Development Communication through Agricultural Product Process and Branding in Chixi Community
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
In the post-poverty alleviation era, China's rural revitalization has shifted towards industrial prosperity. However, agricultural products in many rural communities are still at the bottom of the "smile curve," facing serious value stripping and information asymmetry problems. This study takes Chixi Community in Beihai City, Guangxi Province as an example, aiming to: (1) investigate the current status and bottlenecks of agricultural product brand building in Chixi Community; (2) analyze the impact of participatory visual intervention on villagers' brand awareness and behavioral practices; and (3) construct an endogenous development model for sustainable rural brand building. The main theoretical basis of this study includes alternative paradigms of development communication, the "smile curve" model, and narrative capital theory. The study adopts a hybrid approach and action research design. This study collected knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) data from 50 participants through a structured questionnaire survey; at the same time, qualitative data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 key information providers.
The results show that: (1) initially, the community exhibited a contradiction of high strategic brand awareness but low tactical execution, regarding visual packaging merely as a logistical defense measure rather than a marketing investment. (2) After conducting participatory workshops (“learning by doing”), villagers achieved statistically significant improvements across all KAP dimensions (total t = -4.15, p < .001). Visual interventions successfully integrated local narrative capital, such as the concept of “red soil mushrooms,” the colors of Zhuang traditional clothing, and bronze drum patterns. (3) From an economic perspective, branded products achieved a significant premium, with profits increasing from RMB 5 per kilogram of raw materials to over RMB 20 per kilogram of processed products. Ultimately, this study constructed the “Chixi Agricultural Brand Model,” demonstrating that combining Western alternative development models with China’s local “government-expert-farmer” strategy can effectively overcome rural human capital bottlenecks and achieve sustainable brand development. The proposed guidelines include shifting government investment towards building brand soft power and cultivating local “brand stewards.”
Article Details
References
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). American Psychological Association.
Bourdieu, P. (1977). Outline of a theory of practice (R. Nice, Trans.). Cambridge University Press.
Cui, Z. (2021). Mobilization and dissemination of grassroots governance in rural and pastoral areas of Xingan League for targeted poverty alleviation [Master’s thesis, Inner Mongolia University].
Escobar, A. (1995). Encountering development: The making and unmaking of the Third World. Princeton University Press.
Fisher, W. R. (1984). Narration as a human communication paradigm: The case of public moral argument. Communication Monographs, 51(1), 1–22.
García-Orosa, B. (2022). Digital political communication strategies. Springer International Publishing.
Gu, R., Zhang, W., Chen, K., & Nie, F. (2023). Can information and communication technologies contribute to poverty reduction? Evidence from poor counties in China. Information Technology for Development, 29(1), 128–150.
Jing, H. (2021). Research on the practice of agricultural technology information dissemination in poverty-stricken areas of Yunnan under the background of targeted poverty alleviation [Master’s thesis, Yunnan Normal University].
Kanchana, K. (2000). Media for community: Body of knowledge processing. Thailand Research Funds.
Kanchana, K. (2001). Media studies and cultural studies. Adison Press Products.
Kanchana, K. (2009). Little media and nice to work with development. Pappim.
Kanchana, K. (2017). Instrument of cultural community practice and ritualistic media study (2nd ed.). Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Center.
Kanokrat, Y. (2005). Akha power relations in northern Thailand: Identity, economics, and gender perspectives [Paper presentation]. The 9th International Conference on Thai Studies, Northern Illinois University, USA.
Kanokrat, Y. (2006). Community power and integration for “sufficiency economy”: Cases of Buddhist, Muslim, and Akha communities in Thailand [Doctoral dissertation, Thammasat University].
Kanokrat, Y. (2020). Communication development for community. Offset Press Products.
Kotler, P., & Armstrong, G. (various editions). Principles of marketing. Pearson.
Lerner, D. (1958). The passing of traditional society: Modernizing the Middle East. Free Press.
Li, D. (2023). Digital rural communication: Rethinking information poverty alleviation based on actor-network theory. Journal of Kunming University of Science and Technology (Social Sciences Edition), (03), 151–158.
Liao, X. (2020). Research on interpersonal communication of poverty alleviation information in rural areas of Guangxi under the background of targeted poverty alleviation [Master’s thesis, Shaanxi Normal University].
Murdoch, J., Marsden, T., & Banks, J. (2000). Quality, nature, and embeddedness: Some theoretical considerations in the context of the food sector. Economic Geography, 76(2), 107–125.
Pink, S. (2013). Doing visual ethnography (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). Free Press.
Rostow, W. W. (1960). The stages of economic growth: A non-communist manifesto. Cambridge University Press.
Schramm, W. (1964). Mass media and national development: The role of information in the developing countries. Stanford University Press.
Servaes, J. (1999). Communication for development: One world, multiple cultures. Hampton Press.
Servaes, J. (Ed.). (2008). Communication for development and social change. SAGE Publications.
Shih, S. (1992). The smile curve theory and value creation in global industries. Acer Inc.
Shih, S. (1996). Me-too is not my style: Challenge difficulties, break through bottlenecks, create values. Acer Foundation.
Si, Z., & Scott, S. (2016). China’s emerging alternative food networks: Farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture and beyond. Journal of Rural Studies, 47, 449–458.
Supang, C. (2011). Sociology theory (4th ed.). Chulapress.
UNDP. (Various years). Human development reports. United Nations Development Programme.
Wang, J., & Zhou, Y. (2025). Producer-oriented and consumer-oriented alternative food networks and rural revitalization in China: Distinct trajectories and variegated impacts. Habitat International, 103289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103289
Wang, L., & Zhang, Y. (2020). Rural branding, e-commerce adoption, and agricultural value chain upgrading in China. Journal of Rural Studies, 76, 254–266.
Zhao, X., & Li, J. (2019). Agricultural product branding and rural revitalization: Evidence from China. China Agricultural Economic Review, 11(3), 456–472.
