Improving agricultural green total factor productivity is important for achieving high-quality economic development and the SDGs. Digital inclusive finance, which combines the advantages of digital technology and inclusive finance, represents a new scheme that can ease credit constraints and information ambiguity in agricultural production. First, this study focused on agro-ecological functions; we incorporated total agricultural carbon sequestration and emissions extraction into the evaluation system and used the mixed-direction-distance function to calculate agricultural green total factor productivity. Then, based on panel data from 31 provinces in China collected from 2011 to 2021, we used the two-way fixed effect model, the interactive fixed effect, and the plausibly exogenous variable method to test the impact of digital financial inclusion on agricultural green total factor productivity, and its mechanism of action. The panel-corrected standard error and fixed effect Driscoll–Kraay methods were used to account for the unobserved heterogeneity and cross-section dependence in the panel data. The results showed that digital financial inclusion can significantly improve agricultural green total factor productivity. This conclusion remained valid following robustness tests using the spatial econometric model and the method of changing explanatory variables. Digital financial inclusion can improve agricultural green total factor productivity by facilitating the transfer of agricultural land. Sound digital infrastructure and strict green credit policies enhance the role of digital inclusive finance in promoting the green development of agriculture. These conclusions could help the financial sector to formulate flexible, accurate, reasonable, and appropriate financial policies and products that would support agriculture, and enhance the role of digital inclusive finance in promoting sustainable agricultural development.

The advent of new digital technologies has catalyzed a disruptive technological revolution, fostering significant industrial changes and advancing the green transformation of the economy and society. This paper investigates the influence of digitization on the green transformation of agribusiness firms, focusing on agriculture-related companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share markets from 2013 to 2021. Employing fixed-effect and mediated-effect models, the study examines the mechanisms through which digitization impacts these enterprises. The findings indicate that the relationship between digitization and green transformation in agribusiness is non-linear; a certain threshold of digitization must be achieved before it positively affects green transformation. The effect of digitization on green transformation varies according to the nature of business ownership, company size, supply chain flexibility, and regional environmental regulations. The study reveals that digitization influences green transformation through several mechanisms that promote economies of scale, technological innovation, and structural adjustments. While economies of scale derived from digitization do not directly support green transformation, they facilitate technological innovation and structural adjustments that enhance green initiatives in agribusiness.

With the deep integration of digital technology and inclusive finance, digital inclusive finance has provided a new opportunity for agricultural high-quality development through “overtaking on curves”. This article empirically examines the impact of digital inclusive finance on agricultural high-quality development and the dynamic mechanism of land circulation in its transmission process, utilizing panel data from various provinces in China from 2011 to 2021. The research indicates that digital inclusive finance has a significant improvement effect on agricultural high-quality development, and this conclusion remains valid after a series of endogenous treatments and robustness tests. Meanwhile, intelligent manufacturing has a more pronounced role in promoting agricultural high-quality development in China’s eastern regions, regions with sound infrastructure, and regions with high environmental regulation intensity. Further research reveals that digital inclusive finance can promote agricultural high-quality development through the mechanism of promoting land circulation. The research conclusions provide important empirical evidence and policy implications for achieving coordinated development of agricultural economic growth and environmental protection, thereby realizing the beautiful vision of comprehensive rural revitalization.

Green development is the only way to realize harmonious coexistence between people and nature, so it is of great significance to create a benchmark for high-quality development. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces (except Tibet, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) in China from 2009 to 2020, the super-efficiency slacks-based measure model was used to calculate the green economic efficiency of various regions in China, and a related statistical model was used to verify the influence of different types of environmental regulation policies on green economic efficiency and the intermediary effect of innovation factor agglomeration. The results show that: (1) during the inspection period, the influence of public-participation environmental regulation on the efficiency of the green economy presents an “inverted U” trend, while command-control and market-incentive environmental regulation policies inhibit the improvement of green economic efficiency; (2) the agglomeration of innovative elements plays a significant intermediary role in the transmission path of environmental regulation affecting green economic efficiency, but the intermediary effects of different types of environmental regulation are slightly different. Finally, we discuss environmental regulation and innovative elements, and some corresponding suggestions are put forward.

Purpose: With the continuous innovation and widespread application of digital technologies, digital transformation offers new opportunities for enterprises to “take the inside lane” and enhance their performance. Based on microdata from Chinese listed companies spanning from 2009 to 2023, this study aims to explore, both theoretically and empirically, the impact of digital transformation on corporate performance as well as the dynamic mechanisms played by supply chain concentration and supply chain efficiency in this transmission process. Design/methodology/approach: This study employs a two-way fixed effects model (with industry and time fixed effects) to verify the marginal effect of digital transformation on corporate performance. Additionally, it uses Sobel tests and Bootstrap sampling tests to corroborate the mechanistic roles played by supply chain concentration and supply chain efficiency. Findings: This study demonstrates that digital transformation has a significant positive effect on firm performance. Meanwhile, six factors, namely, the nature of enterprise ownership, firm size, factor intensity, industry affiliation, lifecycle stage and geographical location, exert differential impacts on the efficiency-enhancing role of digital transformation. Furthermore, digital transformation can drive firm performance improvement through the mechanisms of enhancing supply chain concentration and supply chain efficiency. Originality/value: Firstly, this paper establishes a theoretical analysis framework between digital transformation and firm performance and conducts an empirical test based on microdata from Chinese listed companies spanning from 2009 to 2023. The research findings provide theoretical support and empirical evidence for explaining the positive promoting effect of digital transformation on firm performance, contributing to the further advancement of digital transformation practices in enterprises. Secondly, this paper further considers the differentiation in factors such as the nature of enterprise ownership, firm size, factor intensity, industry affiliation, lifecycle stage and geographical location and delves into the heterogeneous impact of digital transformation on firm performance. This finding aids administrative departments and business managers in formulating more precise measures to address potential shortcomings and challenges in the process of digital transformation. Lastly, based on the extended resource-based view, this study innovatively explores the positive mediating role of supply chain concentration and supply chain efficiency in the process of digital transformation. This finding not only enriches the pathways through which firms can enhance their performance via digital transformation but also offers practical references and insights for improving the success rate of digital transformation.