Digital Literacy Boosts Farmers' Willingness to Adopt Livestock Manure Resource Utilization

Strategic Insights -

Researchers conducted a study in Ningxia and Gansu provinces, China, to investigate the impact of digital literacy on farmers' willingness to adopt livestock manure resource utilization modes. The survey collected data from 1,047 farm households from December 2023 to January 2024. The study found that digital literacy positively affects farmers' willingness to adopt both the "household collection" and "livestock community" modes, with a 22% and 19.8% increase in probability, respectively.

Key Takeaways:

  • Digital literacy significantly and positively impacts farmers' willingness to adopt both "household collection" and "livestock community" modes of livestock manure resource utilization.
  • For every one-unit increase in a farmer's digital literacy, the probability of adopting the "household collection" mode rises by 22 percentage points, and the probability of adopting the "livestock community" mode rises by 19.8 percentage points.
  • Guiding policy and incentive policy have a positive moderation effect on the link between digital literacy and the willingness to adopt the "household collection" mode.
  • Incentive policy also positively moderates the relationship between digital literacy and the willingness to adopt the "livestock community" mode.
  • The positive effect of digital literacy on farmers' willingness to adopt two livestock manure resource utilization modes is stronger in "tight-knit society" rural areas and in low-income households.
  • Digital literacy removes information barriers for farmers, facilitating the conversion of willingness into behavior.

Statistics:

  • 1,047 farm households participated in the survey from December 2023 to January 2024.
  • Digital literacy positively impacts farmers' willingness to adopt the "household collection" mode by 22 percentage points.
  • Digital literacy positively impacts farmers' willingness to adopt the "livestock community" mode by 19.8 percentage points.

Sources:

  • Agriculture, 2025,15(15):1661. (Agriculture - http://www.mdpi.com/journal/agriculture).
  • Northwest A&F University. Data from Northwest A&F University Provide New Insights into Livestock (Does Digital Literacy Increase Farmers' Willingness to Adopt Livestock Manure Resource Utilization Modes: An Empirical Study from China). Agriculture Week.
  • NewsRx. Data from Northwest A&F University Provide New Insights into Livestock (Does Digital Literacy Increase Farmers' Willingness to Adopt Livestock Manure Resource Utilization Modes: An Empirical Study from China). Agriculture Week. August 28, 2025; p 89.