Research on the impact of farmers’ information literacy on agricultural socialized services purchasing behavior: empirical evidence from Inner Mongolia, China

Junhua Zhang, Fengtong Yao, Yiwen Zhao

Integrating smallholder farmers into modern agricultural systems is critical for sustainable agricultural transformation. Amid prevailing resource and environmental constraints, Agricultural Socialized Services (ASS) have emerged as an institutional mechanism to mitigate smallholder development bottlenecks. Drawing upon Sustainable Livelihoods Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study conceptualizes Information Literacy (IL) as a fundamental cognitive capability that enables smallholders to effectively screen, process, and apply modern production information. Methodologically, based on survey data from 800 maize farmers in Inner Mongolia, a Heckman two-stage model is employed to empirically examine the cognitive pathways through which IL influences ASS purchasing behavior, explicitly testing the mediating effects of Sustainable Perceived Value (SPV) and Conservative Thought (CT). The results indicate that: (1) IL is significantly and positively associated with farmers’ ASS purchasing behavior, reducing traditional experience-based behavioral rigidities; (2) SPV—an instrumental cognitive construct encompassing economic, ecological, and social dimensions—serves as a primary mediating channel; and (3) CT—an affective cognitive construct reflecting historical path dependence—exhibits a significant mediating effect within this process. These findings extend the existing literature by shifting the analytical focus from static resource endowments to dynamic cognitive capabilities, clarifying the micro-level decision-making logic of smallholders and providing an empirical foundation for designing targeted agricultural digital empowerment policies.