IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i7p2918-d1368047.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Opportunities for China’s Agricultural Heritage Systems under the “Digital Nomadism” Trend—A Stakeholder-Weighted Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Menghan Zhang

    (College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China)

  • Yue Yu

    (CAUPD Shenzhen, China Academy of Urban Planning & Design, Shenzhen 518040, China)

  • Meizi Liu

    (Teaching Affairs and Research Office of Education and Culture, Chinese People’s Liberation Army Equipment Vocational Technical School, Shijiazhuang 050307, China)

  • Jingyi Liu

    (College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China)

Abstract

Agricultural heritage systems are appreciated worldwide for their significant environmental and cultural values. However, the sustainability of these systems has been compromised by environmental issues due to intensive human activities and socio-economic changes. Research has noticed that “digital nomadism” is providing a new opportunity for the sustainable development and transformation of these systems, regarded as “digital nomad-friendly” destinations. Nevertheless, comprehensive research on this new trend has been limited except for a few individual case studies. This study is the first to investigate the sustainable development of agricultural heritages considering the growing phenomenon of digital nomadism on a large scale. Based on in-depth stakeholder interviews, we introduced the Digital Nomad-Friendly (DNF) score—a comprehensive indicator system chosen and weighted by stakeholders. The DNF scores of 189 China National Important Agricultural Heritage System (China-NIAHS) sites were evaluated, and their distributions were analyzed on a national scale in China. The results highlight the importance of natural landscape and cultural value in the eyes of digital nomads, particularly emphasizing aesthetic landscape features, climatic suitability, and a community atmosphere. Sites with the highest DNF scores are located mostly in the Zhejiang and Yunnan provinces, sharing characteristics that appeal to digital nomads. The DNF scores exhibit regional variations, with high-DNF-score sites being concentrated in southwestern and southeastern China. By enhancing our understanding of digital nomads’ preferences and the influencing factors, this study provides valuable insights for the environmental management, policymaking, and sustainable development of China-NIAHS sites considering contemporary environmental and social changes.

Suggested Citation

  • Menghan Zhang & Yue Yu & Meizi Liu & Jingyi Liu, 2024. "Opportunities for China’s Agricultural Heritage Systems under the “Digital Nomadism” Trend—A Stakeholder-Weighted Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-21, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:7:p:2918-:d:1368047
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/7/2918/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/7/2918/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ran Zhou & Lu Huang & Ke Wang & Wenhao Hu, 2023. "From Productive Landscape to Agritouristic Landscape? The Evidence of an Agricultural Heritage System—Zhejiang Huzhou Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-21, May.
    2. Saaty, Thomas L., 1990. "How to make a decision: The analytic hierarchy process," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 9-26, September.
    3. Sri Mariati & Andre Gilitasha & Myrza Rahmanita & Sundring Pantja Djati & Robiatul Adawiyah, 2023. "Analysis of Sustainable Tourism Destination Development for Digital Nomads (Comparative Study: Lisbon-Portugal and Canggu, Bali-Indonesia)," Technium Social Sciences Journal, Technium Science, vol. 43(1), pages 403-415, May.
    4. Liu Jin & Zongqi Wang & Xiaohong Chen, 2022. "Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Traditional Villages on the Tibetan Plateau in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-19, October.
    5. Jiaojiao Bian & Wanxu Chen & Jie Zeng, 2022. "Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Traditional Villages in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-18, April.
    6. ElMassah, Suzanna & Mohieldin, Mahmoud, 2020. "Digital transformation and localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(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. Chenrui Yang & Jun Shao & Yamin Zhao, 2024. "Post-COVID-19 Sojourn Choices: Exploring the Distribution and Preferences of Chinese Digital Nomads Based on the Lifestyle Migration Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-25, December.

