Research on the Mechanism of Impact of Digital Economy on New Quality Productivity in Agriculture

Agricultural new-quality productivity has become a key component of agricultural modernisation, resulting from transformative breakthroughs in scientific and technological innovation in various fields. Using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces (including autonomous regions and municipalities) from 2012 to 2022, this paper develops a comprehensive evaluation index system to assess the development level of agricultural new-quality productivity and digital economy. The entropy method is used for measurement, and econometric models such as fixed effects model and mediation effect are used to explore the interactions between the digital economy, green innovation and agricultural new-quality productivity. The results indicate that: (1) the digital economy significantly promotes agricultural new-quality productivity, and this effect remains robust after multiple tests; (2) the digital economy promotes agricultural new-quality productivity by promoting green technological innovation; (3) the effect of the digital economy on agricultural new-quality productivity exhibits regional heterogeneity, with a stronger effect in the eastern regions and areas with higher economic development, compared to the central and western regions with lower economic development. Based on these results, it is recommended that regions strengthen digital infrastructure and establish inter-regional cooperation and exchange mechanisms, which could serve as a policy reference for promoting the development of new agricultural productivity.