IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i17p7437-d1465963.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Exploring the Income-Increasing Benefits of Rural E-Commerce in China: Implications for the Sustainable Development of Farmers

Author

Listed:
  • Hailan Qiu

    (School of Economics and Management, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China)

  • Xueyi Zhang

    (School of Economics and Management, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China)

  • Mingrui Feng

    (School of Economics and Management, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China)

  • Zhenquan Zhang

    (School of Economics and Management, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China)

  • Jiawei Wang

    (School of Digital Economy, Jiangxi Open University, Nanchang 330046, China)

  • Zhipeng Wang

    (School of Economics and Management, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China)

Abstract

The slowdown in income not only hinders the sustainable development of farmers but also exacerbates ecological and environmental problems. Likewise, the digital economy model represented by e-commerce has become a key path for growing farmers’ income. This article is based on 2020 China Rural Revitalization Survey data and uses the OLS and mediation effect models to examine the impact and mechanism of e-commerce operations on farmers’ income. The research results indicate that e-commerce operations can significantly improve the income level of farmers. After robustness and endogeneity tests, this conclusion still holds. The mechanism analysis results indicate that e-commerce operations promote farmers’ income growth by enhancing information acquisition, reducing operating costs, and enhancing financial support. The results of the heterogeneity analysis indicate that the impact of e-commerce on farmers’ income is heterogeneous in terms of income structure, education level, and regional distribution. Specifically, e-commerce significantly increases farmers’ agricultural operating income, non-agricultural operating income, and transfer income but significantly reduces their wage income. At the same time, e-commerce has a more significant income-increasing effect on highly educated and central and western farmers. Therefore, in promoting the development of a rural digital economy, it is necessary to improve the supporting facilities of e-commerce in rural areas; strengthen the supply of information, technology, capital, talent, and other elements; continue to improve the inclusiveness of rural e-commerce; and promote the sustainable growth of farmers’ income. The above findings not only provide new channels and ideas for farmers to increase income through e-commerce operations, but also help relevant decision-making departments to formulate new policies to promote farmers’ income growth and the development of e-commerce in China.

Suggested Citation

  • Hailan Qiu & Xueyi Zhang & Mingrui Feng & Zhenquan Zhang & Jiawei Wang & Zhipeng Wang, 2024. "Exploring the Income-Increasing Benefits of Rural E-Commerce in China: Implications for the Sustainable Development of Farmers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-22, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:17:p:7437-:d:1465963
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/17/7437/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/17/7437/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:diw:diwwpp:dp485 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Nanak Kakwani & Xiaobing Wang & Ning Xue & Peng Zhan, 2022. "Growth and Common Prosperity in China," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 30(1), pages 28-57, January.
    3. Jiantuo Yu, 2013. "Multidimensional Poverty in China: Findings Based on the CHNS," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 112(2), pages 315-336, June.
    4. Qi, Jiaqi & Zheng, Xiaoyong & Guo, Hongdong, 2019. "The formation of Taobao villages in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 106-127.
    5. Nerine Mary George & Vinit Parida & Tom Lahti & Joakim Wincent, 2016. "A systematic literature review of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition: insights on influencing factors," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 12(2), pages 309-350, June.
    6. Marco Caliendo & Sabine Kopeinig, 2008. "Some Practical Guidance For The Implementation Of Propensity Score Matching," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(1), pages 31-72, February.
    7. Huang, Chien-Chung & Jin, Huiying & Zhang, Jieyou & Zheng, Qinqin & Chen, Yafan & Cheung, Shannon & Liu, Chuwei, 2020. "The effects of an innovative e-commerce poverty alleviation platform on Chinese rural laborer skills development and family well-being," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    8. Gao, Yanyan & Zang, Leizhen & Sun, Jun, 2018. "Does computer penetration increase farmers’ income? An empirical study from China," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(5), pages 345-360.
    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. Yan Wang & Yongjie Wu, 2025. "Digital Economy, Rural E-Commerce Development, and Farmers’ Employment Quality," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-20, March.
    2. Jiawei Chen & Zhijin Xu, 2024. "The Impact of the Digital Divide on Labor Mobility and Sustainable Development in the Digital Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-27, November.