    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. Jun Zhang & Runni Zhang & Qilun Li & Xue Zhang & Xiong He, 2023. "Spatial Sifferentiation and Differentiated Development Paths of Traditional Villages in Yunnan Province," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-18, August.
    2. Yihe Huang & Shouyun Shen & Wenmin Hu & Yurou Li & Guo Li, 2022. "Construction of Cultural Heritage Tourism Corridor for the Dissemination of Historical Culture: A Case Study of Typical Mountainous Multi-Ethnic Area in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-17, December.
    3. Yunxing Zhang & Meiyu Yang & Ziyang Li & Weizhen Li & Chenchen Lu & Zhigang Li & Haidong Li & Feifei Zhai, 2023. "Study on the Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors in the Reuse of National Industrial Heritage Sites in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-24, December.
    4. Xiaogang Feng & Moqing Hu & Sekhar Somenahalli & Wenbin Zhang & Kunyan Liu & Meng Li & Zaihui Zhou & Fengxia Li, 2025. "Study on the Spatial Morphology of Ando Tibetan Traditional Villages in China: A Case of Traditional Villages in Huangnan Prefecture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-20, February.
    5. Jiaqi Zhang & Rongrong Zhang & Jiaqi Fan & Xiaoke Guan & Hui Liang, 2025. "Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Urban and Rural Settlements in Tanzania (1975–2020): Drivers, Patterns, and Regional Disparities," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-19, June.
    6. Qiao Wang & Wenwen Liu & Liang Mao, 2023. "Spatial Evolution of Traditional Village Dwellings in Heilongjiang Province," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-17, March.
    7. Wei Wang & Qianfei Shi & Guoyu Wang, 2024. "Analysis of Performance and Genetic Characteristics of Cultural Landscapes in Traditional Villages along the Jinzhong Section of the Wanli Tea Road from a Landscape Gene Information Chain Perspective:," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-25, September.
    8. Yipeng Ge & Yang Liu & Yueshan Ma & Zihan Qin & Qizheng Gan & Nan Li, 2024. "A Study on the Spatial, Structural, and Cultural Differentiation of Traditional Villages in Western Henan Using Geographic Detectors and ArcGIS," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-28, November.
    9. Hai Xiao & Congli Xue & Jiahao Yu & Chuwei Yu & Guoqiang Peng, 2023. "Spatial Morphological Characteristics of Ethnic Villages in the Dadu River Basin, a Sino-Tibetan Area of Sichuan, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-16, August.
    10. Zhenghui Xu & Guohang Tian & Kailu Wei & Yuhong Ma & Shumei Zhang & Yumei Huang & Xiaojun Yao, 2022. "The Influence of Environment on the Distribution Characteristics of Historical Buildings in the Songshan Region," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-23, November.
    11. Bin Shi & Hongtao Liu & Lu Huang & Yang Zhang & Zhangyong Xiang, 2023. "Increasing Vulnerability of Village Heritage: Evidence from 123 Villages in Aba Prefecture, Sichuan, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-29, November.
    12. Xiaogang Feng & Moqing Hu & Sekhar Somenahalli & Xinyuan Bian & Meng Li & Zaihui Zhou & Fengxia Li & Yuan Wang, 2023. "A Study of Spatio-Temporal Differentiation Characteristics and Driving Factors of Shaanxi Province’s Traditional Heritage Villages," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-18, May.
    13. Zhongyi Nie & Tian Dong & Wei Pan, 2024. "Spatial differentiation and geographical similarity of traditional villages——Take the Yellow River Basin and the Yangtze River Basin as examples," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(2), pages 1-26, February.
    14. Xue Jiang & Mingze Qin & Jia Liu & Siqi Wang & Jiatong Jiang & Yan Liu & Bingbing Han, 2025. "The Ecological Sensitivity of Traditional Villages Based on Multi-Source Data and Spatial Mechanisms: A Comparative Study of Typical Provinces in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-37, October.
    15. Qinghai Zhang & Jiabei Wang, 2023. "Spatial Differentiation and Driving Factors of Traditional Villages in Jiangsu Province," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-15, July.
    16. Runchun Guo & Yanmei Xu, 2025. "Spatial Differentiation and Driving Mechanisms of Revolutionary Cultural Tourism Resources in Xinjiang," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-16, October.
    17. Dingwei Niu & Lucang Wang & Fuwei Qiao & Wei Li, 2022. "Analysis of Landscape Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Residential Areas on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau: A Case Study of Tibet, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-20, November.
    18. Wei Wang & Qianfei Shi & Guoyu Wang, 2024. "Exploration of the Landscape Gene Characteristics of Traditional Villages along the Jinzhong Section of the Wanli Tea Road from the Perspective of the Village Temple System," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-28, October.
    19. Yanlong Guo & Peiyu He & Jie Huang, 2025. "Exploring the spatial and temporal distribution mechanism and multidimensional influencing factors of traditional villages in the Huaihe River Basin of China based on geographic grids," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-19, December.
    20. Qianming Xue & Yuehao Huang, 2025. "The spatial relationship and influence mechanism of traditional villages and intangible cultural heritage: a case study of the upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, December.

    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:7:p:2918-:d:1368047. 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.