Towards Sustainable Agriculture: How Does Agricultural Scale Operation Affect the Cultivated Land Green Utilization Efficiency? The Empirical Evidence from China

Promoting cultivated land green utilization efficiency (CLGUE) through agricultural scale operation is critical for reconciling the conflict between food security and sustainable land use. Based on panel data from 30 provinces in China (2007–2022), this paper calculates CLGUE using the Super-efficiency SBM-Undesirable model and empirically examines the impact mechanisms and nonlinear characteristics of scale operation using Tobit and threshold models. The findings reveal that: (1) Agricultural scale operation has a significant positive impact on CLGUE, but this effect is non-linear and characterized by diminishing marginal returns, validating the “moderate scale” operation theory. (2) Substantial heterogeneity exists across different functional grain production zones and geographic regions. (3) Mechanism analysis identifies technological innovation as a key transmission channel through which scale operation boosts CLGUE. (4) A significant double-threshold effect is observed in fiscal support for agriculture; specifically, the positive enabling effect of scale operation is maximized only when fiscal support intensity is maintained within a specific rational range. Consequently, this study suggests that policymakers should prioritize “moderate scale” strategies, tailor policies to regional conditions, and optimize the allocation of fiscal funds to foster a transition toward green and sustainable agriculture.