Knowledge Spillover Effects；Rural Human Capital；Digital Literacy；Digital Transformation.
Abstract
The digital revolution has become the internet an indispensable instrument for the dissemination of information. This is particularly evident in rural China, where it significantly contributes to the development of human capital. This study investigates the effect of online information dissemination on rural human capital, particularly focusing on the role of digital literacy on agricultural productivity. Agriculturalists proficient in computer usage may access valuable information, such as market data and agronomic advice, facilitating improved decision making and enhanced operational efficiency. This, thus, aids them in tackling various challenges encountered by rural regions. The research employed a mixed methods approach, using national statistics, surveys, and comprehensive interviews to assess the influence of internet based knowledge on rural human capital. The findings indicate that instructing farmers in the proper use of digital platforms can enhance their productivity and foster sustainable development in rural regions. The implementation of targeted training programs and appropriate standards is essential, as evidenced by issues such as inadequate infrastructure and insufficient digital competencies. These difficulties must be resolved to facilitate the unobstructed flow of information, enhance agricultural practices, and provide new possibilities in rural regions. We provide critical insights on how digital literacy may bridge the digital divide and enhance economic development in rural regions by facilitating access to online resources.ReferencesAcs, Z. J., Audretsch, D. B., & Lehmann, E. E. (2013). The knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship. Small Business Economics, 41(4), 757–774. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-013-9505-9Ahmed, E. M. (2017). ICT and Human Capital Spillover Effects in Achieving Sustainable East Asian Knowledge-Based Economies. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 8(3), 1086–1112. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-016-0430-4Ali, M., Cantner, U., & Roy, I. (2016). Knowledge spillovers through FDI and trade: The moderating role of quality-adjusted human capital. Journal of Evolutionary Economics, 26(4), 837–868. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00191-016-0462-8Arbine, S., & Hamid, M. S. A. (2024). Developing and Validating a Digital Literacy Assessment: Bridging the Digital Divide among Adolescents in Sabah, Malaysia. E-Bangi: Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 21(4). https://doi.org/10.17576/ebangi.2024.2104.16Bagaeva, N. Y., & Ivanov, N. Y. (2021). Digital Literacy of the Rural Population of Yakutia. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 720(1), 012131. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/720/1/012131Barnes, A. P., Soto, I., Eory, V., Beck, B., Balafoutis, A. T., Sanchez, B., Vangeyte, J., Fountas, S., van der Wal, T., & Gómez-Barbero, M. (2019). Influencing incentives for precision agricultural technologies within European arable farming systems. Environmental Science & Policy, 93, 66–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.12.014Chang, C.-F., Wang, P., & Liu, J.-T. (2016). Knowledge spillovers, human capital and productivity. Journal of Macroeconomics, 47, 214–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmacro.2015.11.003Cheng, H., Lyu, K., Li, J., & Shiu, H. (2021). Bridging the Digital Divide for Rural Older Adults by Family Intergenerational Learning: A Classroom Case in a Rural Primary School in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010371Daberkow, S. G., & McBride, W. D. (2003). Farm and Operator Characteristics Affecting the Awareness and Adoption of Precision Agriculture Technologies in the US. Precision Agriculture, 4(2), 163–177. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024557205871Eklund, J. E., & Pettersson, L. (2019). Education, Human Capital Spillovers and Productivity: Evidence from Swedish Firm Level Production Functions. In E. E. Lehmann & M. Keilbach (Eds.), From Industrial Organization to Entrepreneurship: A Tribute to David B. Audretsch (pp. 203–223). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25237-3_20Gong, W., Ma, R., & Zhang, H. (2024). Digital agricultural technology services and farmers’ willingness to choose digital production technology in Sichuan province, China. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1401316Kaila, H., & Tarp, F. (2019). Can the Internet improve agricultural production? Evidence from Viet Nam. Agricultural Economics, 50(6), 675–691. https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.12517Klerkx, L., Jakku, E., & Labarthe, P. (2019). A review of social science on digital agriculture, smart farming and agriculture 4.0: New contributions and a future research agenda. NJAS: Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.njas.2019.100315Laut, L. T., Pranizty, T. P. I., & Sugiharti, R. R. (2023). Does human capital spillover affect labor productivity? Journal of Socioeconomics and Development, 6(1), 36–47. https://doi.org/10.31328/jsed.v6i1.3759Li, Y. (2024). How does the development of rural broadband in China affect agricultural total factor productivity? Evidence from agriculture-related loans. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1332494Li, Y., Hu, J., Di, W., Zhang, L., Suman, D. O., & Zhu, H. (2019). Success Factors of Irrigation Projects Based on A ‘Public–Private Partnership’ Model in A Mountainous Area: A Case Study in the Nujiang River Valley, China. Sustainability, 11(23), 6799. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236799Liao, J., Kumar, S., & Furuoka, F. (2025). Bridging the Digital Divide: How Internet Access Shapes Human Capital Development and Economic Inequality. E-Bangi: Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 22(2). https://doi.org/10.17576/ebangi.2025.2202.03Liu, B., & Zhou, J. (2023). Digital Literacy, Farmers’ Income Increase and Rural Internal Income Gap. Sustainability, 15(14), Article 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411422Liu, T., & Liao, L. (2024). Can farmers’ digital literacy improve income? Empirical evidence from China. PloS One, 19(12), e0314804. