Institute of Rural Development, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China.
China Academy for Rural Development (CARD), Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Aug 5;19(15):9639. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159639.
The literature about how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) influence farmers' adoption of sustainable agricultural technology is emerging, studies regarding the effects of particular smartphone-based digital extension services on farmers' sustainable agricultural technology practices are limited. This study investigates the relationship between a digital extension service ("Zhe' yang' shi" WeChat application) and the adoption of soil testing and formula fertilization, a precision fertilization technology. A household choice model is constructed to explain the impact of the application. Based on a household-level data set from a survey of 400 farmers in Zhejiang in 2022, empirical results show that the use of the "Zhe' yang' shi" WeChat application significantly increases the adoption of soil testing and formula fertilization. We also discuss the heterogeneous effect by different production scales. The findings enrich the literature regarding ICTs' influence on farmers' behavior in adopting sustainable agricultural technology. It provides a valuable example for developing countries to promote sustainable agriculture through digital technology.
关于信息和通信技术（ICTs）如何影响农民采用可持续农业技术的文献正在涌现，但关于特定基于智能手机的数字推广服务对农民可持续农业技术实践影响的研究有限。本研究调查了数字推广服务（“浙江施肥”微信应用程序）与土壤测试和配方施肥（一种精准施肥技术）采用之间的关系。构建了一个家庭选择模型来解释应用程序的影响。基于 2022 年对浙江 400 户农民进行的一项调查的家庭层面数据集，实证结果表明，使用“浙江施肥”微信应用程序显著增加了土壤测试和配方施肥的采用。我们还讨论了不同生产规模的异质效应。研究结果丰富了关于 ICTs 对农民采用可持续农业技术行为影响的文献，为发展中国家通过数字技术促进可持续农业提供了一个有价值的范例。
