The eco-efficiency of rice production is an important indicator in the measurement of sustainable rice development. Scientific evaluation of the eco-efficiency of rice production facilitates accurate evaluation of the real level of rice ecosystems to realize efficient utilization of agricultural resources. This paper measured the eco-efficiency of farms growing rice using both the life cycle assessment (LCA) and the data envelopment analysis (DEA) methods based on survey data from 370 farms mainly growing rice conducted in 2020 in the Hubei Province, the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in China. Then, sensitivity analysis and scenario analysis were carried out on the comprehensive index of the rice environmental impact and eco-efficiency of rice production, respectively. The results indicate that the comprehensive index of the rice environmental impact was 2.0971. Water toxicity, soil toxicity and eutrophication were the main influencing factors. The mean value of the eco-efficiency reached 0.51. More specifically, the proportion of farms in the low-, middle- and high-efficiency groups was 87.03%, 1.89% and 11.08%, respectively, with mean values up to 0.42, 0.86 and 1.14, respectively. A sensitivity analysis revealed that the pesticide sensitivity was higher than the fertilizer sensitivity in terms of the environmental impact sensitivity of rice systems. When comprehensively considering environmental and economic benefits, the fertilizer sensitivity was higher than that of pesticides. Moreover, reducing the application of both fertilizers and pesticides by 50% could promote the eco-efficiency of rice production systems by 6%, and the value could reach 0.54. Thus, reducing the application of fertilizers and pesticides and improving the utilization efficiency are effective ways to improve green rice production.

Agricultural total factor productivity (ATFP) serves as the core driver and a critical benchmark for high-quality agricultural development. Utilizing panel data from 31 Chinese provinces (2012–2023), this study examines the impact, mechanisms, and heterogeneity of agricultural digital infrastructure construction (ADIC) on ATFP. Results show that digital infrastructure significantly promotes ATFP with a distinct non-linear acceleration. Specifically, once development surpasses a critical threshold (1.5416), marginal contributions increase substantially, marking a transition of digital dividends from “accumulation” to “explosive release.” Mediation analysis identifies green technological innovation and farmland scale management as key pathways, accounting for 11.4% and 12.5% of the total effect, respectively. This confirms ADIC enhances ATFP through a technical innovation effect and a scale operation effect. Regional heterogeneity is significant: digital infrastructure yields significant positive impacts on main food consumption and balanced areas, whereas results for main grain-producing areas remain statistically insignificant. Based on these conclusions, it is recommended that policymakers maintain strategic focus by proactively deploying rural digital infrastructure to surpass critical thresholds, implementing differentiated regional strategies, and effectively translating digital dividends into endogenous momentum for high-quality agricultural development through the integrated application of green technologies and the improvement of farmland transfer service systems.