Agricultural and Rural Big Data Policy and Agribusiness Supply Chain Resilience: Implications for Sustainable Agriculture in China

Supply chain resilience supports sustainable agriculture by helping firms maintain operations and food supply during disruptions. This study examines whether agricultural digital public infrastructure strengthens agribusiness supply chain resilience, using China’s 2016 Agricultural and Rural Big Data Pilot Program as a quasi-natural experiment within a difference-in-differences design. The estimates indicate that the program significantly improves supply chain resilience. Exploratory channel analyses provide evidence consistent with bank-credit and corporate digital-transformation channels. The estimated gains are greater among state-owned enterprises, firms with digitally experienced executives, and firms in regions with higher internet penetration. Component analyses show positive estimates for agricultural data sharing, market-based investment and operational mechanisms, and big-data applications, whereas commodity-specific database development has no statistically detectable effect. These findings contribute to sustainability research by linking digital public infrastructure to the capacity of agribusinesses to withstand and recover from disruptions, an important foundation for the economic sustainability of agricultural supply chains. They also suggest that coordinated investment in data infrastructure, financing access, and digital capabilities may support more reliable agricultural supply and sustainable agricultural development, particularly in economies with fragmented production and limited information sharing.