Abstract:
Improving the ecological efficiency of arable land use is a key measure to promote the green transformation of agriculture in China and ensure food security, and the development of the digital economy has injected new momentum into the improvement of arable land use quality. Based on the data from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China from 2011 to 2022, this paper measured the ecological efficiency of arable land use using the super-efficiency SBM model and analyzed the impact of the digital economy on arable land use ecological efficiency using a double fixed-effects panel regression model and a spatial Durbin model. The results showed: (1) The digital economy promoted the improvement of arable land use ecological efficiency. (2) Promoting agricultural technological innovation, land transfer, and rural labor migration were important channels through which the digital economy enhances the ecological efficiency of arable land use. (3) The impact of the digital economy on arable land use ecological efficiency increased with higher quantiles; compared with regions with large-scale operations and the central and western regions, the effect of the digital economy on non-large-scale operation areas and eastern regions was more pronounced. (4) The impact of the digital economy on the ecological efficiency of arable land use exhibited spatial spillover effects, and the spillover effect was stronger than the direct effect. Based on these findings, this paper proposes accelerating the development of the digital economy, fully leveraging its positive effects in promoting agricultural technological innovation, land transfer, and rural labor migration, formulating digital economy development policies tailored to local conditions, and establishing mechanisms for digital platform coordination.