Rural Infrastructure Construction Research Articles

The impact of InsurTech on advancing sustainable specialty agricultural product insurance in China

The development of specialized agricultural product insurance is crucial for perfecting China’s agricultural insurance system and promoting rural revitalization. Currently, specialized agricultural product insurance in China faces numerous challenges in key areas such as rate determination, risk assessment, and loss adjustment, which have become bottlenecks restricting its sustainable development. This paper explores how insurance technology (InsurTech) can enhance the ecological system of specialized agricultural product insurance through technological innovation and overcome these industry pain points. It elaborates on how InsurTech can enhance farmers’ interactive experience and satisfaction, improve the management efficiency of insurance companies, strengthen government regulation, and promote the sustainable development of the insurance business. Moreover, this study deeply analyzes the practical barriers in implementing InsurTech and proposes corresponding strategies, including establishing innovative incentive mechanisms, improving relevant policies and regulations, building a multidimensional data platform to achieve data interoperability, and strengthening the construction of digital rural infrastructure to enhance farmers’ technological literacy, thereby advancing the sustainable development of InsurTech in specialized agricultural product insurance.

Evaluation of the Implementation Status of the Nepal Rural Road Standards (NRRS) Concerning Geometrical Parameters: A Case Study of Morang District of Nepal

Maintaining the effectiveness of the transportation system is essential to economic growth. Poor road upgrading methods in many developing nations, however, are making it impossible for traffic to flow freely. Nepal developed the Nepal Rural Road Standards (NRRS) of 2055, District Transportation Master Plan (DTMP), and Municipality Transportation Master Plan (MTMP) to regulate the construction of rural road infrastructure. These guidelines provide guidelines for rural road planning, design, building, and maintenance, among other aspects. However, each geometric design has certain features, and parameter requirements depending on the region and location to be applied. This study aims to compare the geometrical features of the rural roads that have been built with the Nepal Rural Road Standards (NRRS) 2055, second revision (2071). Using a random sampling approach, six rural roads in the Morang district were selected for the data collection. To gather geometrical data, field observations and measurements were made at random chainages. This study evaluates various geometric parameters using linear and angular field measurements. Mapping conducted via smart road software ensures road geometry compliance, including aspects such as curve radius, shoulder width, gradient, sight distance, carriageway, and additional widening. The findings demonstrate that strict adherence to established standards substantially enhances road safety. Based on the results of the field observation, the geometric elements have been built according to design specifications, except for the additional widening at shoulder width and horizontal.

Can agricultural financial support promote high-quality development in rural areas of China?

ABSTRACT This study evaluates the degree of high-quality rural development in China’s 31 provinces from 2012 to 2020 from five aspects, employing CRITIC method. On this foundation, this paper investigate the impact of agricultural financial support on high-quality rural development (HQRD) using a fixed effects model. The research findings indicate that agricultural financial support promotes industrial prosperity and affluent living, thereby driving HQRD. The mechanism of this impact is that financial support can encourage the construction of rural infrastructure, the expansion of rural technological innovation, and the enthusiasm for rural entrepreneurial activities. The paper provides relevant suggestions for the areas that the government should focus on when using financial support to promote HQRD.

Bridging the Urban-Rural Gap: The Influence Mechanism of Digital Platform Development on the Urban-Rural Income Gap

Studying the impact of digital platform development on the urban-rural income gap can further clarify the pro-poor and inclusive nature of the digital economy, which is of great significance for bridging the urban-rural divide and promoting common prosperity. This paper uses the panel data of 274 prefecture-level cities from 2015 to 2021 to construct a two-way fixed-effect model to explore the impact and internal mechanism of digital platform development on the urban-rural income gap. The results show that the development of digital platforms can significantly reduce the income gap between urban and rural areas, and the results are robust. The mechanism analysis shows that digital platforms can narrow the income gap between urban and rural areas by promoting the upgrading of industrial structure and narrowing the gap between urban and rural capabilities. Heterogeneity analysis shows that there are still obvious regional differences in the impact of digital platform development on the reduction of urban-rural income gap, and the economically developed regions can give full play to the positive effects of digital platforms. It is proposed that the government should accelerate the construction of rural platform infrastructure and data element market, promote the upgrading of industrial structure, stimulate the supply of internal and external factors, and improve farmers' digital skills to improve farmers' income, thereby narrowing the income gap between urban and rural areas, and formulate differentiated policies to support regional cooperation and achieve high-quality development.

