The effect of digital skills on farmers' choices of proactive adaptive behaviors in grain production

The study of the impact of digital skills on the proactive adaptive behavior of farmers in grain production is of significance for ensuring national food security. This study utilizes survey data from the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin to empirically examine the impact of digital skills on farmers' adaptive behaviors in grain production and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. The analysis reveals three key findings: (1) Digital skills significantly encourage farmers to engage in proactive adaptive behaviors in grain production. (2) Digital skills enhance these behaviors by improving farmers' integration into industry chains and expanding their knowledge networks. (3) The influence of digital skills is more pronounced among large-scale farmers, those with higher levels of education and income, and those in non-grain production areas or villages with high collective economic income. Additionally, farmers who have developed high-standard farmland show a greater propensity to benefit from digital skills. Based on these findings, the paper proposes policy interventions to leverage platform resources and digital tools to further enhance farmers' digital competencies, thereby supporting sustainable agricultural practices and food security.