Enhancing Innovation Performance in Chinese Agribusinesses: A Dynamic Panel–QCA of Configurational Effects

The strengthened role of agribusinesses as innovators depends on improvements in their innovation performance, yet how to achieve this remains unresolved. Grounded in the technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework and drawing on 2020–2022 panel data from 73 Chinese agribusinesses, we apply panel–QCA to examine how R&D personnel, managerial innovativeness, and digital technology adoption interact to generate superior innovation outcomes. The results reveal that no single technological, organizational, or environmental factor constitutes a necessary condition; instead, high innovation performance results from specific configurations. Three dominant pathways are identified: organization-driven, technology–organization synergistic, and organization–technology synergistic. In particular, organizational factors serve as core conditions across all configurations, offering stage-appropriate routes for firms at different development phases. Over time, all three configurations decline under external shocks. Furthermore, heterogeneity across firms underscores the need for tailored, dynamic strategies. Therefore, agribusinesses should “configure by context,” continuously monitor shifting configurational elements, and select adaptive pathways to sustain sustainable innovation performance amid environmental volatility.