The Implementation of the Digital Economy in Promoting Rural Revitalization

The government in recent years has adopted the e-commerce poverty alleviation policy and used e-commerce platforms to promote the sales of rural products, increase farmers’ incomes, and help rural revitalization. This policy has played a positive role in improving the livelihood of farmers and promoting the construction of rural infrastructure. At the same time, the integration of agriculture with the Internet has brought new vitality to the rural economy, promoted agricultural modernization and knowledge, and improved productivity and farmers’ income. The government has introduced the Internet of Things and cloud computing technology to help agricultural production become large-scale, intensive, and intelligent, which improves labor efficiency and provides support for rural revitalization. In addition, the digital economy has given rise to new agricultural operators, such as e-commerce and agricultural cooperatives, providing new models and sales channels for the development of rural industries. Driven by the rural revitalization strategy, the rapid development of digital agriculture, rural e-commerce, and smart tourism has brought huge growth to the rural economy

Consumption as the catalyst: Analyzing rural power infrastructure and agricultural growth through panel threshold regression and data-driven prediction

With ongoing improvements in infrastructure, extensive data consistently demonstrate that the development of rural power infrastructure plays a significant role in driving agricultural growth. However, the existing research has only scratched the surface in comprehensively assessing the multifaceted impact of different aspects of power infrastructure, primarily owing to the narrow scope of performance indicators. To address this gap, this study employs principal component analysis (PCA) to develop panel threshold models and data-driven predictive models based on an indicator framework. Using Fujian Province as a case study, this research systematically analyzes the impact of rural power infrastructure development on agriculture across four stages, i.e., generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption. The findings highlight the crucial role of the consumption stage in nurturing agricultural growth through rural power infrastructure construction. Notably, the investigation reveals that residential electricity consumption and the number of service users have a significantly positive impact on rural agricultural development, while the influence of agricultural electricity consumption remains comparatively limited when compared with the secondary and tertiary sectors. Furthermore, the data-driven predictive model introduced in this study provides a more precise forecast of future trends in rural agricultural development. This research underscores the critical importance of conducting in-depth explorations to uncover the actual role of power infrastructure development in the context of rural agriculture. With regards to rural power infrastructure construction, it is advisable to invest prudently, formulate relevant policies, with a specific focus on the consumption stage, and implement targeted technology upgrades to enhance productivity and ultimately promote agricultural development.

Sustainable Forest Development in the Digital Era: The Impact of Internet Use on the Happiness of Forest Farmers’ Families in Ecologically Fragile Ethnic Areas of China

In the policy arena of the rapid development of China’s digital village, understanding how internet use enhances the happiness of forest farmers’ families holds theoretical and practical significance for promoting the protection of the ecological environment and the sustainable development of forests. This study utilizes survey data from 2023 on forest farmers in ecologically fragile ethnic areas in China. Based on sustainability, a five-dimensional evaluation index system for the happiness of forest farmers’ families has been constructed. First, the CRITIC-TOPSIS model is employed to calculate the happiness scores of forest farming households. Subsequently, the Tobit model and the mediation effect model are applied to examine and analyze the influencing factors and mechanisms of internet usage on the happiness of forest farmers’ families. The study finds that, first, an increase of one unit in terms of internet use is associated with a 0.031-unit increase in the happiness of forest farmers’ families, and that education, social perception, and policy perception all have a positive effect on the happiness of forest farmers’ families. Second, the mechanism of action suggests that internet use significantly increases forest farmers’ families’ happiness through subjective class identity. Third, further heterogeneity analyses revealed that internet use contributed to the happiness of forest farmers’ families in the male group, the low human capital group, and the group with an ecological forest ranger in the family. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the construction of digital rural infrastructure and develop new models such as digital forestry; cultivate and introduce specialized digital talents in rural areas and enhance the digital literacy of forestry farmers; and assist forestry farmers in establishing class identity concepts and social values conducive to the sustainable development of forests and implement ecological values in production practices, thereby improving the happiness of forest farmers’ families.

Study on the Development Status and Countermeasures of Rural E-commerce Logistics in the Context of Rural Revitalization

Since the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, China's rural e-commerce logistics industry scale is gradually growing, e-commerce platforms are gradually emerging in rural areas, becoming an important engine of rural economic development, rural e-commerce logistics demand has seen a blowout growth, agricultural products, "upstream" channel needs to be expanded. This paper takes China's rural e-commerce logistics as the research object, through analyzing the development status quo of China's rural e-commerce logistics under the background of rural revitalization, and pointing out that China's rural e-commerce logistics development is currently faced with such problems as imperfect infrastructure, inefficient distribution of goods, the lack of professional logistics management personnel, and the low level of logistics informationization. In order to solve these problems, it is necessary to strengthen the construction of rural logistics infrastructure, improve the level of rural informatization, strengthen the training of rural e-commerce logistics personnel and promote the implementation of the common distribution model of logistics enterprises, in order to promote the construction of the rural e-commerce logistics system, so as to help realize the revitalization of the countryside.

