Digital Inclusive Finance, Agricultural Industrial Structure Optimization and Agricultural Green Total Factor Productivity

Abstract

Based on the Peking University Digital Financial Inclusion Index and 2011–2018 provincial panel data, this paper discusses the mechanism of digital financial inclusion on agricultural green total factor productivity from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. The result shows that digital financial inclusion can significantly increase China’s agricultural green total factor productivity, and the optimization of the agricultural industry structure can bring a significant “structural growth effect”. A total of 8.42% of the positive effects of digital financial inclusion on agricultural green total factor productivity are realized through the intermediary effect of agricultural industrial structure optimization. Through further research, it is found that digital financial inclusion has regional heterogeneity in the improvement of agricultural green total factor productivity. At the same time, digital financial inclusion of different dimensions will also have a differential impact on the improvement of agricultural green total factor productivity. In order to promote the green development of agriculture, it is necessary to further improve the financial development environment, optimize the structure of the agricultural industry, and formulate development policies for digital inclusive finance in accordance with local conditions.