Governments worldwide are expanding broadband, promoting e-commerce, digitizing public services, and investing in smart agriculture to revive rural economies. But are digital tools actually changing how rural communities produce, sell, organize, and create value? A new production-network analysis using China as a case study warns that digital access alone is not enough. Rural industries benefit from the digital economy only when digital products, services, finance, logistics, data systems, and technical support are embedded into real production networks. In other words, rural digitalization must move from connectivity to capability. The research, published in Sustainability by Yiming Gao and Chenyang Wu of…