Digital Economy, Logistics Development, and the Increase in Farmers’ Income: An Empirical Analysis of the Eastern Economic Region of China

In the context of China’s “Rural revitalization via digital commerce”, this study explored the impact of the digital economy on farmers’ income and the path mechanism of logistics development. On the basis of the panel data of 71 cities in the Eastern Economic Region of China from 2013–2021, this paper calculates the level of the digital economy and uses the level of logistics development as a moderating variable. Then, the basic transmission mechanism and the heterogeneous transmission mechanism are used to empirically analyze the impact of the digital economy on the income of farmers, exploring the nonlinear link between the digital economy and farmers’ income. The analysis revealed that (1) the development of the digital economy has a significant positive effect on farmers’ income. (2) The impact of the digital economy on the advancement of logistics development showed a delayed phenomenon. (3) The indirect effect of the digital economy on farmers’ income growth also lagged. In this way, this study verified the practical significance of “Rural revitalization via digital commerce” and proposed corresponding recommendations for promoting the development of the digital economy and rural logistics.