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The dark side of internet usage in farmers’ adoption of green prevention and control technology

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Abstract

The rapid development of internet information technology creates opportunities for farmers to cross the information gap and adopt green prevention and control (GPC) technology. However, the causal relationship between internet use and GPC adoption is under-analyzed. This study aims to theoretically analyze the dark side of farmers’ internet use time in GPC adoption caused by information avoidance. Using survey data of rice farmers in Southern China, we empirically tested the inverted U-shaped relationship between farmers’ internet use time and adoption of GPC technology, which means the relationship is non-linear. Heterogeneity analysis showed that farmers with low social interaction or high specialization were more susceptible to information avoidance and less likely to adopt GPC technology. This paper opens the black box of ICT-based agricultural behavioral decisions and attaches importance to the “double-edged sword” effects of ICT usage in agriculture technology adoption. This study urges the government and relevant organizations to strengthen the construction of digital infrastructure and the governance of digital agricultural technology information and improve farmers’ digital literacy to alleviate the negative effects of information avoidance while promoting new technologies.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 72173047]; the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province of China [grant number 2022A1515012082]; the Social Science Foundation Project of Guangdong Province of China [grant number GD21CYJ16]; Major Program of National Fund of Philosophy and Social Science of China[grant number 23&ZD112]; and National Social Science Fund of China[grant number 21BJY184].

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  1. College of Economics and Management, South China Agricultural University, NO.483 Road Wushan, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510642, China

    Wenjing Zhong, Beibei Xue & Dan Li

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Zhong, W., Xue, B. & Li, D. The dark side of internet usage in farmers’ adoption of green prevention and control technology. Environ Dev Sustain (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-04833-w

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