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Digital Technology-and-Services-Driven Sustainable Transformation of Agriculture: Cases of China and the EU

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  • Tianyu Qin

    (State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
    College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Lijun Wang

    (School of Environment and Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China)

  • Yanxin Zhou

    (School of Environment and Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China)

  • Liyue Guo

    (State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China)

  • Gaoming Jiang

    (State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
    College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Lei Zhang

    (School of Environment and Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China)

Abstract

China’s sustainable development goals and carbon neutrality targets cannot be achieved without revolutionary transitions of the agricultural sector. The rapid development of digital technologies is believed to play a huge role in this revolution. The ongoing prevention and control of COVID-19 has greatly boosted the penetration of digital technology services in all areas of society, and sustainable transformation driven by digital technologies and services is rapidly becoming an area of innovation and research. Studies have shown that the rapid advancement of digitalization is also accompanied by a series of new governance challenges and problems: (1) unclear strategic orientation and inadequate policy and regulatory responses; (2) various stakeholders have not formed a sustainable community of interest; (3) information explosion is accompanied by information fragmentation and digital divide between countries and populations within countries. Meanwhile, current research has focused more on the role of digital services in urban governance and industrial development and lacks systematic research on its role in sustainable agricultural and rural development. To address the realities faced by different stakeholders in the process of digital transformation of agriculture, this paper aims to propose an inclusive analytical framework based on the meta-governance theory to identify and analyze the demand, supply, actor networks, and incentives in the digital technology-and-services-driven sustainable agricultural transformation, starting from the goals and connotations of sustainable agricultural and rural transformation and the interactions among different stakeholders in governing information flows. This analytical framework is further applied to analyze the cases of China and the EU. Although China and the EU represent different development phases and policy contexts, the framework is valid for capturing the characteristics of information flows and actor networks along the flows. It is concluded that a common information platform based on the stakeholder network would benefit all stakeholders, help reach common framing of issues, and maintain a dynamic exchange of information. Depending on the country context, different types of stakeholders may play different roles in creating, supervising, and maintaining such platforms. Digital infrastructures/products as hardware and farmers digital capacity as ‘software’ are the two wings for digital sustainable transformation. Innovative incentives from different countries may inspire each other. In any case, farmers’ actual farming behavior changes should be an important criterion for evaluating the effects and effectiveness of digital transition governance.

Suggested Citation

  • Tianyu Qin & Lijun Wang & Yanxin Zhou & Liyue Guo & Gaoming Jiang & Lei Zhang, 2022. "Digital Technology-and-Services-Driven Sustainable Transformation of Agriculture: Cases of China and the EU," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-16, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:12:y:2022:i:2:p:297-:d:753217
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    13. Ying Wang & Daoliang Ye, 2024. "Enhancing Rural Revitalization in China through Digital Economic Transformation and Green Entrepreneurship," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-18, May.
    14. Yeboah, Samuel, 2023. "Unlocking the Potential of Technological Innovations for Sustainable Agriculture in Developing Countries: Enhancing Resource Efficiency and Environmental Sustainability," MPRA Paper 118215, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 26 Jul 2023.
    15. Nasiphi Vusokazi Bontsa & Abbyssinia Mushunje & Saul Ngarava, 2023. "Factors Influencing the Perceptions of Smallholder Farmers towards Adoption of Digital Technologies in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-16, July.
    16. Ha, Le Thanh, 2023. "An investigation of digital integration's importance on smart and sustainable agriculture in the European region," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(PA).
    17. Yeboah, Samuel, 2023. "Unlocking the Potential of Technological Innovations for Sustainable Agriculture in Developing Countries: Enhancing Resource Efficiency and Environmental Sustainability," MPRA Paper 118216, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 04 Aug 2023.
    18. Siyu Gong & Ziye Sun & Bo Wang & Zhigang Yu, 2024. "Could Digital Literacy Contribute to the Improvement of Green Production Efficiency in Agriculture?," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(1), pages 21582440241, March.
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    20. Mei, Linfeng & Zheng, Yangyang & Tian, Mengling & Wu, Yu, 2024. "Driven by the policy or bent by the market? Cracking the digital transformation code of farmer cooperatives," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    21. Claudiu George Bocean, 2024. "A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Relationship between Digital Technology Use and Agricultural Productivity in EU Countries," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-24, March.
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    23. Tianyu Qin & Lan Wang & Jianshe Zhao & Gaifang Zhou & Caihong Li & Liyue Guo & Gaoming Jiang, 2022. "Effects of Straw Mulching Thickness on the Soil Health in a Temperate Organic Vineyard," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-14, October.
    24. Jianling Qi & Huanjiao Li & Wenlong Li & Jing Jin & Feng Ye, 2024. "The Influence of Digital Skills on Farm Households’ Vulnerability to Relative Poverty: Implications for the Sustainability of Farmers’ Livelihoods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-18, September.

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