ICT promotes smallholder farmers’ perceived self-efficacy and adaptive action to climate change: Empirical research on China's economically developed rural areas

Abstract

Understanding the impact of technological advancements, such as ICT, on the climate change adaptation actions of smallholder farmers is crucial for comprehending their adaptive strategies. This study utilizes data from a survey of 2230 smallholder farmer households in the developed rural region of the Yangtze River Delta in China to examine the factors influencing their perceived self-efficacy and actions to adapt to climate change. Using binary logit regression and OLS models, we identify the role that determinants of ICT use play in shaping smallholders' perceived self-efficacy and adaptive action. Our findings corroborate that perceived self-efficacy is a robust, positive predictor of adaptive action. The data indicate that the sole presence of adaptation leaders predominantly enhances perceived self-efficacy. In contrast, adaptive investments at the village level are primarily associated with an increase in adaptive actions. However, peer effects may diminish smallholder perceived self-efficacy and adaptive action. In addition, our study indicates that while ICT has not currently supplanted traditional social networks in influencing smallholder climate change adaptation perceived self-efficacy and adaptive action, we cannot dismiss the potential substitution effect. We also clarify why the peer effects of traditional networks have starkly contrasting impacts in developed and less-developed rural regions in China. Overall, our findings underscore the importance of incorporating objective influencing factors of smallholder adaptation actions and their effects on subjective perceived self-efficacy into future climate change adaptation plans and policies to foster adaptation actions.