Can rural digital governance facilitate farmers’ participation in the improvement of the human-settled environment? Evidence from Liaoning Province, China

Purpose This study aims to investigate the influence of rural digital governance on farmers’ participation in the improvement of the human-settled environment and its mechanism of action. Design/methodology/approach Based on the field survey data from Liaoning Province, China in 2022, this study empirically analyzed the impact of rural digital governance on farmers’ participation in the improvement of the human-settled environment. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) and Conditional Mixed Process Estimation (CMP) were utilized to address endogenous issues. Findings Rural digital governance facilitates farmers’ participation in the improvement of the human-settled environment. Its promotion mechanism is mainly accomplished through four aspects: improving farmers’ health literacy, strengthening the connection among villagers, increasing non-agricultural employment opportunities, and increasing their sense of political efficacy. The interest between farmers and villages significantly and positively moderates the influence of rural digital governance on farmers’ participation in the improvement of the rural human-settled environment, and the digital governance approach exhibits obvious family heterogeneity. Further analysis reveals that rural digital governance can significantly enhance farmers’ participation in toilet reform and sewage treatment. Originality/value This study incorporates multiple dimensions, such as toilet renovation, domestic sewage treatment, and domestic waste management into the same analytical framework, and discloses the internal logic of how rural digital governance promotes farmers’ participation in the improvement of the rural human-settled environment through multiple channels, offering novel insights for studies of the rural human-settled environment in developing countries.