IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v10y2021i3p245-d508136.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Are Smallholder Farmers Involved in Digital Agriculture in Developing Countries: A Case Study from China

Author

Listed:
  • Lin Xie

    (National School of Agricultural Institution and Development, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, Guangdong, China)

  • Biliang Luo

    (National School of Agricultural Institution and Development, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, Guangdong, China)

  • Wenjing Zhong

    (National School of Agricultural Institution and Development, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, Guangdong, China)

Abstract

Digital transformation in agricultural practices may lead to a "digital divide" between small and large farms, owing to the characteristics and availability of digital technology. This paper sought to use a case study in Chongzhou County, Sichuan Province in China, to analyze how smallholder farmers in developing countries access such digital agriculture and share the benefits of digital agricultural transformation. Small farmers may own a larger scale farm through forming cooperatives; they are also indirectly involved in digital agriculture through agriculture outsourcing. The outsourcing market is expected to grow, which will allow for the evolution of a digital agricultural service platform, the development of a digital agricultural business organization consortium, and the continued expansion of a healthy digital ecology. This paper revealed important policy implications, stemming from the fact that the implementation of inclusive digital agriculture relies on two key shifts: (1) transformation from land scale operations to service scale operations and (2) from inclusive technological progress to inclusive organization innovation.

Suggested Citation

  • Lin Xie & Biliang Luo & Wenjing Zhong, 2021. "How Are Smallholder Farmers Involved in Digital Agriculture in Developing Countries: A Case Study from China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-16, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:3:p:245-:d:508136
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/3/245/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/3/245/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gary S. Becker & Kevin M. Murphy, 1994. "The Division of Labor, Coordination Costs, and Knowledge," NBER Chapters, in: Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis with Special Reference to Education, Third Edition, pages 299-322, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Tadesse, Getaw & Bahiigwa, Godfrey, 2015. "Mobile Phones and Farmers’ Marketing Decisions in Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 296-307.
    3. Jenny C. Aker, 2010. "Information from Markets Near and Far: Mobile Phones and Agricultural Markets in Niger," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(3), pages 46-59, July.
    4. Wolfert, Sjaak & Ge, Lan & Verdouw, Cor & Bogaardt, Marc-Jeroen, 2017. "Big Data in Smart Farming – A review," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 69-80.
    5. Ogutu, Sylvester Ochieng & Okello, Julius Juma & Otieno, David Jakinda, 2014. "Impact of Information and Communication Technology-Based Market Information Services on Smallholder Farm Input Use and Productivity: The Case of Kenya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 311-321.
    6. Uwe Deichmann & Aparajita Goyal & Deepak Mishra, 2016. "Will digital technologies transform agriculture in developing countries?," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 47(S1), pages 21-33, November.
    7. Marcel Fafchamps & Bart Minten, 2012. "Impact of SMS-Based Agricultural Information on Indian Farmers," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 26(3), pages 383-414.
    8. Young, Allyn A., 1928. "Increasing Returns and Economic Progress," History of Economic Thought Articles, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, vol. 38, pages 527-542.
    9. Robert Jensen, 2007. "The Digital Provide: Information (Technology), Market Performance, and Welfare in the South Indian Fisheries Sector," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 122(3), pages 879-924.
    10. Feder, Gershon & O'Mara, Gerald T, 1981. "Farm Size and the Diffusion of Green Revolution Technology," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 30(1), pages 59-76, October.
    11. Bruno Basso & John Antle, 2020. "Digital agriculture to design sustainable agricultural systems," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 3(4), pages 254-256, April.
    12. William Jack & Tavneet Suri, 2014. "Risk Sharing and Transactions Costs: Evidence from Kenya's Mobile Money Revolution," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(1), pages 183-223, January.
    13. Diether W. Beuermann & Christopher McKelvey & Renos Vakis, 2012. "Mobile Phones and Economic Development in Rural Peru," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(11), pages 1617-1628, November.
    14. Zhang, Shemei & Sun, Zhanli & Ma, Wanglin & Valentinov, Vladislav, 2020. "The effect of cooperative membership on agricultural technology adoption in Sichuan, China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Xin Luo & Shubin Zhu & Zhenjiang Song, 2023. "Quantifying the Income-Increasing Effect of Digital Agriculture: Take the New Agricultural Tools of Smartphone as an Example," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-16, February.
    2. Xiang Li & Hyukku Lee, 2022. "An Analysis on the Determining Factors of Farmers’ Land-Scale Management: Empirical Analysis Based on the Micro-Perspective of Farmers in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-15, August.
    3. Lioutas, Evagelos D. & Charatsari, Chrysanthi & De Rosa, Marcello, 2021. "Digitalization of agriculture: A way to solve the food problem or a trolley dilemma?," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    4. Xiuru Zhang & Lin Zhang & Tangzhe Nie, 2023. "Study on the Impact of Social Capital on Farmers’ Decision-Making Behavior of Adopting Trusteeship Services," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-16, March.
