Regional Differences in the Impact of Internet on Agricultural Economic Growth

Abstract

In the context of developing the “Internet Plus Agriculture” initiative, this paper investigates the impact of the Internet on China’s agricultural economic growth and its regional differences. Through recourse to a panel data model, the paper analyzes regional differences in Internet resources and their impact on the agricultural economic growth in 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China. The paper concludes that the impact of the Internet on eastern China is significantly greater than that on the central and western regions. The central and western regions can tap the potential of applying Internet resources in agricultural production by adopting such measures as promoting feature agriculture, strengthening agricultural e-commerce, building online brands, and promoting official websites.