The Current Status and Strategies for Rural E-commerce Development in Yunnan Province under the Digital Economy Context

In the context of the digital economy, rural e-commerce, as an emerging business model, plays a significant role in promoting rural economic development. However, there are challenges in its development. This paper first conducts an in-depth analysis of the development status of rural e-commerce in Yunnan Province, identifying a series of challenges it faces, including inadequate infrastructure and logistical difficulties. Subsequently, through theoretical analysis, the paper proposes a set of solutions and strategies for the development of rural e-commerce. These solutions mainly include strengthening rural e-commerce infrastructure construction and improving network coverage, enhancing rural e-commerce talent development, raising awareness and skills among farmers, and strengthening government support and policy guidance to provide a better development environment and policy support for rural e-commerce. The research results of this paper contribute to further promoting the development of rural e-commerce and fostering rural economic prosperity.

Analysis of the contribution of rural road infrastructure development to economic growth based on computer algorithms

Abstract A convenient and efficient rural road network helps to develop the rural economy and promote national rural revitalization. This paper systematically analyzes the role of rural road infrastructure construction on economic growth from a theoretical perspective. Simultaneously, it employs a computer algorithm based on vector autoregression to construct an econometric model. Based on this theoretical analysis empirically examines the relationship between rural infrastructure construction and economic development. It collects data from a city’s rural area from 2000 to 2020 as a research sample and conducts a series of analyses, including VAR model estimation, impulse response, and variance decomposition. The results show that rural road infrastructure construction has a significant impact on economic growth, with coefficients of −0.288 and 0.356 for lags 1 and 2. The construction of rural road infrastructure is responsible for more than 90% of the variation in economic growth, whereas the opposite is about 10%. Therefore, rural road infrastructure development does not have a significant effect on economic growth in the short term but has a significant effect in the medium and long term.

Efficiency Improvement Mechanism of Smart Logistics Technology in Rural E-commerce Logistics and Distribution

Abstract This paper addresses the problems existing in the current two-way logistics and distribution model of rural e-commerce and proposes the study of rural e-commerce distribution efficiency with the technical support of intelligent logistics. Based on the knowledge of multi-objective optimization theory, the maximization of distribution efficiency of logistics enterprises and the maximization of demand coverage as the objective function, while the constraints are vehicle load, service time, path constraints, and finally, complete the construction of the multi-objective optimization model of rural e-commerce logistics and distribution efficiency. According to the NSGA-II algorithm with low computational complexity, fast operation speed, and good convergence, the NSGA-II algorithm is used to solve the constructed model, and then the optimal solution of rural e-commerce logistics distribution efficiency is derived. With regional logistics as the research subject, a multi-objective optimization model for rural e-commerce logistics distribution efficiency supported by intelligent logistics technology is simulated and analyzed. The data show that compared with other algorithms, the NSGAII algorithm has a smoother learning curve oscillation, while the final result of convergence (-1.473), the objective function is smaller (20.42), and the optimal total transportation time is smaller (609.22s). Finally, in order to solve the current rural e-commerce logistics and distribution problems in part, from the improvement of rural e-commerce logistics and distribution system, strengthen the rural logistics infrastructure construction of the two aspects of rural e-commerce logistics and distribution efficiency improvement strategy.

Multiple regression analysis of the mechanism of the role of infrastructure development in rural economic growth

Abstract The improvement of China’s economic level makes the society’s requirements and standards for infrastructure constantly improve. In order to effectively promote the rapid development of the rural economy, it is necessary to strengthen the construction of rural infrastructure. This paper provides a comprehensive plan for rural infrastructure construction and analyzes its mechanism of action on rural economic development in depth. Taking rural economic growth as the explanatory variable and infrastructure construction as the explanatory variable, the multiple linear regression model is chosen to analyze the impact of rural infrastructure on rural economic growth. The unknown parameters are estimated by the least squares method. The model is tested and modified based on the diagnostic methods of covariance expansion factor and other covariates to obtain the final results. Through empirical analysis, rural economic growth = -15.1935 + 0.184*rural transportation + 0.0983*rural education + 2.4923*agricultural science and technology + 0.3652*agricultural water conservancy, and agricultural science and technology has the greatest impact on rural economic growth. The local area can improve rural infrastructure in three aspects: investment strength, investment focus, and investment and financing mechanisms.