    5. Meng Qu & Kai Zhao & Renhui Zhang & Yuan Gao & Jing Wang, 2022. "Divergence between Willingness and Behavior of Farmers to Purchase Socialized Agricultural Services: From a Heterogeneity Perspective of Land Scale," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-21, July.
    6. Ning Geng & Mengyao Wang & Zengjin Liu, 2022. "Farmland Transfer, Scale Management and Economies of Scale Assessment: Evidence from the Main Grain-Producing Shandong Province in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-16, November.
    7. Neeraj Singh & Kushankur Dey, 2023. "A typology of agricultural market information systems and its dimensions: Case studies of digital platforms," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 33(1), pages 1-22, December.
    8. Min Zhu & Yajie Li & Zainab Khalid & Ehsan Elahi, 2023. "Comprehensive Evaluation and Promotion Strategy of Agricultural Digitalization Level," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-15, April.
    9. Jules Degila & Frejus Ariel Kpedetin Sodedji & Hospice Gerard Gracias Avakoudjo & Souand Peace Gloria Tahi & Seton Calmette Ariane Houetohossou & Anne-Carole Honfoga & Ida Sèmévo Tognisse & Achille Ep, 2023. "Digital Agriculture Policies and Strategies for Innovations in the Agri-Food Systems—Cases of Five West African Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-18, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Uwe Deichmann & Aparajita Goyal & Deepak Mishra, 2016. "Will digital technologies transform agriculture in developing countries?," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 47(S1), pages 21-33, November.
    2. Jeehye Kim & Parmesh Shah & Joanne Catherine Gaskell & Ashesh Prasann & Akanksha Luthra, 2020. "Scaling Up Disruptive Agricultural Technologies in Africa," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 33961.
    3. Hailemariam Ayalew & Dagim G. Belay, 2020. "The Ethiopian Commodity Exchange and Spatial Price Dispersion: Disentangling Warehouse and Price Information effects," IFRO Working Paper 2020/01, University of Copenhagen, Department of Food and Resource Economics.
    4. Melia, Elvis, 2019. "The impact of information and communication technologies on jobs in Africa: a literature review," IDOS Discussion Papers 3/2019, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    5. Shen, Zhiyang & Wang, Songkai & Boussemart, Jean-Philippe & Hao, Yu, 2022. "Digital transition and green growth in Chinese agriculture," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    6. Min, Shi & Liu, Min & Huang, Jikun, 2020. "Does the application of ICTs facilitate rural economic transformation in China? Empirical evidence from the use of smartphones among farmers," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    7. Foivos Anastasiadis & Naoum Tsolakis & Jagjit Singh Srai, 2018. "Digital Technologies Towards Resource Efficiency in the Agrifood Sector: Key Challenges in Developing Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-15, December.
    8. Abate, Gashaw T. & Abay, Kibrom A. & Chamberlin, Jordan & Kassim, Yumna & Spielman, David J. & Paul Jr Tabe-Ojong, Martin, 2023. "Digital tools and agricultural market transformation in Africa: Why are they not at scale yet, and what will it take to get there?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    9. Apoorv Gupta & Jacopo Ponticelli & Andrea Tesei, 2020. "Language Barriers, Technology Adoption and Productivity: Evidence from Agriculture in India," NBER Working Papers 27192, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Ackermann, Klaus & Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa & Smyth, Russell, 2021. "Mobile phone coverage and violent conflict," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 269-287.
    11. Eduardo Nakasone & Maximo Torero, 2016. "A text message away: ICTs as a tool to improve food security," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 47(S1), pages 49-59, November.
    12. Jianxin Guo & Songqing Jin & Lei Chen & Jichun Zhao, 2018. "Impacts of Distance Education on Agricultural Performance and Household Income: Micro-Evidence from Peri-Urban Districts in Beijing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-19, October.
    13. Riera, O. & Minten, B., 2018. "Mobile phones and agricultural market performance in Ethiopia," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277107, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    14. Evans, Olaniyi, 2018. "Digital Agriculture: Mobile Phones, Internet & Agricultural Development in Africa," MPRA Paper 90359, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Eliud Dismas Moyi, 2019. "The effect of mobile technology on self-employment in Kenya," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 9(1), pages 1-13, December.
    16. Zant, Wouter, 2024. "Mobile phones and Mozambique farmers: Less asymmetric information and more trader competition?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    17. Kochar, Anjini, 2018. "Branchless banking: Evaluating the doorstep delivery of financial services in rural India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 160-175.
    18. Apoorv Gupta & Jacopo Ponticelli & Andrea Tesei, 2019. "Technology Adoption and Access to Credit via Mobile Phones," Working Papers 892, Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance.
    19. Zou, Baoling & Mishra, Ashok K., 2022. "Engaging Information Technology in Farmland Rental Market: An Empirical Study from Rural China," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322265, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    20. Rajkhowa, Pallavi & Qaim, Matin, 2022. "Mobile phones, women's physical mobility, and contraceptive use in India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:3:p:245-:d:508136. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.