Promoting information technology for the sustainable development of the phosphate fertilizer industry: a case study of Guizhou Province, China

The information technology revolution has brought unprecedented opportunities to the sustainable development of the traditional phosphate fertilizer industry. In this paper, the changes in characteristic indexes during this technological progress and business innovation are investigated at the industrial level and for different stakeholders using scenario simulation analysis based on system dynamics. The results show that information technology will have a significant impact on the traditional fertilizer industry. The popularity of information technology represents a win–win situation for industries, farmers, enterprises and governments. The sustainable development of the phosphate fertilizer industry promoted by information technology means that agrochemical services are a new growth point for the industry, and farmers will be the largest beneficiaries. Enterprises will adjust their product structures to achieve the relevant phosphate reduction goals before 2020. At the government level, the indirect benefits from energy savings, water conservation and reductions in non-point source pollution control treatment also increase significantly. In the new production and sales model, the development of the phosphate fertilizer industry is completely decoupled from resource consumption. In the future, this technological progress will eventually form a sustainable network of industrial innovation patterns. Our finding suggests that the application of information technology in the phosphate fertilizer industry can stimulate the vitality of each entity in the industry and achieve a win–win situation.