Supplementary file 1_Enhancing smallholder farmers’ willingness to adopt organic fertilizer in Zhejiang Province, China: a configurational analysis of pathways.pdf

At a 40–60% substitution ratio, the expected subsidy was 124.74 Chinese yuan per metric ton. No single internal condition was necessary for high willingness. Instead, six configurations formed four pathways: Learning, External Normative, Resource-oriented, and Benefit-oriented.

These pathways show that technical learning and competence, institutional and peer influence, access to on-farm organic resources, and perceived economic and ecological benefits operate in different combinations across heterogeneous smallholders.</p>Perspectives<p>Policy should (1) implement tiered subsidies according to farm scale and substitution needs, (2) refine agricultural technology extension by combining accessible training with online and offline communication, and (3) strengthen social learning through peer demonstration and locally trusted information channels.

The configurational approach offers a differentiated basis for promoting organic fertilizer substitution in comparable smallholder regions.</p>