The chemical fertilizer reduction effect of specialty agriculture development in China

Specialty agriculture leverages distinctive local resources to differentiate products and enhance value, yet its role in reducing chemical fertilizer use remains underexplored. Treating China's Special Agricultural Product Advantage Zones policy as a quasi-natural experiment, this study evaluates the impact of specialty agriculture development on chemical fertilizer use. The results show that specialty agriculture development significantly reduces chemical fertilizer use, with an average decline of 8.9%. Agricultural green technology innovation, agricultural product branding, and the expansion of new-type agricultural business entities are potential channels. Improved digital infrastructure strengthens this effect. The effect is more pronounced for horticulture-oriented products, at higher quantiles of chemical fertilizer use, in central and western China, and in areas with better science-and-education support, greater market potential, and stronger informal institutions. Moreover, specialty agriculture development generates positive spillover effects. These findings provide policy implications for optimizing agricultural industrial policies and advancing the green transformation of agriculture.