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Digital Literacy, Labor Force Characteristics and the Degree of Adoption of Agricultural Socialized Services: Empirical Evidence from Rural China

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Under the strategic goal of agricultural modernization, agricultural socialization services have become an important means of enhancing agricultural efficiency and guaranteeing food security. Based on microdata from 3811 farm households in seven provinces, this paper integrates labor force structural characteristics with digital literacy to construct a comprehensive analytical framework and empirically examines their effects on the degree of access to agricultural socialized services (DASS) through ordered logit model and moderated effects models. The results show that labor force characteristics significantly affect DASS, and the higher the degree of feminization, aging, and part-time employment, the higher the degree of access to services; digital literacy as a whole significantly improves DASS for farm households and shows heterogeneous moderating effects under different labor force characteristics. Therefore, this paper suggests formulating differentiated socialized service promotion strategies, deepening the digitalization of agricultural services, strengthening the digital technology training of rural laborers in various ways, enhancing DASS, effectively improving the efficiency of agricultural production, and supporting the dual goals of food security and rural revitalization.

Source: Agriculture

DOI: 10.3390/agriculture15171890

Authors: Hong Tang, Zhiyou Liu, Feng Huang

Institution: Sichuan Agricultural University

Language: English

Topic: Digitalization and Economic Development in Agriculture

Subfield: Strategy and Management

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Zero hunger, Decent work and economic growth, Reduced inequalities, No poverty

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137