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314804LoPiccalo, K. (2021). Impact of Broadband Penetration on U.S. Farm Productivity (SSRN Scholarly Paper 3790850). Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3790850Navon, G. (2010). Human Capital Spillovers in the Workplace: Labor Diversity and Productivity. IO: Productivity. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Human-Capital-Spillovers-in-the-Workplace%3A-Labor-Navon/14f7e3e86e0fc99b7465f45d7bf5be981f19d482?utm_source=consensusPaunov, C., & Rollo, V. (2016). Has the Internet Fostered Inclusive Innovation in the Developing World? World Development, 78, 587–609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2015.10.029Rajkhowa, P., & Qaim, M. (2021). Personalized digital extension services and agricultural performance: Evidence from smallholder farmers in India. PLOS ONE, 16(10), e0259319. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259319Sendra, S. (2023). Keynote Speech 4: Digital Transition in Precision Agriculture. 2023 International Conference on Multimedia Computing, Networking and Applications (MCNA), 4–4. https://doi.org/10.1109/MCNA59361.2023.10185764Serrano, G., & Cabrer, B. (2004). The Effect of Knowledge Spillovers on Productivity Growth Inequalities in Spanish Regions. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 36(4), 731–753. https://doi.org/10.1068/a36129Shang, L., Heckelei, T., Gerullis, M. K., Börner, J., & Rasch, S. (2021). Adoption and diffusion of digital farming technologies—Integrating farm-level evidence and system interaction. Agricultural Systems, 190, 103074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103074Sinha, S. (2022). Role of Technology in Advancing Agriculture in a Digital World. https://doi.org/10.26634/jit.11.4.19085Song, X., Meng, Q., & Huang, Z. (2021). The Construction of Agricultural Big Data Ecosystem Based on 'Internet +'. 2021 IEEE International Conference on Advances in Electrical Engineering and Computer Applications (AEECA), 277–282. https://doi.org/10.1109/AEECA52519.2021.9574432Tian, H., Lei, F., Huang, P., Huang, L., Ye, L., & Lai, J. (2021). Impact of Knowledge Spillover on Regional Club Convergence in China. E3S Web of Conferences, 251, 03056. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202125103056Vecchio, Y., De Rosa, M., Adinolfi, F., Bartoli, L., & Masi, M. (2020). Adoption of precision farming tools: A context-related analysis. Land Use Policy, 94, 104481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104481Wang, D., & Ran, X. (2022). Rural digitalization, human capital, and integrated development of rural industries: Empirical evidence based on China's provincial panel data. Journal of Chongqing University (Social Sciences Edition), 28(2), 1-14.Wang, S., & Qu, C. (2023). Digital literacy and farm household property income-Based on China Rural Revitalization Comprehensive Survey (CRRS) data. Review of Economic Assessment, 2(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.58567/rea02030004Xiaoyan, D., Jiangnan, Z., Xuelian, G., & Ali, M. (2024). The impact of informatization on agri-income of China’s rural farmers: Ways for digital farming. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1329674Yang, C., Cheng, C.-F., Cheng, N., & Zhang, Y. (2023). Research on the Impact of Internet Use on Farmers’ Adoption of Agricultural Socialized Services. Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15107823Yu, H., Bai, X., & Zhang, H. (2022). Strengthen or weaken? Research on the influence of internet use on agricultural green production efficiency. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.1018540Zhang, Y., & Bao, W. (2023). Internet Platform Enterprises and Farmers Digital Literacy Improvement. SHS Web of Conferences. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202315204003Zhang, Y., Ji, M., & Zheng, X. (2023). Digital Economy, Agricultural Technology Innovation, and Agricultural Green Total Factor Productivity. Sage Open, 13(3), 21582440231194388. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231194388Zhao, Q., Pan, Y., & Xia, X. (2021). Internet can do help in the reduction of pesticide use by farmers: Evidence from rural China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(2), 2063–2073. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10576-8Zhou, X., Chen, T., & Zhang, B. (2023). Research on the Impact of Digital Agriculture Development on Agricultural Green Total Factor Productivity. Land, 12(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010195
Author Biographies
Sameer Kumar, Asia-Europe Institute, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Dr. Sameer Kumar is an Associate Professor at the Asia-Europe Institute, Universiti Malaya. He holds a PhD in Social Network Analysis and has over 20 years of experience in both academia and industry. He is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®) by the Project Management Institute (PMI), USA. Dr. Kumar has served as the Program Coordinator for the Master of International Information Management (2014-2016) and the Master of ASEAN Studies (2016-present). Additionally, he is the founder and Executive Editor of the AEI Insights journal, established in 2014. His research interests include social networks, data analytics, educational technology, social informatics, digital economy in Asia and Europe, and Southeast Asian history.
Fumitaka Furuoka, Asia-Europe Institute, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Professor Fumitaka Furuoka is a Japanese economist who has been residing in Malaysia since 1987. He is currently a Professor at the Asia-Europe Institute, Universiti Malaya and has over 25 years of experience teaching economics at three Malaysian public universities: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, and Universiti Malaya. His expertise lies in Applied Economics, particularly in applying economic and econometric theories to real-world economic issues. His research focuses on economic fairness between nations (e.g., poverty reduction, unemployment, economic growth/development, and renewable energy) and economic fairness within nations (e.g., income distribution inequality).
