Does the synergistic effects of “digital-green” dual-technology adoption enhance farmers' livelihood resilience?—an empirical study based on China Rural Revitalization Survey data

Introduction At the critical stage of consolidating poverty alleviation achievements and transitioning to rural revitalization, investigating the impact mechanism of the synergistic effects of digital and green technologies on farmers' livelihood resilience can provide scientific evidence for preventing a large-scale return to poverty. Methods Based on the China Rural Revitalization Survey (CRRS) data in 2020, this study constructed a multidimensional livelihood resilience assessment framework integrating absorptive, adaptive, transformative, and psychological capacities and empirically analyzed the impact mechanism of “digital-green” dual-technology adoption on farmers' livelihood resilience using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Propensity Score Matching (PSM) methods. Results The results showed that: The use of both digital and green technologies significantly enhances farmers' livelihood resilience. Farmers who currently do not use digital or green technologies would experience greater improvement in livelihood resilience upon adoption. The synergistic effect of “digital-green” dual-technology adoption significantly promotes the enhancement of farmers' livelihood resilience, with income diversification playing an indirect mediating role in this process. Moreover, particularly strong positive effects from the synergy between green technologies and digital functions like information communication and digital marketing. The synergistic effects of “digital-green” dual-technology adoption show significant positive impacts on livelihood resilience for middle-aged and young farmers and those with high off-farm employment, while showing negative effects for elderly farmers' resilience. Conclusion Therefore, it is necessary to consolidate rural digital infrastructure, promote the deep integration and application of digital and agricultural green technologies, and implement differentiated digital skills training. This will create a coordinated mechanism that enhances livelihood resilience through digital enablement and green efficiency, ultimately boosting farmers' endogenous development capacity.