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Can smartphone use increase farmers’ willingness to participate in the centralized treatment of rural domestic sewage? Evidence from rural China

Author

Listed:
  • Lin Tang

    (Huazhong Agricultural UniversityHongshan DistrictHubei Province
    Hubei Rural Development Research Center)

  • Xiaofeng Luo

    (Huazhong Agricultural UniversityHongshan DistrictHubei Province
    International Joint Laboratory of Climate Change Response and Sustainable Agriculture)

  • Yanzhong Huang

    (Huazhong Agricultural UniversityHongshan DistrictHubei Province
    Hubei Rural Development Research Center)

  • Sanxia Du

    (International Joint Laboratory of Climate Change Response and Sustainable Agriculture)

  • Aqian Yan

    (International Joint Laboratory of Climate Change Response and Sustainable Agriculture)

Abstract

Existing studies have explored the potential contributions of the Internet and smartphone use to agricultural production and environmental governance. However, there is a lack of in-depth exploration of the internal mechanism of smartphone use influencing farmers’ decision-making. Based on survey data of farmers in the Hubei and Henan provinces, this study uses the endogenous switching probit model to empirically test the impact of smartphone use on farmers’ willingness to participate in the centralized treatment of rural domestic sewage (WTP-RDSCT). The results of the study showed that 63.71% of the samples used smartphones, and 73.62% of the sampled farmers were willing to participate in rural domestic sewage-centralized treatment. Smartphone use can increase WTP-RDSCT by an average of 29.6%, and there is a positive correlation between use intensity and WTP-RDSCT. In addition to the direct impact, smartphone use also indirectly affects WTP-RDSCT through the intermediary effects of information search costs, environmental awareness and social capital. In addition, the information presentation form (video and text) has a significant positive impact on WTP-RDSCT, and the impact of the presentation form of video is greater than that of text.

Suggested Citation

  • Lin Tang & Xiaofeng Luo & Yanzhong Huang & Sanxia Du & Aqian Yan, 2023. "Can smartphone use increase farmers’ willingness to participate in the centralized treatment of rural domestic sewage? Evidence from rural China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 3379-3403, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:25:y:2023:i:4:d:10.1007_s10668-022-02176-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10668-022-02176-y
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