Agricultural and rural digitalisation in regional sustainable development: A comparative study between China and the European Union

Abstract

Since the turn of the twenty-first century, digitalisation has gained widespread acceptance as a powerful tool for socioeconomic and environmental progress. Agricultural and Rural Digitalization (ARD) has been less researched than urban digitalisation, which received the most public interest. In this study, I addressed the advantages and significance of Agricultural and Rural Digitalization for regional sustainable development; and how our work can address the present implementation-related issues. The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) is an important indicator utilised to summarise digital performance in the European Union, and it is used in this research to assess the development of digitalisation. I made a comparison study to address the current issue and underline the relevance of agricultural and rural digitalisation by analysing official documents. Digitalisation proved to impact sustainable rural development positively, and a monitoring system can be used to produce policy-oriented recommendations. Our research aided people’s understanding of China’s program for smart and digital rural areas and provided policymakers with alternative strategies between China and the European Union when they needed a reference on the development of digital rural areas.