Agricultural socialized services in China’s smallholder farming systems: a systematic review of service types, benefits, and measurement challenges
This review investigates the existing research on agricultural socialized services (ASS), focusing on their benefits to smallholder farmers and the barriers these farmers encounter in accessing such services. ASS are vital to modern agricultural systems, influencing both service providers and smallh...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fagro.2025.1638637/full |
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| author | Rong Zeng Meseret C. Abate Cai Baozhong Amsalu K. Addis Xiangyun Yi Shaoping Jiang Xu Yan Betelhem A. Geremew Amsalu N. Alamerew Amsalu N. Alamerew |
| author_facet | Rong Zeng Meseret C. Abate Cai Baozhong Amsalu K. Addis Xiangyun Yi Shaoping Jiang Xu Yan Betelhem A. Geremew Amsalu N. Alamerew Amsalu N. Alamerew |
| author_sort | Rong Zeng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This review investigates the existing research on agricultural socialized services (ASS), focusing on their benefits to smallholder farmers and the barriers these farmers encounter in accessing such services. ASS are vital to modern agricultural systems, influencing both service providers and smallholder practices in various national contexts. Although previous studies have examined trends and levels of ASS development, there has been limited exploration of the specific types of services that warrant further research and the obstacles facing smallholders in their implementation. This deficiency in information heightens the vulnerability of smallholder farmers to ongoing and unpredictable risks. To address this issue, we employed a modified Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) technique to conduct a thorough literature search, applying eligibility criteria to identify pertinent studies. The selected literature was categorized by service type and their reported benefits to smallholders, without imposing restrictions on study methodologies. Our findings indicate that 66% of the analyzed studies concentrated on production-stage services, particularly machinery outsourcing, which is largely influenced by rural labor migration and aims to optimize yields. In contrast, only 16% of the studies explored multi-stage ASS integration (which includes pre-production, production, and post-production services), and none examined the concept of holistic service bundling. While mechanization services emerged as prominent due to their measurable productivity enhancements, significant gaps remain in assessing intangible benefits and understanding systemic trade-offs. Throughout the review, we identified challenges in measuring the effects of these services, such as difficulties in quantifying subjective impacts, data validation shortcomings, and the need for improved simulation models. Ultimately, this review calls for a shift in research direction towards a wider array of service types, the development of cost-effective delivery mechanisms, and strategies to improve access, all of which are essential to enhancing the resilience and livelihoods of smallholder farmers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-636efd6319004bbf8895c7704cdb5419 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-3218 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj-art-636efd6319004bbf8895c7704cdb54192025-08-20T04:00:10ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Agronomy2673-32182025-08-01710.3389/fagro.2025.16386371638637Agricultural socialized services in China’s smallholder farming systems: a systematic review of service types, benefits, and measurement challengesRong Zeng0Meseret C. Abate1Cai Baozhong2Amsalu K. Addis3Xiangyun Yi4Shaoping Jiang5Xu Yan6Betelhem A. Geremew7Amsalu N. Alamerew8Amsalu N. Alamerew9Research Institute of Rural Revitalization, School of Tourism and Cultural Industry, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, ChinaResearch Institute of Rural Revitalization, School of Tourism and Cultural Industry, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, ChinaResearch Institute of Rural Revitalization, School of Tourism and Cultural Industry, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, ChinaSchool of Economics and Management, Hanjiang Normal University, Shiyan, ChinaResearch Institute of Rural Revitalization, School of Tourism and Cultural Industry, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, ChinaResearch Institute of Rural Revitalization, School of Tourism and Cultural Industry, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, ChinaResearch Institute of Rural Revitalization, School of Tourism and Cultural Industry, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, ChinaSchool of Public Administration and Law, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, ChinaFaculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, CanadaCollege of Agriculture, Food and Climate Science, Injibara University, Injibara, EthiopiaThis review investigates the existing research on agricultural socialized services (ASS), focusing on their benefits to smallholder farmers and the barriers these farmers encounter in accessing such services. ASS are vital to modern agricultural systems, influencing both service providers and smallholder practices in various national contexts. Although previous studies have examined trends and levels of ASS development, there has been limited exploration of the specific types of services that warrant further research and the obstacles facing smallholders in their implementation. This deficiency in information heightens the vulnerability of smallholder farmers to ongoing and unpredictable risks. To address this issue, we employed a modified Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) technique to conduct a thorough literature search, applying eligibility criteria to identify pertinent studies. The selected literature was categorized by service type and their reported benefits to smallholders, without imposing restrictions on study methodologies. Our findings indicate that 66% of the analyzed studies concentrated on production-stage services, particularly machinery outsourcing, which is largely influenced by rural labor migration and aims to optimize yields. In contrast, only 16% of the studies explored multi-stage ASS integration (which includes pre-production, production, and post-production services), and none examined the concept of holistic service bundling. While mechanization services emerged as prominent due to their measurable productivity enhancements, significant gaps remain in assessing intangible benefits and understanding systemic trade-offs. Throughout the review, we identified challenges in measuring the effects of these services, such as difficulties in quantifying subjective impacts, data validation shortcomings, and the need for improved simulation models. Ultimately, this review calls for a shift in research direction towards a wider array of service types, the development of cost-effective delivery mechanisms, and strategies to improve access, all of which are essential to enhancing the resilience and livelihoods of smallholder farmers.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fagro.2025.1638637/fullsmallholder farmersagricultural socialized services (ASS)agricultural sustainabilityChinese agriculturesystematic review |
| spellingShingle | Rong Zeng Meseret C. Abate Cai Baozhong Amsalu K. Addis Xiangyun Yi Shaoping Jiang Xu Yan Betelhem A. Geremew Amsalu N. Alamerew Amsalu N. Alamerew Agricultural socialized services in China’s smallholder farming systems: a systematic review of service types, benefits, and measurement challenges Frontiers in Agronomy smallholder farmers agricultural socialized services (ASS) agricultural sustainability Chinese agriculture systematic review |
| title | Agricultural socialized services in China’s smallholder farming systems: a systematic review of service types, benefits, and measurement challenges |
| title_full | Agricultural socialized services in China’s smallholder farming systems: a systematic review of service types, benefits, and measurement challenges |
| title_fullStr | Agricultural socialized services in China’s smallholder farming systems: a systematic review of service types, benefits, and measurement challenges |
| title_full_unstemmed | Agricultural socialized services in China’s smallholder farming systems: a systematic review of service types, benefits, and measurement challenges |
| title_short | Agricultural socialized services in China’s smallholder farming systems: a systematic review of service types, benefits, and measurement challenges |
| title_sort | agricultural socialized services in china s smallholder farming systems a systematic review of service types benefits and measurement challenges |
| topic | smallholder farmers agricultural socialized services (ASS) agricultural sustainability Chinese agriculture systematic review |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fagro.2025.1638637/full |
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