Influence of information literacy on farmers’ adoption of conservation tillage technology: The moderating effect of ecological compensation

Information literacy is an important index reflecting the level of human capital. This study deeply analyzes the internal logical relationship between information literacy and farmers’ adoption of conservation tillage technology, and provides a new perspective for promoting the popularization and application of conservation tillage technology. The research has important practical significance for realizing the sustainable utilization of cultivated land resources. In this study, we conducted field surveys in Heilongjiang, Henan, Shandong and Shanxi provinces, and obtained first-hand micro-data of 895 rural households. This study uses the entropy method to construct the evaluation index system of farmers’ information literacy from three dimensions: information awareness, information knowledge and information ability. The orderly Probit model was used to empirically analyze the direct impact of information literacy on farmers’ adoption of conservation tillage technology, the mediating effect model was used to empirically analyze the indirect impact of information literacy on farmers’ adoption of conservation tillage technology, and the moderating effect model was used to empirically analyze the moderation effect of ecological compensation on the impact of information literacy on farmers’ adoption of conservation tillage technology. The study found that: 1) Information literacy has a significant positive impact on farmers’ adoption of conservation tillage technology, and information literacy can promote farmers’ adoption of conservation tillage technology. After the endogeneity test and a series of robustness tests, the results were confirmed. From different dimensions of information literacy, information awareness, information knowledge and information ability can promote farmers’ adoption of conservation tillage technology. However, the promoting effect is different, and the promoting effect is information knowledge, information awareness and information ability in order. 2) The mechanism test results show that information literacy promotes farmers’ adoption of conservation tillage technology by reducing information costs and enhancing expected returns. Ecological compensation positively moderated the relationship between information literacy and farmers’ adoption of conservation tillage technology, indicating that there is a complementary effect between information literacy and ecological compensation. That is, ecological compensation reinforces the role of information literacy in promoting the adoption of conservation tillage technology by farmers. 3) The results of heterogeneity analysis showed that the promoting effect of information literacy on farmers’ adoption of conservation tillage technology was more obvious among large-scale farmers, low-income farmers and new generation farmers. Based on the above research conclusions, we propose the following policy recommendations. In order to promote the popularization and application of conservation tillage technology, first, the information literacy training of farmers should be actively carried out to improve the information literacy level of farmers. Second, strengthen the construction of information infrastructure in rural areas, and reduce the threshold of information access for farmers. Third, increase the information supply of conservation tillage technology to improve farmers’ expected benefits of adopting conservation tillage technology. Fourth, establish a scientific and reasonable ecological compensation system for conservation tillage, and play an active role in the adoption of conservation tillage technology. Fifth, differentiated information literacy promotion strategies should be adopted for different groups.