2.1. Effect of Digital Technology Application on Carbon Emission Efficiency in Dairy Farms
It can be theorized that technological advancement is the most effective method to decrease carbon emissions [
24]. Research in the field of agriculture has indicated that technological innovations can produce considerable decreases in the carbon footprint of agricultural production [
25,
26,
27], hence leading to a heightened level of ecological efficiency [
28]. The use of digital technology, a distinguishing feature of contemporary technological progress, is steadily making its way into the production chains of dairy farms, with a direct potential to decrease carbon emissions [
29]. Digital technology can be described as an umbrella term encompassing the various aspects of the new generation of information technology [
30]. Over the past few years, digital technology has permeated the agricultural sector, leading to significant progress in the digitalization of dairy farms and enhancing the productivity of farmers [
31]. Simultaneously, digital technology is able to maximize the original structure of factor allocation [
32]. The utilization of digital technology serves to enhance the carbon emission efficiency of dairy farms by diminishing carbon contamination while simultaneously improving the efficacy of resource management.
Initially, digital technology can enable the effective distribution of resources. Digitization can reconfigure the factor allocation structure and augment allocative effectiveness in light of the present state of production [
33]. Diverting waste caused by exorbitant feed inputs could be minimized through the use of digital technology devices such as automatic feeders on dairy farms. The implementation of digital technology reduces the restraints of feed resources and serves to lessen the misalignment of resources for dairy farms, thereby boosting the effectiveness of feed input utilization [
34]. The productivity of a dairy farm is augmented by maintaining a steady output and decreasing the input elements of feed. The decrease in feed inputs also diminishes the superfluous carbon discharges from rumination and enteric fermentation in dairy bovines. The utilization of digital technology can facilitate the achievement of precise proportions and exact feed inputs [
35], thereby minimizing the carbon intensity of dairy farms.
Dairy farmers may configure a total mixed ration for cows through the use of digital technology, which is a nutritious diet that precisely mixes roughage, concentrate, vitamins, and other additives for cows. The dairy farmer cuts, processes, and scientifically matches the feed to meet the growing needs of the cow, resulting in a complete mixed ration with comprehensive nutrition. Compared to the traditional feeding method on dairy farms, the full mixed ration configured by digital technology enables cows to obtain a more scientific nutritional intake, which results in an increase of more than 10% in milk fat percentage and milk yield in cows. The unit of milk production’s carbon emission will see a decrease of approximately 8% [
36]. Dairies can employ digital technology such as automated feeders to optimize feeding practices and adjust the feed ratios in real-time in order to meet the nutritional requirements of cows and thus improve conversion. Dairy farms may be able to decrease the amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated by cattle digestion by utilizing various techniques, thereby elevating the carbon proficiency of dairy farms.
Subsequently, the utilization of digital technology can collate the production information from dairy farms to effectively regulate energy utilization in a timely manner [
37]. Consequently, digital technologies can augment energy utilization efficiency and curtail carbon emissions, thus promoting carbon emission efficiency. Examples of dairy farms utilizing digital technology devices such as temperature sensors can be seen in their personalization of farm energy use programs as well as their ability to adjust energy supply strategies in accordance with the actual needs of their farms [
38]. The utilization of digital technology precludes the superfluous utilization of electricity, coal, natural gas, and other energy sources that are necessary for illumination and heating in dairy farms, enabling the energy elements to be utilized in an efficient manner and thus support the augmentation of energy efficiency and production efficiency on dairy farms [
39]. Digital technology can be leveraged to decrease the carbon footprint of energy production on dairy farms, thus resulting in a more carbon-efficient system.
The utilization of digital technology can ultimately augment the efficacy of carbon dioxide discharges from dairy farms in a number of ways. Manure is the primary contributor to carbon emissions from dairy farms. Research has demonstrated that a decrease in the storage period of manure on the farm can lessen the levels of carbon emissions before the processing of the manure [
40]. The application of digital technology permits farmers to adjust the frequency and timing of manure cleaning and reduce the duration of manure exposure to the dairy farm by resourcing the manure in a timely manner. The scope of dairy farming operations in China is comparatively expansive. The difficulty of determining a consistent discharge frequency and time of manure removal in dairy cattle stock due to their large population is significant. Consequently, the emission of an increased volume of carbon resulting from the manure from dairy farms being left in the atmosphere has become a source of superfluous emissions [
41]. The utilization of digital technology enables dairy farms to alter the frequency of cow manure disposal on an instantaneous basis via the use of devices such as camera systems and manure removal robots. Digital technology can be utilized by dairy farms to diminish carbon emissions originating from manure and further enhance carbon emission efficiency [
42]. It is possible for farmers to utilize digital technology instruments to achieve direct scientific feeding, health observation, milk production, and manure elimination of cows. The implementation of digital technology has yielded a considerable increase in the effectiveness of the transmission of dairy farming data, with the entire dairy production chain being quantified and managed [
43]. Utilizing digital agronomic data, dairy producers would be able to adjust the feed formulations for their cows expeditiously, thus allowing for the safe keeping of cow health and productivity through an empirical approach. The implementation of digital technology on dairy farms can enhance productivity [
44], coordination, and operational efficiency while also facilitating the optimization and progression of the carbon emission-producing components of dairy farming. Simultaneously, the implementation of modern digital technologies in dairy farms can decrease the intensity of carbon emissions and subsequently improve their efficiency. According to Li et al. [
45], dairy cattle gastrointestinal fermentation, dairy cattle feeding energy consumption, and manure management are responsible for 41.56%, 9.92%, and 16.3%, respectively, of the carbon emissions of the dairy industry. There is a significant disparity in the carbon emission levels among different aspects of dairy farming. Consequently, when diverse digital technologies are implemented on dairy farms, the magnitude of carbon reduction may be notably dissimilar, and the efficacy of employing diverse digital technologies on carbon emission efficiency may differ amongst dairy farms.
