Urban Agglomeration Technology Innovation Networks, Spatial Spillover, and Agricultural Ecological Efficiency: Evidence from the Urban Agglomeration in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River in China

Weihui Peng, Zehuan Hu, Jie Li and Chenggang Li ()
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Weihui Peng: School of Economics, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
Zehuan Hu: School of Economics, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
Jie Li: School of Economics, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
Chenggang Li: School of Applied Economics, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-27

Abstract: Urban agglomerations serve as essential platforms for regional innovation, while agricultural technology innovation and diffusion play pivotal roles in enhancing agricultural eco-efficiency (AEE). Based on panel data from the Urban Agglomeration in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River (UAMRYR) (2001–2023), this study employs a super-efficiency slacks-based measure model incorporating undesirable outputs to evaluate agricultural eco-efficiency. A modified gravity model is utilized to construct agricultural technology innovation networks (ATINs) in urban agglomerations, and a spatial Durbin model is applied to examine the spillover effects of network structure on eco-efficiency. The results indicate that: (1) Higher-degree centrality within the innovation network significantly improves local agricultural eco-efficiency and produces positive spillover effects on neighboring cities; (2) both direct and spillover effects are significant in central cities, whereas sub-central cities exhibit only a significant direct effect, and peripheral cities display an insignificant direct effect but a significant spillover effect; and (3) enhanced urban informatization, agricultural financial development, and industrial scale substantially strengthen the spatial spillover effects of the innovation network, thereby further advancing agricultural eco-efficiency within the agglomeration. These findings offer theoretical and empirical support for optimizing agricultural technology pathways and enhancing eco-efficiency in urban agglomerations.

Keywords: urban agglomeration; agricultural technology innovation network; agricultural ecological efficiency; spillover effects (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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