Coordinating digital village and arable land green use in China: spatio-temporal evidence in eight economic zones

Introduction This study investigates the coordinated development between digital village construction and the green utilization efficiency of arable land, both of which play a critical role in advancing sustainable agriculture and rural revitalization in China. Methods Drawing on panel data from 31 provinces from 2018 to 2022, we construct an enhanced coupling coordination degree model to evaluate the interaction between digitalization progress in rural areas and environmentally efficient farmland use. We further examine spatio-temporal evolution through kernel density estimation, identify spatial clustering characteristics using Moran's I and LISA, and decompose regional disparities across eight comprehensive economic zones with Dagum's Gini coefficient. Results The results reveal three major findings. First, the coupling coordination level increased significantly over the study period, rising from a near-dissonant state (0.420) to a low-coordination stage (0.556), although polarization persisted in most regions except the Southern Coastal and Middle Yangtze River Economic Zones. Second, the coordination pattern demonstrates a pronounced east–west gradient, accompanied by stable spatial clustering dominated by clear High-High and Low-Low agglomerations. Third, inter-regional gaps remain the primary source of inequality, contributing an average of 75.29% to overall disparities; notably, the Great Northwest Economic Zone shows the most pronounced divergence relative to other regions. Discussion This study provides both theoretical insight and empirical evidence on how digital rural construction and green land-use efficiency co-evolve, and it offers policy guidance for promoting synchronized digital infrastructure expansion and sustainable agricultural practices, thereby supporting balanced and ecologically resilient rural development.