    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. Yanling Wang & Junqian Xu & Guangsheng Zhang & Xiao Wang, 2022. "Study on Evolutionary Game of Rural E-Commerce Entrepreneurship Ecosystem with Governmental Participation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-20, November.
    2. Jiexi Shen & Zhanguo Zhu & Matin Qaim & Shenggen Fan & Xu Tian, 2023. "E‐commerce improves dietary quality of rural households in China," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(S1), pages 1495-1511, December.
    3. Wang, Ge & Shi, Xinjie & Golley, Jane, 2024. "Feed the children, free the women? Evidence from the China rural nutrition improvement program," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    4. Zhu, Xiaoke & Hu, Ruifa & Zhang, Chao & Shi, Guanming, 2021. "Does Internet use improve technical efficiency? Evidence from apple production in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    5. Lili Li & Yiwu Zeng & Zi Ye & Hongdong Guo, 2021. "E‐commerce development and urban‐rural income gap: Evidence from Zhejiang Province, China," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 100(2), pages 475-494, April.
    6. Ying Dong & Weijie Luo & Xiaoge Zhang, 2024. "Information and communication technology diffusion and the urban–rural income gap in China," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 159-186, May.
    7. Wei, Binhui & Zhao, Chunkai & Luo, Mingzhong, 2024. "Online markets, offline happiness: E-commerce development and subjective well-being in rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    8. Jiamin Liu & Xiaoyu Ma & Wenli Jia & Sisi Zhang, 2022. "Can New-Type Urbanization Construction Narrow the Urban–Rural Income Gap? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-25, November.
    9. Seow Eng Ong & Davin Wang & Calvin Chua, 2023. "Disruptive Innovation and Real Estate Agency: The Disruptee Strikes Back," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 67(2), pages 287-317, August.
    10. Raymundo M. Campos-Vázquez, 2013. "Efectos de los ingresos no reportados en el nivel y tendencia de la pobreza laboral en México," Ensayos Revista de Economia, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Facultad de Economia, vol. 0(2), pages 23-54, November.
    11. Andrea Pufahl & Christoph R. Weiss, 2009. "Evaluating the effects of farm programmes: results from propensity score matching," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 36(1), pages 79-101, March.
    12. Irene Bertschek & Joern Block & Alexander S. Kritikos & Caroline Stiel, 2024. "German financial state aid during Covid-19 pandemic: Higher impact among digitalized self-employed," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(1-2), pages 76-97, January.
    13. Febi Jensen & Hans Lööf & Andreas Stephan, 2020. "New ventures in Cleantech: Opportunities, capabilities and innovation outcomes," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 902-917, March.
    14. Jan Fałkowski & Maciej Jakubowski & Paweł Strawiński, 2014. "Returns from income strategies in rural Poland," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 22(1), pages 139-178, January.
    15. Gabrielle Wills, 2016. "Principal leadership changes in South Africa: Investigating their consequences for school performance," Working Papers 01/2016, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    16. Cabras, Stefano & Fidrmuc, Jan & de Dios Tena Horrillo, Juan, 2017. "Minimum wage and employment: Escaping the parametric straitjacket," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 11, pages 1-20.
    17. Aiello, Francesco & Albanese, Giuseppe & Piselli, Paolo, 2019. "Good value for public money? The case of R&D policy," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 1057-1076.
    18. Nguyen Thi Chau & Tofael Ahamed, 2022. "Analyzing Factors That Affect Rice Production Efficiency and Organic Fertilizer Choices in Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-11, July.
    19. Salvatore Bimonte & Antonella D’Agostino, 2021. "Tourism development and residents’ well-being: Comparing two seaside destinations in Italy," Tourism Economics, , vol. 27(7), pages 1508-1525, November.
    20. Marini, Andrea, 2024. "Updating the retirement-consumption puzzle in Italy: who are the most affected?," Working Paper Series 2936, European Central Bank.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:17:p:7437-:d:1465963. 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.