Agricultural Technology, Cleaner Water, and Human Health: The Unseen Harvest Down the River

Speaker：Luo Wei, Assistant Professor, Jinan University

Host：Sha Wenbiao, Assistant Professor, Lingnan College

Time and Date：14:30, June 15, 2026 (Monday)

Venue：C.S.LAM Conference Room (103), Lingnan Hall

Language：English + Chinese

Abstract：

Agricultural production generates environmental externalities that can impose health costs on populations far from production sites. This paper examines whether new agricultural technology can mitigate such externalities through reducing water pollution. Exploiting the staggered diffusion of insect-resistant Bt cotton, cross-county differential exposure, and fine-scale hydrological linkages, we provide causal evidence that upstream Bt adoption substantially reduces downstream mortality, averting nearly 100,000 deaths annually in rural China. Health gains extend beyond mortality, with effects on morbidity and healthcare utilization. These benefits are driven by cleaner water rather than economic or behavioral channels.

Profile:

Luo Wei is an Assistant Professor at the School of Economics, Jinan University. She received her PhD from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Her research interests lie in development economics and labor economics, with a focus on the interplay between institutions, labor markets, and household behavior, as well as the welfare implications of technology adoption. Her work has been published in leading international journals, including the Journal of Development Economics (two articles), Journal of Human Resources, Journal of Population Economics, and Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization. She serves as Principal Investigator of a Young Scientists Fund project funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. She has served as a reviewer for journals such as China Economic Quarterly, Journal of Development Economics, Journal of Human Resources, and Journal of Population Economics.