Coupling Coordination and Influencing Factors Between Digital Village Development and Agricultural and Rural Modernization: Evidence from China

With the increasing application of new digital technologies in rural areas, digital village development has become a crucial pathway for achieving agricultural and rural modernization. This study develops a comprehensive measurement index system to assess the levels of digital village development and agricultural modernization. Then, the coupling coordination model is adopted to measure the coupling coordination development levels of digital villages and agricultural modernization across 266 prefecture-level cities in China from 2014 to 2020. Additionally, the driving mechanisms of the coupling coordination degree are also explored based on the geographic detector model. The results show that the overall levels of digital village development and agricultural and rural modernization in China are on an upward trend. The coupling coordination degree of the two systems has shifted from being on the verge of imbalance to primary coordination. Additionally, absolute regional differences have widened, while relative differences have narrowed. Ecological livability, management systems, living standards, informatization, and mechanization levels are identified as the key factors driving the coupling coordination between digital village development and agricultural modernization. These results offer valuable insights for both theoretical research and practical applications in advancing digital villages and agricultural modernization efforts.