Construction and Validation of an Interdisciplinary Talent-Cultivation Ecosystem for Smart Agriculture: An Empirical Study from Jiangsu Province

The shortage of interdisciplinary talent is a critical bottleneck constraining the development of smart agriculture. Taking Jiangsu Province as a case study, this research constructs and empirically validates an ecosystem model for cultivating interdisciplinary talent oriented toward smart agriculture. In the theoretical construction phase, an initial three-dimensional model covering “core actors,” “supportive environment,” and “resource elements” was proposed based on ecosystem theory and literature review. This model was subsequently refined through in-depth interviews (March–August 2024, 60–120 min each) and thematic analysis with 58 diverse stakeholders across 13 prefecture-level cities in Jiangsu Province, encompassing universities, agribusinesses, government agencies, research institutes, and frontline practitioners. In the empirical testing phase, structural equation modeling was employed to analyze 382 valid questionnaire responses covering six dimensions: policy environment, market environment, university–enterprise collaboration, curriculum resources, platform resources, and talent cultivation effectiveness (20 items in total). The findings indicate that: (1) the ecosystem model demonstrates good fit and strong explanatory power, with a pronounced “university–enterprise” dual-core driving effect; (2) government policy guidance and platform construction play pivotal supportive roles; (3) market demand and industrial policy constitute critical external driving forces; and (4) “industry–education integrated practice platforms” together with “modular interdisciplinary curricula” exert the most direct positive influence on cultivation outcomes. Based on these findings, this study offers systematic recommendations from three perspectives—mechanism coordination, policy optimization, and resource allocation—providing a theoretically grounded and practically referenced solution for cultivating interdisciplinary talent in smart agriculture.