This study aims to evaluate the role of farmers’ digital skills in promoting the crop-livestock combined pattern and its economic benefits. Based on China Rural Revitalization Survey (CRRS) data in 2020, this study empirically analyzes the impact of digital skills on farmers’ adoption behavior of crop-livestock combined pattern using binary probit model and the income effect using the endogenous switching regression model. The results show that: Firstly, farmers’ digital skills significantly promote their adoption behavior of crop-livestock combined pattern, and the conclusion is robust. Secondly, farmer’s digital skills can encourage their adoption of the crop-livestock combined pattern by improving their online information acquisition ability, expanding social networks and enhancing participation in the e-commerce of agricultural products. Thirdly, their digital skills significantly promote the adoption behavior of crop-livestock combined pattern of small-scale farmers with farmland less than 3.333 hm2 and of farmers with low land fragmentation. Lastly, farmers’ adoption of the crop-livestock combined pattern leads to a significant increase on farmers’ agricultural income. In detail, the agricultural income of farmers who actually adopt the crop-livestock combined pattern would decrease by 82.92% if they decided against the adoption. In contrast, the agriculture income of farmers who don’t adopt the pattern would increase by 115.63% if they decided to adopt it. In conclusion, the study suggests strengthening the training of farmers’ digital skills, making full use of the online information acquisition effects, social network effects as well as e-commerce participation effects, and fully releasing the economic potential of the crop-livestock combined pattern.
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