FROM SURVIVAL TO INNOVATION: RESHAPING SMALLHOLDER RESILIENCE THROUGH DIGITAL EMPOWERMENT—A CASE STUDY OF FLOWER FARMERS IN SHUYANG, CHINA

Wu Huifang; Jian Chen; QINTAO LUO

Todos os Trabalhos

Trabalho

DOI

10.29327/9786527226680.1441870

Título do Trabalho

FROM SURVIVAL TO INNOVATION: RESHAPING SMALLHOLDER RESILIENCE THROUGH DIGITAL EMPOWERMENT—A CASE STUDY OF FLOWER FARMERS IN SHUYANG, CHINA

Autores

Wu Huifang
Jian Chen
QINTAO LUO

Modalidade

IRSA - Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (01/10/2025 a 20/01/2026)

Área temática

IRSA 34 - Diverse Transitions of Farming and Peasantries

Data de Publicação

06/08/2026

País da Publicação

Brasil

Idioma da Publicação

pt-BR

Página do Trabalho

https://www.even3.com.br/anais/sober-irsa2026/1441870-from-survival-to-innovation--reshaping-smallholder-resilience-through-digital-empowermenta-case-study-of-flower

ISBN

978-65-272-2668-0

Palavras-Chave

smallholders, innovation resilience, digital empowerment, agency, rural transformation

Resumo

In the era of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity), smallholder resilience serves as an endogenous driver of agricultural modernization. While academic discourse has long focused on "survival resilience"—the passive capacity to withstand shocks—this study further explores "innovation resilience." This concept refers to the proactive capacity of smallholders to identify opportunities amidst risks and achieve industrial upgrading through new technologies. The research systematically analyzes how digital technology, acting as an empowering tool, stimulates this internal developmental drive. Adopting a qualitative research perspective, this study is based on field investigations of farmers in Shuyang County, Jiangsu Province, renowned as the "Hometown of Bonsai and Flowers" in China. Through in-depth interviews and participant observations, the research analyzes how local farmers utilize digital technology to reshape the logic of agricultural production and marketing, thereby constructing an action framework within the context of digital family livelihood. The findings reveal that smallholders are not merely passive risk-bearers but proactive subjects with deep-seated "innovation genes." Digital technology provides smallholders with empowering tools for resource integration and trial-and-error adjustments, enabling them to effectively transform traditional labor-intensive expertise into competitive advantages in the digital age. This research not only enriches the theoretical understanding of smallholder resilience but also provides practical pathways for integrating smallholders into modern agriculture and achieving high-quality transformation.

Título do Evento: 16th World Congress of Rural Sociology and 64th Congress of the Brazilian Society of Rural Economics, Management and Sociology
Cidade do Evento: Porto Alegre
Título dos Anais do Evento: Anais do 64º Congresso da SOBER e XVI Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (IRSA)
Nome da Editora: Even3
Meio de Divulgação: Meio Digital
DOI

Como citar

HUIFANG, Wu; CHEN, Jian; LUO, QINTAO. FROM SURVIVAL TO INNOVATION: RESHAPING SMALLHOLDER RESILIENCE THROUGH DIGITAL EMPOWERMENT—A CASE STUDY OF FLOWER FARMERS IN SHUYANG, CHINA.. In: Anais do 64º Congresso da SOBER e XVI Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (IRSA). Anais...Porto Alegre(RS) UFRGS, 2026. Disponível em: https//www.even3.com.br/anais/sober-irsa2026/1441870-FROM-SURVIVAL-TO-INNOVATION--RESHAPING-SMALLHOLDER-RESILIENCE-THROUGH-DIGITAL-EMPOWERMENTA-CASE-STUDY-OF-FLOWER. Acesso em: 22/09/2026