LINKING SMALL-SCALE FARM HOUSEHOLDS WITH MODERN AGRICULTURE:THE MICRO IMPACT OF THE DIGITAL ECONOMY——BASED ON THE SURVEY OF FARMERS IN FOUR PROVINCES AND FACTOR ALLOCATION
The digital economy,with digital technology,digital platforms,and data as the main carriers,empowers the development of modern agriculture.Small-scale farm households are the main operating body of China's agricultural development at the present stage,and the role played by the digital economy in articulating small farmers in modern agricultural production is worth in-depth investigation.Based on the results of the survey of 1 595 households in four provinces of Sichuan,Jiangxi,Liaoning,and Shandong in 2021,using methods such as breakpoint regression and Propensity Score Matching(PSM)model,and combining relevant theories to construct an analytical framework,we empirically explored the micro impact of the digital economy on promoting the articulation of small-scale farm households into modern agriculture.The results showed that:(1)The digital economy promoted small-scale farm households to expand land size,increased agricultural technology inputs,and capital inputs,and adopted green production methods.(2)Heterogeneity analysis showed that under the influence of the digital economy,smallholders with"less than 10 acres"chose to reduce the size of their land operation due to labor shortage or land surplus;While smallholders with"10 acres and above"chose to expand the size of their land operation and specialize cultivation;"young farmers"chose to expand the size of their land operation and specialize cultivation,they showed more"active"production behavior;while"older farmers"are more"conservative";and the digital economy had a more significant impact on smallholders receiving agricultural socialization services.(3)The digital economy could help promote small-scale farm households to connect with modern agriculture.Therefore,we should improve the allocation of agricultural production factors,accelerate the digitalization of the countryside,play the role of new agricultural management bodies,and focus on improving the level of agricultural socialization services.
digital economysmall-scale farm householdselement configurationmodern agricultureregres-sion discontinuity
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