Leveraging digital governance platforms to enhance farmers’ pro-environmental practices: empirical evidence from rural China

Introduction Improving rural living environments is crucial for sustainable food systems, yet traditional governance often suffers from coordination failures and low farmer engagement. This study examines how digital governance platforms address these issues in rural China. Methods Using data from the 2020 China Rural Revitalization Survey (CRRS), we developed indicators for sewage treatment and toilet improvement. A multivariate Probit (MVProbit) model estimated the impact of digital governance on farmers’ pro-environmental practices, controlling for household and village characteristics. Results Rural digital governance significantly promoted farmers’ environmental practices, with robustness confirmed across tests. Mechanism analysis showed digital platforms enhance village governance performance, strengthen trust in political institutions, and reinforce recognition of village rules and conventions. Effects were stronger for households with high dependency ratios and in regions with strong collectivist cultures. Discussion Digital governance transforms rural environmental co-governance by reshaping information flows and social norms,thereby compensating for gaps in informal institutional support in some contexts. Policy should prioritize digital infrastructure, institutional trust-building, and culturally aligned digital tools to sustain rural revitalization.