ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

Sec. Agricultural and Food Economics

Spatial Effects and Mechanism of the Digital Economy's Impact on Agricultural Carbon Emissions

• Xuefeng Hou ¹

• ZX Zihan Xu ¹

• Dianfeng Zhang ²

• FZ Fu Zeng ³

• 1. Yingkou Institute of Technology, Yingkou, China

• 2. Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China

• 3. Anqing Normal University, Anqing, China

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Abstract

To explore the spatial effects and mechanisms of the digital economy in promoting low-carbon agricultural transformation, this paper measures digital economy development and agricultural carbon emissions based on panel data for 31 provinces in China from 2011 to 2023, and analyzes their spatial distribution characteristics. Spatial Durbin and mediating models are employed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of the digital economy on agricultural carbon emissions. The results show that both the digital economy and agricultural carbon emissions present a "high-high and low-low" spatial agglomeration pattern, and agricultural carbon emissions have a significant positive spatial spillover effect. The digital economy significantly reduces agricultural carbon emissions in local and neighboring provinces, with obvious regional heterogeneity. In major grain-producing areas, the digital economy only inhibits local agricultural carbon emissions. In non-major grain-producing areas, the digital economy has a weaker effect on local emissions but can reduce carbon emissions in adjacent areas through cross-regional technology diffusion. From 2011 to 2018, agricultural carbon emissions exhibit a spatial clustering pattern, while the digital economy significantly reduces emissions in both the local and neighboring provinces. By contrast, in 2019–2023, agricultural carbon emissions shift toward a spatially competitive pattern: the direct local reduction effect of the digital economy gradually diminishes and becomes statistically insignificant, while its inhibitory effect on neighboring provinces also weakens. Fiscal support for agriculture strengthens the carbon reduction effect of the digital economy, and a higher level of economic development enhances this inhibitory effect. Rural entrepreneurship vitality and agricultural total factor productivity play significant mediating roles in the process of digital economy-driven agricultural carbon emission reduction. The conclusions provide empirical support for strengthening the role of the digital economy in agricultural carbon emission reduction and guidance for improving the policy system of low-carbon agricultural development.

Summary

Keywords

Agricultural carbon emissions, digital economy, Mediating model, spatial Durbin model, spatial effect

Received

20 July 2026

Accepted

02 November 2026

Copyright

© 2026 Hou, Xu, Zhang and Zeng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Fu Zeng

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