Abstract:
The excessive utilization of agricultural chemical inputs and issues related to agricultural product quality and safety have garnered significant public attention. The development of digital new quality productivity forces is an effective approach for addressing this issue. This study is based on survey data from 450 households in the Poyang Lake Ecological Economic Zone. A framework of “digital new quality productivity forces — digital literacy matching — adoption of chemical input reduction behavior of househould” was constructed, and a theoretical model was formulated. This study aimed to elucidate the intrinsic mechanism of digital new quality productivity forces households to reduce chemical inputs while exploring the long-term mechanism. The results indicate that: 1) Digital literacy can exert a positive effect on the chemical input reduction behavior of household. The enhancement of information acquisition, cognition, and transformation capabilities can facilitate households to scientifically control the use of chemical inputs, such as spraying low-toxicity pesticides and organic fertilizers that comply with national standards, and exert a demonstration effect, influencing nearby villagers to adopt chemical input reduction behaviors. 2) Value perception and social identification have a positive mediating effect on the relationship between digital literacy and reduction in household chemical inputs. The economic, social, and ecological value of reducing agricultural chemical inputs is closely associated with the sustainable livelihoods of households. The value chain can assume a mediating role among digital literacy, behavior adoption, and driving behavior transformation. Simultaneously, the neighborhood effect, institutional constraints, and environmental constraints also support behavioral changes in households, and social identification catalyses the behavior of households, reducing chemical inputs driven by digital literacy. The research conclusions revealed that: 1) Digital literacy is propelled by incentive compatibility and self-enforcement mechanisms for chemical input reduction behavior of household. For general households, the entry point in writing about agricultural greenization empowered by new quality digital productivity forces lies in enhancing their digital literacy at the psychological level, optimizing factor matching, and subsequently forming long-term incentive compatibility and self-enforcement mechanisms to facilitate high-quality agricultural development. 2) Digital new quality productivity forces induces green productivity forces by establishing a system of value perceptions and social identification. The essence of new quality digital productivity forces in driving household chemical input reduction lies in establishing a system of value perception and social identification with digital productivity forces, followed by leveraging subtle psychological alignment to catalyze the consolidation of green productivity forces. 3) Focusing on household differentiation constitutes an effective approach for enhancing chemical input reduction behavior of household. Significant differences exist in the understanding of digital new quality productivity forces and the coupling of interests among households with distinct demographic characteristics. To further promote green productivity forces, categorizing and implementing promotional plans for different types of households to boost the efficiency of agricultural green transformation is necessary. On this basis, this study presents the following proposals: 1) The digital literacy of households ought to be comprehensively enhanced to expedite the transformation of digital new quality productivity forces in the agricultural sphere. 2) The application of smart agriculture should be advanced, and efforts should be made to reduce costs and increase efficiency. 3) More vigorous efforts must be made to promote the application of digital technologies to enhance chemical input reduction technologies and achievements.