportion of agricultural cash income in the total family cash income decreased, on average, by 6.8%, 6.7%, 9.2%, 3.5%, and 16.3%, respectively.