Heterogeneous Impacts of Traditional and Modern Information Channels on Farmers’ Green Production: Evidence from China

Zimei Liu (), Ke Chen and Yezhi Ren
Additional contact information
Zimei Liu: School of Public Administration, Huazhong Agricultural University, 1 Shizishan Street, Wuhan 430070, China
Ke Chen: School of Public Administration, Huazhong Agricultural University, 1 Shizishan Street, Wuhan 430070, China
Yezhi Ren: School of Public Administration, Huazhong Agricultural University, 1 Shizishan Street, Wuhan 430070, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 22, 1-14

Abstract: Efficient agricultural input is crucial for agricultural green production and sustainable development. The swift evolution of information and communication technologies has diversified the avenues through which farmers access information. However, how different information channels affect farmers’ production input remain poorly understood. Leveraging a two-way fixed-effects model and the Karlson-–Holm–Breen (KHB) method, this study delves into the mechanisms underlying the influence of both traditional and modern information channels on farmers’ inputs of seeds, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides (SCFP) based on over 15,000 sample of Chinese farmers. The findings reveal the following: (1) modern information channels significantly decrease farmers’ SCFP input, whereas traditional channels exhibit the opposite effect; (2) environmental pollution perception acts as a mediator in the influence of both traditional and modern information channels on farmers’ SCFP input; (3) traditional information channels significantly promote farmers’ SCFP input in the grain production and marketing balance areas, and modern information channels inhibit farmers’ SCFP input in major grain-producing areas; and (4) traditional and modern information channels have an impact on farmers’ SCFP input in the western region, but not in the central region. To promote sustainable agricultural development, government departments should enhance rural Internet access, diversify information sources, advocate for eco-farming, ensure regional digital equity, and enhance green agri-tech promotion.

Keywords: traditional information channels; modern information channels; environmental pollution perception; farmers’ green production behavior; agricultural sustainable development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/22/9959/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/22/9959/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:22:p:9959-:d:1521417

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().