LAUSR

BACKGROUND Specialized agricultural services are becoming a new trend in agricultural production around the world, especially in developing countries. However, the impacts of the growing specialized agricultural services on pesticide application intensity are unclear. In regions facing pesticide overuse, do specialized agricultural services exacerbate or mitigate the problem? RESULTS Based on province-level panel data from China from 2004 to 2018, this study examines the impact of specialized agricultural services on pesticide application intensity, considering both direct effects and indirect (i.e., spatial spillover) effects. The dual impacts of specialized agricultural services on pesticide application intensity in China are identified. First, specialized agricultural services directly increase pesticide application intensity, likely due to increased cultivation and specialized management of the land that was previously abandoned or marginally managed. Second, there is a negative indirect or spatial spillover effect of specialized agricultural services on pesticide application intensity, likely due to technology and efficiency diffusion enabled by the cross-regional provision of specialized agricultural services. The net impact of specialized agricultural services on pesticide application intensity is negative. CONCLUSION Crop protection services are regarded as the core force to promote the reduction of pesticide application intensity. Steps should be taken to promote the research and development, demonstration, and promotion of new technologies and equipment for crop protection services, particularly the development of crop protection by drones. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.