Bridging the divide: how agricultural technological innovation narrows the urban–rural income gap in China

Ruofan Liao, Yuheng Wei, Yu Bai, Jianxu Liu · 2025 · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

Summary. Agricultural technological innovation, measured by patent applications, significantly narrows urban-rural income gaps in China. Using panel data from 280 Chinese cities (2008-2021), the study finds that innovation reduces income disparities through employment restructuring, improved factor allocation, and enhanced production efficiency. Effects are stronger in eastern and western regions, higher-level cities, and areas with better intellectual property protection and information access. The impact strengthens as urbanization and education levels increase.

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@article{liao-2025-bridging-divide-how-agricultural-technological,
  title   = {Bridging the divide: how agricultural technological innovation narrows the urban–rural income gap in China},
  author  = {Ruofan Liao and Yuheng Wei and Yu Bai and Jianxu Liu},
  journal = {Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems},
  year    = {2025},
  doi     = {10.3389/fsufs.2025.1595161},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1595161}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Bridging the divide: how agricultural technological innovation narrows the urban–rural income gap in China
AU  - Ruofan Liao
AU  - Yuheng Wei
AU  - Yu Bai
AU  - Jianxu Liu
JO  - Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
PY  - 2025
DO  - 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1595161
UR  - https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1595161
ER  - 

Details

DOI

10.3389/fsufs.2025.1595161

Countries

China

Regions

Asia

Categories

agtech, regional-innovation-systems, policy

Added

2026-04-28