Impact of farmer perceptions on the willingness to participate in the utilization of agricultural waste resources under environmental regulations

To increase farmer willingness to participate in the utilization of agricultural waste resources, improve the rural ecological environment, and comply with farmer expectations of a better living environment, this study developed a multivariate ordered Logistic model based on survey data from 693 farmers in Henan, Shandong, Sichuan, and Heilongjiang provinces. The effects of farmers' value and skill perceptions, cost-benefit perception, and market recycling condition perception on participation willingness were investigated. The results show that: 1) The skill, cost, and distance perceptions of farmers, together with recycling channels and their recycling channel stability perception, have significant effects on their willingness to participate. Skill perception and recycling channel stability perception also have significant positive effects on participation willingness. 2) Environmental regulatory policies are the most important factors underlying farm household agricultural waste resource utilization behavior, and there are differences in the moderating effects of the relationship between farmers' perception and participation willingness. Guiding regulations have significant positive moderating effects on the relationships between farmers' prospects perception and their participation willingness and farmers' skills perception and participation willingness. Restrictive regulations have significant positive moderating effects on the relationships between farmers' perception of recycling importance and their participation willingness, and farmers' recycling channel stability perception and participation willingness. Incentive regulations have significant positive moderating effects on the relationships between farmers' prospects perception and their participation willingness, farmers' skills perception and participation willingness, farmer's income perception and participation willingness, and farmers' recycling channel stability perception and participation willingness. Environmental regulations based on incentives also have a significant negative moderating effect on the relationship between farmer's distance perception with recycling channels, and their participation willingness. Intensive technical training, more subsidies, and improved agricultural waste recycling mechanisms may increase farmer willingness to participate, while the continuous adjustment and optimization of agricultural waste resource utilization and regulatory policies will aid green development of agriculture and rural areas.