Impact of Agricultural Product Circulation Efficiency on Contract Farming Coverage and Regional Differences: Evidence from China

Based on the “three-dimensional” perspective of modern circulation theory, this study constructs an index system for evaluating the circulation efficiency of agricultural products. The circulation efficiency index values are computed from panel data from 2015 to 2022 in China, and regression estimation is applied to estimate their impact on contract farming coverage. The findings reveal that the circulation efficiency of agricultural products has a significant driving effect on the development of contract farming, and the key mechanism lies in logistics efficiency. Moreover, its impact exhibits regional heterogeneity. Accordingly, we propose policy recommendations to improve contract farming coverage.