Evaluation index system of competitiveness of county commerce and trade circulation market

In order to further study the development level of county-level commercial circulation industry, this article takes Dezhou City as the research object. It selects core indicators from three aspects: scale, business format, and socio-economic development, constructs an evaluation system for county-level commercial circulation, uses principal component analysis and cluster analysis to evaluate commercial competitiveness, and sorts and categorizes them. The results show: there are significant differences in the differentiation of commercial and trade circulation capabilities within Yucheng City. There is significant room for improvement in the overall level of collaboration. In the future, we should continue to optimize the level of county level commercial and trade competitiveness by enhancing internal collaboration and accelerating rural infrastructure construction.

The Influence of “Farmers Going Upstairs” on Urban-Rural Integration

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, and to play the positive role of “farmer upstairs” in the integration of urban and rural areas.
 Design/Methodology/Approach - Through the research methods of case interviews and literature review, this paper makes a comparative analysis of the positive and negative effects of “farmer upstairs” in order to avoid the negative effects of “Farmer upstairs” and give full play to the positive role of “Farmer upstairs” in the integration of urban and rural areas.
 Findings - “Farmers upstairs” plays a positive role in promoting the overall and coordinated utilization of urban and rural land, increasing rural collective income, improving rural infrastructure construction, promoting the pace of agricultural modernization and the process of farmer citizenship, and is an important means to achieve the goal of urban and rural integration. However, in the process of implementation, some local governments have unilaterally considered the economic benefits of land and ignored the provision of supporting facilities and services, violated the legitimate rights and interests of farmers’ housing land, and lacked stable employment security services, which has also brought negative impacts on the realization of urban-rural integration.
 Research Implications - We will further improve the Administrative Measures for Pilot Projects Linking the Increase and Decrease of Urban and Rural Construction Land, and strengthen supervision over local governments. Safeguard the rights and interests of farmers, increase the income of “upstairs” farmers; Establish special funds to strengthen the provision of related supporting facilities and services; Do a good job of industrial support and promote the social transformation of rural areas. Through these measures to play the role of advantages and avoid disadvantages, to promote the realization of urban-rural integration.

Rural development models in China: The participant’s perspective

This study aims to explore the feasible and sustainable rural development model in China from the perspective of participants. The paper proposed the concept of ‘the community of rural development’: the actors who participate in rural planning, housing and infrastructure construction, industrial development, environmental improvement and social progress, and analysed its evolutionary process from traditional to modern and social network structure characteristics. On this basis, the study proposed six models of rural development in China and selected six typical cases for detailed analysis. These models include village committee-led, peasant organization-led, township enterprise-led, government-led, external enterprise-led and NGO-led. Based on the methodology of social network analysis, the paper designed a simulated routing to analyse the network evolution characteristics of these models and elaborated four output indicators: clustering coefficient, average path length, density and degree centrality of the core actor. The results showed that the internal-actor-led model is superior to the external-actor-led model due to the close inter-relationships among the participants and the strong influence of the core actor. Finally, the paper proposed building partnerships in the community of rural development that are stable and harmonious over the long term and could promote rural development and sustainable renewal in a comprehensive way.

Promoting or inhibiting: the impact of China's urban-rural digital divide on regional environmental development.

Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2013 to 2020, this paper uses the panel fixed effect model and threshold regression method to systematically examine the impact of the urban-rural digital divide on regional environmental development from the perspective of technological innovation and human capital. The study found that the urban-rural digital divide significantly inhibited regional environmental development; however, this inhibitory effect will be substantially reduced in technological innovation and human capital adjustment. Furthermore, technological innovation and human capital have played a significant single threshold effect in the impact of the urban-rural digital divide on regional environmental development. When technological innovation and human capital cross the corresponding threshold value, the adverse effects of the urban-rural digital divide on the regional environment will be alleviated. Therefore, it is suggested to strengthen the construction of rural information infrastructure; research and develop key technologies for ecological protection and environmental governance; build an ecological environment science and technology innovation system; and promote the sharing of human resources in the region and the ability of rural residents to apply digital resources and digital technology.

