Document is current

Article History

Received: 18 February 2025

Accepted: 11 August 2025

First Online: 29 August 2025

Competing interests

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Business School of Wenzhou University on 18 May 2024(approval number: WZU20240518003). This study is part of a more extensive study on the digital transformation of agriculture and rural areas. Ethical approval covers all aspects of the research, including questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews, data analysis, and the publication of research findings. This committee reported on the appropriateness of the procedure followed for the study and all research procedures were conducted following the Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

: The informed consent statement was obtained on 18 May, 2024. Before the survey, researchers read out the informed consent statement to the participants orally and all participants received comprehensive information detailing the study’s aims and objectives. Anonymity was rigorously guaranteed to ensure that all collected data would be used solely for academic research purposes and that participation involved no foreseeable risks or ethical compromises. In addition, participants were clearly advised before their engagement that their participation was entirely voluntary and that they possessed the unequivocal right to withdraw from the survey at any point without consequence or prejudice. The researchers would inform the participants that submitting the questionnaire would be considered as their consent. The questionnaires submitted by the villagers are regarded as a record and evidence of their informed consent.