How does last-mile logistics accessibility affect household dietary diversity? Evidence from rural China

This study investigates how last-mile logistics accessibility affects household dietary diversity in rural China. We combine a 2022 survey of 1080 rural households in Jilin, Shandong, and Hubei provinces with Amap point of interest data. We also use a supplementary 2024 survey on online food purchasing. Logistics accessibility is measured by the number of village delivery points, and a two-stage least squares framework is used to address potential endogeneity. Dietary diversity is assessed using the dietary diversity score, entropy index, and dietary functional diversity index. The results suggest that village delivery points improve dietary diversity across all three dimensions. Main sample pathway analyses point to improvements in the food and information environment, changes in local livelihoods, and agricultural production restructuring. The supplementary 2024 survey provides external evidence that village delivery points are positively associated with online food purchasing. Distributional analyses show larger estimated gains among households at the lower end of the dietary diversity distribution. Further analyses indicate stronger gains for selected non-staple, moderately perishable, and relatively storable foods than for highly perishable foods. These findings underscore the role of village logistics networks in reducing rural food access barriers and advancing more inclusive rural food system transformation.