Is digital transformation the key to agricultural strength? A novel approach to productivity and supply chain resilience
This study addresses the critical gap in understanding how digital technology adoption effects supply chain resilience and agricultural productivity within China's evolving agrarian sector. While digital technologies promise transformative benefits, their specific impacts on key factors such as...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Smart Agricultural Technology |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375525000711 |
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| author | Ghulam Raza Sargani Bowen Wang Shah Jahan Leghari Junhu Ruan |
| author_facet | Ghulam Raza Sargani Bowen Wang Shah Jahan Leghari Junhu Ruan |
| author_sort | Ghulam Raza Sargani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study addresses the critical gap in understanding how digital technology adoption effects supply chain resilience and agricultural productivity within China's evolving agrarian sector. While digital technologies promise transformative benefits, their specific impacts on key factors such as infrastructure, market access, government policies, and environmental conditions remain underexplored. Our research aims to uncover the interrelationships between Digital Technology Adoption Rates (DTAR), Agricultural Infrastructure (AI), Market Access (MA), Government Support (GS), and Environmental Factors (EF) to provide actionable insights for enhancing Agricultural Productivity (AP) and Supply Chain Resilience (SCR) in regional contexts. We employed SEM path analysis modeling to evaluate data from agricultural stakeholders across five Chinese provinces (Shaanxi, Sichuan, Anhui, Hubei, and Hunan), representing diverse age groups, farm sizes, and practices. The model assessed hypotheses linking DTAR, AI, MA, GS, and EF to AP and SCR, enabling a systematic assessment of direct and indirect effects. DTAR and AI emerged as pivotal drivers of AP (68% variance explained), which subsequently strengthened MA (73% variance) and SCR (62% variance). GS and EF were also critical, directly enhancing SCR and underscoring the role of policy and environmental stability. Regional disparities were evident: Shaanxi (24.95%), Sichuan (20.79%), and Hubei (19.75%) exhibited higher contributions, attributed to varying technology adoption rates, farm sizes, and production scales, signaling the need for region-specific digital strategies. This study is among the first to apply SEM in analyzing digital agriculture's role in supply chain resilience, offering a holistic framework that integrates technological, infrastructural, policy, and environmental dimensions. It advances theory by elucidating how digital integration mediates productivity and resilience, while practical contributions include targeted recommendations for scaling digital infrastructure and tailoring policies to regional conditions. Policymakers and stakeholders can leverage these insights to fortify supply chains against global and local disruptions, fostering sustainable agricultural transformation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-36ffafb8af324084a6c74250427f7421 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2772-3755 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Smart Agricultural Technology |
| spelling | doaj-art-36ffafb8af324084a6c74250427f74212025-08-20T02:55:46ZengElsevierSmart Agricultural Technology2772-37552025-03-011010083810.1016/j.atech.2025.100838Is digital transformation the key to agricultural strength? A novel approach to productivity and supply chain resilienceGhulam Raza Sargani0Bowen Wang1Shah Jahan Leghari2Junhu Ruan3College of Economics and Management, Northwest A & F University, PR China; Department of Agricultural Economics, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, PakistanCollege of Economics and Management, Northwest A & F University, PR ChinaCollege of Mechanical and Electronical Engineering, Northwest A&F University, PR ChinaCollege of Economics and Management, Northwest A & F University, PR China; Corresponding author.This study addresses the critical gap in understanding how digital technology adoption effects supply chain resilience and agricultural productivity within China's evolving agrarian sector. While digital technologies promise transformative benefits, their specific impacts on key factors such as infrastructure, market access, government policies, and environmental conditions remain underexplored. Our research aims to uncover the interrelationships between Digital Technology Adoption Rates (DTAR), Agricultural Infrastructure (AI), Market Access (MA), Government Support (GS), and Environmental Factors (EF) to provide actionable insights for enhancing Agricultural Productivity (AP) and Supply Chain Resilience (SCR) in regional contexts. We employed SEM path analysis modeling to evaluate data from agricultural stakeholders across five Chinese provinces (Shaanxi, Sichuan, Anhui, Hubei, and Hunan), representing diverse age groups, farm sizes, and practices. The model assessed hypotheses linking DTAR, AI, MA, GS, and EF to AP and SCR, enabling a systematic assessment of direct and indirect effects. DTAR and AI emerged as pivotal drivers of AP (68% variance explained), which subsequently strengthened MA (73% variance) and SCR (62% variance). GS and EF were also critical, directly enhancing SCR and underscoring the role of policy and environmental stability. Regional disparities were evident: Shaanxi (24.95%), Sichuan (20.79%), and Hubei (19.75%) exhibited higher contributions, attributed to varying technology adoption rates, farm sizes, and production scales, signaling the need for region-specific digital strategies. This study is among the first to apply SEM in analyzing digital agriculture's role in supply chain resilience, offering a holistic framework that integrates technological, infrastructural, policy, and environmental dimensions. It advances theory by elucidating how digital integration mediates productivity and resilience, while practical contributions include targeted recommendations for scaling digital infrastructure and tailoring policies to regional conditions. Policymakers and stakeholders can leverage these insights to fortify supply chains against global and local disruptions, fostering sustainable agricultural transformation.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375525000711Digital technology adoptionSupply chain resilienceAgricultural productivityStructural equation modelingMarket accessAgricultural infrastructure |
| spellingShingle | Ghulam Raza Sargani Bowen Wang Shah Jahan Leghari Junhu Ruan Is digital transformation the key to agricultural strength? A novel approach to productivity and supply chain resilience Smart Agricultural Technology Digital technology adoption Supply chain resilience Agricultural productivity Structural equation modeling Market access Agricultural infrastructure |
| title | Is digital transformation the key to agricultural strength? A novel approach to productivity and supply chain resilience |
| title_full | Is digital transformation the key to agricultural strength? A novel approach to productivity and supply chain resilience |
| title_fullStr | Is digital transformation the key to agricultural strength? A novel approach to productivity and supply chain resilience |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is digital transformation the key to agricultural strength? A novel approach to productivity and supply chain resilience |
| title_short | Is digital transformation the key to agricultural strength? A novel approach to productivity and supply chain resilience |
| title_sort | is digital transformation the key to agricultural strength a novel approach to productivity and supply chain resilience |
| topic | Digital technology adoption Supply chain resilience Agricultural productivity Structural equation modeling Market access Agricultural infrastructure |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375525000711 |
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