Does Digital Village Construction Affect the Sustainable Intensification of Cultivated Land Use? Evidence from Rural China

Digital village construction (DVC) is a crucial pathway for increasing farmland productivity, reducing agricultural waste, and ultimately achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, its effects on the sustainable intensification of cultivated land use (SICLU) remain unclear. To bridge this gap, this study investigated the impact effects and mechanisms of DVC on SICLU across 358 counties in China using ordinary least squares and mediating effect models. The results showed the following: (1) DVC and its four sub-indices had significant and positive impacts on SICLU, which were validated through a series of robustness tests. (2) Heterogeneity analysis showed that DVC significantly improved SICLU in the eastern and central regions, as well as in regions with abundant and relatively scarce resource endowments, whereas no such effect was observed in the western region. (3) The relationship between DVC and SICLU was mediated by farmers’ income, technological innovation, and agricultural informatization. These insights highlight the importance of accelerating DVC to enhance SICLU.