Topic evolution analysis in digital rural policies of China based on LDA model

Abstract With the continuous advancement of information technology, digital innovation has emerged as a pivotal driver of rural revitalization and agricultural modernization in China. This study analyzes 88 digital rural policy documents issued at the central government level between 2017 and 2024. Using the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling approach, we identify nine key thematic areas: agricultural mechanization, e-commerce logistics, digital villages, digital commerce, rural governance, industrial finance, poverty alleviation, green agriculture, and rural reform, further analysis of its evolution trend found that: First, the policy topics exhibit broad coverage, spanning diverse dimensions such as agricultural production, e-commerce logistics, and rural governance. Second, thematic differentiation is evident: seven themes—including agricultural mechanization, e-commerce logistics, and digital villages—demonstrate sustained growth or stability, whereas green agriculture and rural reform show a declining trend. Third, the thematic focus of China’s digital rural policies has evolved from traditional components such as mechanization toward digitally driven transformation, exemplified by the rise of smart agriculture. Based on these insights, we propose targeted recommendations to enhance inter-agency coordination in policy formulation and reinforce policy priorities' alignment with core digital technologies.