CONFIGURATIONAL PATHWAYS TO FRUIT FARMERS' WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE IN RURAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT: AN FSQCA APPROACH

Abstract

Against the background of rural revitalization, rural tourism based on distinctive agricultural resources has emerged as an important pathway for cultivating new rural industries and business models. As a form of specialty agriculture, fruit farming integrates production, ecological, landscape, and experiential functions. However, existing studies have largely focused on tourists or general farming households, with limited attention to the complex mechanisms shaping fruit farmers' willingness to participate in rural tourism development. Based on the SOR framework and 377 valid questionnaires, this study employs fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to examine how resource environment perception, policy environment perception, expected benefits, and perceived behavioural control jointly shape such willingness. The results indicate that no single condition constitutes a necessary condition for either high or non-high willingness. Three configurations leading to high willingness and four configurations leading to non-high willingness are identified, revealing clear causal asymmetry. The findings demonstrate that fruit farmers' willingness is jointly shaped by multiple conditions rather than any single factor. Accordingly, policy efforts should focus on strengthening resource foundations, improving policy support, enhancing expected benefits, and promoting capability development.