A new driver of farmers' entrepreneurial intention: findings from e-commerce poverty alleviation

Abstract

E-commerce poverty alleviation (EPA) is an emerging form in which poverty alleviation is conducted via e-commerce platforms in China. Although EPA has stimulated farmers' entrepreneurial intention, it remains unknown how to effectively promote farmers' entrepreneurial intention in the context of EPA. To mitigate this deficiency, this study examines the effect of farmers' entrepreneurial intention through the case of Shanxi Province in China. SEM is employed to study new drivers of farmers' entrepreneurial intention, including government, e-commerce platforms, farmers' perceived risk and farmers' trust in e-commerce entrepreneurship. The empirical results show that governmental support of EPA has a direct positive effect on farmers' entrepreneurial intention and positively affects farmers' trust in the e-commerce entrepreneurship. The trust and perceived risk that farmers associate with an e-commerce platform partially mediate the relationship between government support and farmers' entrepreneurial intention. E-commerce platform policies indirectly affect farmers' entrepreneurial intention. The results of this study can help local governments make appropriate policies to promote entrepreneurship among farmers.