DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15576954
title: Survey Data on Apple Farming in China: Agronomic Management, Advisory Channels, and Profitability

description: The Survey results and original data are stored in a directory structured as the table:




Type
File Name
Description




Raw_Data_Spearate_Source

raw_data_english_telephone.xlsx
Translated data in English corresponding to the Chinese telephone interview data


 
raw_data_english_wechat.xlsx
Translated data in English corresponding to the Chinese Wechat Mini Program data


Raw_Data_Total
raw_data_english_total.xlsx
Combined data from raw_data_english_telephone.xlsx and raw_data_english_wechat.xlsx


Apple_Statistical_Data
apple_2022_statistical_data.xlsx
Contains data on apple planting area, production, and yield sourced from the China Statistics Bureau, along with the number of survey questionnaires collected from various provinces


 
province_eng.xlsx
Contains the English version of the provinces' names


Map_Boundary_line
national_boundary_line.shp
The country boundaires of China


 
province_boundary.shp
The province boundaries of China




For privacy reasons, personally identifiable information such as respondents’ names, telephone numbers, and specific addresses has been anonymized in the dataset. The file raw_data_english_total.xlsx contains 96 columns, each corresponding to a question in the questionnaire.
description: Survey data were collected from 382 apple farmers across eight major apple-producing provinces in China, capturing a comprehensive range of variables including demographic backgrounds, orchard characteristics, agronomic advice channels, management strategies, decision-making factors, and profitability. The primary objective of this survey is to identify and evaluate the key factors that influence the formulation of various advanced management strategies throughout the entire apple production process. Additionally, the survey aimed to assess the impact of these management strategy on farm’s productivity and profitability, and farmer’s satisfaction. Data collection was conducted through structured questionnaires within a Mini Program on the WeChat platform, with responses completed during face-to-face guidance facilitated by investigator. This dataset is crucial for understanding the influence of demographic factors and agronomic advice channels on the effective promotion of advanced management strategies. By analysing this dataset, researchers can gain valuable insights into the barriers and motivators influencing adoption decisions in orchard management. The dataset will support the development of tailored agricultural policies and services, prompting the sustainable upgrading of the industry.

 
description: The surveys were conducted via WeChat Mini Program (“Wenjuan Star”) and telephone interviews. Ten local coordinators from eight provinces were selected for their agronomic knowledge and ability to speak the local dialects. They were trained in the online survey program, the research topics, goals, questions, and how to conduct the interviews, including operating the WeChat Mini Program. In the end, 352 questionnaires were completed through face-to-face interviews, and 30 questionnaires were completed via telephone interviews, with investigators filling out the questionnaires based on the conversation content. Thus, a total of 382 questionnaires were gathered. The data were later downloaded from the servers and exported into Excel for statistics analysis. Participating farmers received 30 CNY (equivalent to 4.2 US dollars) for completing the survey. Each interview took approximately 5 to 30 minutes. The share of questionnaires included in the survey corresponded to the share of the planting area in each province, which is why many questionnaires came from Shaanxi Province.

 
description: Funding provided by: Shaanxi Key R&B Program Project

Grant Number: 2023-ZDLNY-64

 

Funding provided by: Guangxi Key R&B Program Project

Grant Number: GuiKe AB24010121