Research on the Driving Effect of Digital Economy on the Modernization of Agriculture and Rural Development

To sort out the mechanism of the digital economy supporting the development of agricultural and rural modernization, the panel model is used to empirically analyze the impact and mechanism of the digital economy on the development of agricultural and rural modernization, using panel data of 30 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities from 2011 to 2020 as the research object. Research shows that the digital economy can positively promote the development of agricultural and rural modernization, that is, it has a significant driving effect; Heterogeneity analysis shows that there are regional differences in the driving effect of the digital economy on agriculture and rural areas, showing a development trend of "Northeast > East > Central > West"; Mechanism analysis shows that the level of economic development, the intensity of government support for agriculture, and the level of regional innovation are important paths for the digital economy to drive the development of agricultural and rural modernization. Further research found that the driving role of the digital economy in agricultural and rural modernization is affected by the level of economic development, the intensity of government support for agriculture, and the level of regional innovation, showing a threshold effect. The research findings can offer useful avenues for using the digital economy to propel the growth of agricultural and rural modernization in the future.