The Impact of Green Total Factor Productivity in Agriculture on the Rural-urban Income Gap：Based on A Labor Transfer Perspective

Solving the “Three Rural Issues” to narrow the income gap between urban and rural areas is the key to realizing common prosperity. Based on the inter-provincial panel data from 2011 to 2021, we empirically study the impact of agricultural green total factor productivity (AGTFP) on the urban-rural income gap, and examine the intermediary role of labor transfer in this process with the help of the mediation effect model. The results show that: (1) Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the impact of AGTFP on urban-rural income gap is not significant in the eastern region, whereas it exhibits a significant “U-shaped” effect in the central, western, and northeastern regions, with the characteristic effect pattern being “western > central > northeastern” . (2) Labor migration can inhibit the widening of the urban-rural income gap, while AGTFP has an inverted “U” -shaped impact on labor migration, which is first promoted and then inhibited. Additionally, levels of fiscal expenditure, economic development, social security expenditure, and technological investment may lead to the widening of the urban-rural income gap, while the level of urbanization has a converging effect. (3) AGTFP can have a “U” shaped impact on the urban-rural income gap through labor migration, which first narrows and then widens. To achieve this, It is crucial to enhance research and development in green technology, optimize the allocation of agricultural resources and the structure of urban-rural labor mobility, and formulate differentiated policies for green agricultural development in order to narrow the income gap between urban and rural areas and effectively promote the process of common prosperity.