Research on the Blockage Mechanisms and Governance Pathways of Smallholder Farmers’ E-commerce Participation in the Context of Rural Revitalization

Abstract

In the context of digital technology’s deep integration into agricultural industry chains, e-commerce for tea is viewed as a crucial engine for rural revitalization. However, the prosperity of e-commerce at the macro level has not automatically translated into widespread benefits for small-scale farmers. Instead, a significant digital dual structure has emerged between county-level and village-level entities, as well as between top streamers and ordinary tea farmers. This paper takes Gongong Village in Mengku Town, Shuangjiang County, Yunnan Province, as a case study and, based on field research data, provides an in-depth analysis of the underlying mechanisms driving the marginalization of small-scale farmers in the e-commerce wave. The findings reveal that small-scale farmers face not only a digital infrastructure access gap but also skill gaps resulting from aging, organizational gaps due to atomized production, and traffic gaps caused by platform algorithms. These four types of gaps combined have led to the emergence of a sales gap. Therefore, empowering rural revitalization through e-commerce needs to shift from inclusive growth to inclusive development in order to bridge the digital divide and achieve an organic connection between small-scale farmers and modern agriculture.