The Impact of AIA on Farmers’ Income in the Eastern, Western, and Northern Regions of Guangdong Province: From the Perspective of Common Prosperity

Achieving common prosperity and promoting coordinated regional development are key objectives of China’s economic and social development in the new era. The eastern, western, and northern regions of Guangdong (hereafter referred to as “the Regions”) possess abundant agricultural resources and serve as significant agricultural development zones within the province. A critical challenge for Guangdong’s high-quality development lies in how to enhance farmers’ income (FI) through agricultural industrial agglomeration (AIA), reduce economic disparities across regions, achieve coordinated regional development, and promote common prosperity. This study employs panel data from 12 prefecture-level cities in the Regions from 2012 to 2022 to examine the dynamic evolution of AIA and its impact on (FI). It focuses on the mechanisms through which industrial agglomeration influences income growth and explores the heterogeneity in its effects. The findings indicate that the impact of AIA on FI follows a stage-specific U-shaped pattern. Agricultural productivity mediates this relationship, demonstrating that industrial agglomeration enhances FI by improving production efficiency. However, the level of regional industrialization weakens the positive effect of AIA on income growth. To fully leverage the benefits of AIA in the Regions, this study recommends optimizing the spatial distribution of agricultural industries, integrating regional development advantages, advancing industrialization, improving rural infrastructure, and implementing region-specific policies. These measures aim to increase FI, narrow regional economic disparities in Guangdong, and achieve common prosperity.