Study on the Impact of Internet Usage, Aging on Farm Household Income

Increasing farmers’ incomes and empowering rural revitalization through the digital economy are important issues of widespread concern in our society today. From the perspective of aging, this paper uses the 2016, 2018, and 2020 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data to examine the impact of Internet usage on farm household income in the realistic context of the severe aging situation in rural areas, to explore the specific mechanisms through which aging plays a role. A further comparative analysis of the heterogeneity of Internet usage and aging effects on different sources of farm household income is performed. The study finds that Internet use by farmers increases household income, but aging diminishes the boosting effect of Internet usage on household income. By reducing off-farm employment and increasing family care, aging reduces the Internet’s boosting effect on farm household income. Among household income sources, Internet usage significantly contributes to the growth of farm household wage income. Aging dampens the growth of all income sources except transfer income. Aging enhances the boosting effect of Internet usage on the transfer income of farm households; however, it weakens its boosting effect on the wage income of farm households. Therefore, there is an urgent need to promote the construction of rural digital infrastructure, improve farmers’ digital literacy, and improve rural pension infrastructure and services, to escort the digital transformation of agriculture and rural areas and the common prosperity of farmers.

How the rural infrastructure construction drives rural economic development through rural living environment governance—case study of 285 cities in China

With deepening of rural revitalization strategy, rural infrastructure construction plays an important role in local economic development and living environment governance. Based on the mediation model, this paper takes case study of 285 cities in China from 2017 to 2022 as samples, constructs the explanatory variable, the explained variable and the mediator variable by entropy method, empirically analyzes the impact of rural infrastructure construction on rural living environment governance and rural economic development, as well as the mediation role played by rural living environment governance. It is found that there is a significant positive impact between rural infrastructure construction and rural economic development, and rural infrastructure construction can promote economic development through rural living environment governance. Further analysis show that the impact of rural infrastructure construction on rural economic development presents heterogeneity, and the impacts of rural infrastructure construction on local economic development and on local economic development through living environment governance in the eastern and central China is stronger than that in the western China. After controlling a series of variables related to rural infrastructure construction, and performing endogeneity tests and robustness tests such as tail-shrinkage regression and principal component analysis, the regression results are still robust. This paper firstly provides scientific empirical evidence for the hypothesis that rural infrastructure construction promotes local economic development through rural living environment governance, and secondly confirms the necessity of strengthening rural infrastructure construction in China to promote rural revitalization, providing a policy basis for scientific decision-making, and finally finds an important way out to solve the problem of unbalanced economic development in rural areas to some extent.

Building a Rural Industrial Green Ecosystem based on Geographical Indications

At the intersection of the transition from rapid economic growth to high-quality development and the comprehensive promotion of rural revitalization, geographical indication trademarks can facilitate further integration of agricultural industries. This not only achieves the goal of high-quality development of the rural economy but also satisfies the requirements of a green and ecological economy. This article, based on the application of geographical indication trademarks, constructs a green ecological system for rural industries. However, there are still prominent issues in the countryside: the system and mechanism are not smooth; there is insufficient trademark awareness in county organizations; the degree of rural infrastructure construction is low; and the development quality of new agricultural business entities needs to be improved. We should: promote the simplification of geographical indication applications; enhance rural infrastructure construction; boost the awareness of patents and trademarks among rural enterprises; and improve the development quality of agricultural business entities to build a green ecological system for rural industries based on geographical indications.

How Do Support Pressure and Urban Housing Purchase Affect the Homecoming Decisions of Rural Migrant Workers? Evidence from Rural China

Talent revitalization is the basis of rural revitalization, and the return of migrant workers to their hometowns is a critical way to improve rural human capital. Based on the perspective of individual–family interaction and collaboration, we constructed a theoretical model for maximizing the net benefits of rural migrant workers. Then, we use it to explore the impact of family support pressure and urban housing purchase on individuals’ homecoming decisions. Firstly, we find the odds ratio of migrant workers with support pressure to return home is 14.013 times higher than those without, and the odds ratio of migrant workers with urban housing is 42.94% lower than those without. Secondly, in the process of supporting, the family, as a link between individuals and rural society, can enhance the connection for migrant workers, thus promoting their return behavior. The mediating effect of hometown connection is 1.342, accounting for 50.83% of the total effect. However, buying a house in the city reduces individuals’ homecoming behaviors by encouraging “trailing spouse”. Thirdly, individuals’ homecoming intention is not consistent with their behavior. The moderating effect of a future house purchase plan changes the influence of support pressure on individuals’ intention to return home to some extent. Finally, we should further strengthen rural infrastructure construction and elderly care service supply to reasonably guide capable and willing talents to return to the township. This study provides some implications for the revitalization of rural talent.