Can Inforamtization Improve Farmers' Market Participation? Micro Evidence from Main Apple Production Areas in China

Abstract

In transition countries, information technology is pretty helpful for farmer households to break low level equilibrium, improve information dilemma, and raise market entrance ability. The empirical analysis results of this paper based on static analysis and micro survey data from specialized apple production sites suggest that mobile phone and computer as two information tools improve information mobility and sharing,and play the positively promotion role in sales market selection and vertical coordination participation of farmers. Furthermore, the computer and mobile phone improve farmers' information access and bargaining power, leading to positive effects on outputs sales prices. Therefore,the requirements of rural informatization work should be to overcome the limitations of natural environment and social-economic conditions and to improve the coverage of information technology usage. Meanwhile, the construction of information sources like collection and issue of information related to production and sales of agricultural products should also be paid attention to.