Research on Cultural Empowerment of Agricultural Product Value Chain Driving Integrated Development of Agriculture‑Culture‑ Tourism in China

With the global transformation of agricultural economies and diversiϐied consumer demand, cultural empowerment has become crucial for reconstructing agricultural product value chains and promoting agriculture‑culture‑tourism integration. This study employs a mixed‑methods approach across 15 major Chinese agricultural regions, encompassing 1,247 enterprises and 3,856 farming households from 2020 to 2024, using structural equation modeling, multiple regression analysis, and comparative case studies to establish a theoretical model of cultural empowerment for agricultural value chain upgrading. The research constructs a three‑tier empowerment framework encompassing cultural resource development, value transformation, and brand building, identifying three core driving factors: policy environment, market demand changes, and technological innovation. Empirical results indicate that cultural empowerment signiϐicantly promotes agricultural value chain upgrading, with integrated development models demonstrating superior performance over single models in economic beneϐits, cultural inheritance, and social cohesion. Policy support intensity shows a signiϐicant positive correlation with development effectiveness, while digital technology application enhances agriculture‑culture‑tourism integration efϐiciency. Different models exhibit distinct characteristics: integrated development shows optimal sustainability, export‑oriented models achieve the highest economic efϐiciency, and cultural tourism models demonstrate the best cultural protection effects. Culturally empowered agricultural products display strong international competitive advantages, with export growth rates signiϐicantly exceeding traditional products and evident market premium effects. This research enriches agricultural value chain and industrial integration theories, providing foundations for high‑quality agricultural development, rural revitalization, and enhanced international competitiveness.