Abstract:
The digital economy is a fundamental element in reshaping economic structures, optimizing resource allocation, and harmonizing the relationship between humans and nature. The digital economy has advantages such as strong innovation, wide coverage, and easy replication, and can quickly penetrate into various fields such as agricultural production, management, and industrial development. The rapid advancement of the digital economy has introduced new strategies for the agricultural sector to cope with climate shocks. This study utilized panel data from 30 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities, not including Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Xizang of China) in China from 2011 to 2020. Employing the entropy method, we measured the development levels of the digital economy and agricultural climate resilience. We then analyzed the impact of the digital economy on agricultural climate resilience and examine the regulatory effects of financial support for agriculture and agricultural insurance. Additionally, a spatial econometric model was constructed to explore the spatial spillover effects of digital economic development on agricultural climate resilience. The findings revealed that the overall agricultural climate resilience in China was increasing, albeit from a relatively low base, indicating significant room for improvement. The agricultural climate resilience index was highest in the eastern region, followed by the central, western, and northeastern regions. The digital economy significantly enhanced agricultural climate resilience, with notable regional differences. Specifically, the digital economy showed significant positive impact in the eastern region, no significant effect in the central and western regions, and significant negative impact in the northeastern region. Furthermore, financial support for agriculture and agricultural insurance amplified the positive effects of the digital economy on agricultural climate resilience. The influence of the digital economy on agricultural climate resilience exhibited a significant positive spatial spillover effect. We found that short-term effects surpass long-term effects via decomposing the dynamic spatial Durbin model. This study provides a theoretical and policy foundation for mitigating and adapting to climate change and enhancing agricultural climate resilience.