In this paper, the following research hypotheses were formulated based on the analysis provided above.
Hypothesis 1. Digital technology applications can significantly promote carbon emission efficiency in dairy farms.
Hypothesis 2. There are significant differences in the effects of heterogeneous digital technology applications on carbon emission efficiency in dairy farms.
2.2. The Moderating Role of Environmental Regulation in the Effect of Digital Technology Application on Carbon Emission Efficiency in Dairy Farms
Governmental policy interventions that are legally binding and implemented for the purpose of safeguarding the natural environment can be referred to as environmental regulation. In the case of dairy farms, environmental regulation mandated by the state necessitates involvement in the production methods of dairy farming [
46]. The implementation of environmental regulations has led to dairy farmers employing scientifically advanced and ecologically sound production techniques such as digital technology to minimize the excessive use of feed and energy. Simultaneously, the output of dairy farms will be increased, and the carbon footprint created by their activities will be diminished. In the end, the carbon productivity of dairy farms will be enhanced. Environmental regulations may be classified into three distinct categories: binding environmental regulations, incentive environmental regulations, and guided environmental regulations [
47].
The government has introduced binding environmental regulations including a series of pollution control laws and other measures with the objective of curbing environmental contamination and disciplining farmers [
48]. The financial repercussions due to stringent environmental legislation have the potential to decrease the anticipated gains of dairy farmers, thus acting as a deterrent to the myopic behavior of dairy farmers who disregard environmental degradation. The enhanced likelihood of dairy farmers implementing digital technology devices to actuate carbon emission management, in the long run, leads to a more noteworthy upsurge in the carbon proficiency of dairy farms. Digital technology equipment refers to the breeding equipment that realizes digital management in dairy farms based on digital technology including automatic feeders, electronic weighing tools, regurgitation sensors, etc. The implementation of punitive measures resulting from the limited environmental rules will have a direct influence on the production and operation of farmers in addition to affecting their reputation, inducing a wake-up effect on dairy farmers that encourages them to actively pursue technological innovation [
49] and the use of digital technology in order to produce in a rational and scientific manner, leading to a significant improvement in the carbon emission efficiency in dairy farms when digital technology is applied.
Incentive environmental regulation is an administrative strategy employed by the government to provide dairy farmers with economic benefits in exchange for the reduction in environmental pollution [
50]. Investigating the influence of digital technology usage on carbon emission efficiency in dairy farming, the government has the potential to bolster the projected earnings of dairy farmers via the enforcement of incentive environmental legislation. Under the assumption of a rational economic actor, dairy farmers are striving to maximize their profits. The prospect of heightened revenues is likely to incentivize dairy farmers to make greater investments in their inputs and to upgrade the conditions of their farms and practices [
46]. In tandem with the intensification of incentive environmental regulation, dairy farms will further bolster the building of auxiliary infrastructure linked to digital technology equipment, thereby laying the groundwork for advancing the utilization of digital technology in dairy farms to make a more noteworthy contribution to improved carbon emission efficiency.
Governmental guidance on environmental regulation involves the leveraging of publicity, education, training, and technical support to encourage dairy farmers to engage in environmental stewardship [
51]. The government could fortify the agricultural capabilities of farmers through regular technical instruction to meet their technical requirements for the utilization of digital technology to enhance carbon emission efficiency, thus further increasing the diminution of the carbon emission efficiency of digital technology applications and advancing a reduction in carbon emissions on dairy farms. The government can enhance the ecological knowledge and comprehension of dairy farmers through instruction and tutoring [
52], thus enabling them to precisely comprehend the harm caused by the carbon dioxide effluence produced by dairy farming to the environment and nurture their sense of responsibility to elevate the carbon dioxide emission productivity of dairy farms, thus inciting dairy farmers to exploit digital technology with more enthusiasm to reduce carbon dioxide pollution and upgrade the efficiency of carbon dioxide emissions. The mechanisms of the impact of digital technology applications on carbon emission efficiency in dairy farms are shown in
Figure 1.
Based on the above analysis, this paper proposes the following hypotheses.
Hypothesis 3. Constrained environmental regulation plays a moderating role in the process of digital technology applications affecting the carbon emission efficiency of dairy farms.
Hypothesis 4. Incentive environmental regulation plays a moderating role in the process of digital technology applications affecting the carbon emission efficiency of dairy farms.
Hypothesis 5. Guided environmental regulation plays a moderating role in the process of digital technology applications affecting the carbon emission efficiency of dairy farms.