Digital Pathways to Sustainable Agriculture: Examining the Role of Agricultural Digitalization in Green Development in China

Amid the urgent need to align agricultural practices with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this study examines the role of agricultural digitalization in promoting sustainable and green development in China. Specifically, it explores demand-side factors that drive improvements in agricultural green development and categorizes development models into three types: market-oriented, policy-driven, and innovation-driven. Utilizing provincial-level data from 2011 to 2021, this study employs semiparametric and spatial Durbin models to empirically assess the effects, underlying mechanisms, and regional disparities of agricultural digitalization in advancing green development. The main findings are as follows: (1) Overall, both agricultural digitalization and the level of green agricultural development have gradually increased during the study period, with agricultural digitalization significantly contributing to sustainable agricultural development. (2) The impact of agricultural digitalization on green agricultural development shows an upward trend in eastern, coastal, and non-grain-producing regions, as well as in the southeastern areas of the “Hu Huanyong Line”. In contrast, inland regions and the northwestern areas of the “Hu Huanyong Line” exhibit a U-shaped relationship, and grain-producing regions experience a clear inhibitory effect. Additionally, the promoting effect of agricultural digitalization is more pronounced in regions with higher levels of green agricultural development. (3) Agricultural digitalization generates positive spillover effects, benefiting not only the local region but also surrounding areas, with a stronger radiative effect on neighboring regions. (4) Mechanism analysis suggests that under all three development models, agricultural digitalization can effectively enhance green agricultural development by improving the alignment of supply and demand for green agricultural products, accelerating the establishment and promotion of green agricultural brands, strengthening environmental regulation, fostering new agricultural business entities, advancing agricultural mechanization, and improving the efficiency of facility agriculture.