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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Agricultural and Food Economics
Volume 8 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2024.1371254

Analysis of the Driving Path of E-commerce to High-quality Agricultural Development in China: Empirical Evidence from Mediating Effect Models

Provisionally accepted
Yanfang Kong Yanfang Kong 1Xue Zhang Xue Zhang 2*Xiaoxu Li Xiaoxu Li 1Pathairat Pastpipatkul Pathairat Pastpipatkul 3*Jianxu Liu Jianxu Liu 4Chuhui Feng Chuhui Feng 1*
  • 1 School of Economics, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
  • 2 School of Foreign Languages Education, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan, China
  • 3 Faculty of Economics, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
  • 4 Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Purpose: This study investigates the impact of e-commerce on high-quality agricultural development (HQAD) in China. As the agricultural sector transitions towards higher quality production in the digital era, understanding the influence pathways and mechanisms of e-commerce becomes crucial. We aim to quantify this influence through a hierarchical approach. Methods: Utilizing provincial panel data from 2000 to 2021, we construct a comprehensive HQAD evaluation system using the entropy method. Parallel mediating effect models are employed to empirically assess the multi-level mediation effects of e-commerce on HQAD. Results: Benchmark regression analyses reveal a significant positive effect of e-commerce on HQAD, indicating its role as a key driver in China's agricultural advancement. Mechanism tests identify several intermediary pathways through which e-commerce indirectly promotes HQAD, including market expansion, agricultural value chain optimization, enhanced social services, and improved infrastructure. Notably, market expansion and value chain optimization demonstrate the most substantial mediation effects, accounting for 43.27% and 14.18% of the total effect, respectively. Discussion: This research contributes to the literature by establishing a comprehensive HQAD evaluation framework, providing a theoretical foundation for future studies. By incorporating circulation factors into the production system, we elucidate the complex influence mechanisms of e-commerce on agricultural production, addressing a significant research gap. Furthermore, we propose a novel “demand-driven supply optimization” paradigm, offering valuable insights for policy formulation aimed at fostering HQAD in China.

    Keywords: e-commerce, High-quality agricultural development, mediation effect, agricultural economic growth, Green agricultural development

    Received: 16 Jan 2024; Accepted: 04 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Kong, Zhang, Li, Pastpipatkul, Liu and Feng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Xue Zhang, School of Foreign Languages Education, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan, China
    Pathairat Pastpipatkul, Faculty of Economics, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
    Chuhui Feng, School of Economics, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan, 250014, Shandong Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.