Multidimensional measurement and obstacle mechanisms of new quality productive forces in agriculture based on entropy weight-TOPSIS method

Agricultural productivity represents the most traditional, fundamental, and yet most vulnerable component of social productivity, making agriculture both the most challenging and the most promising field for developing new quality productive forces. To explore the development level of new quality productive forces in agriculture, this study constructs an evaluation index system from three dimensions: a high-caliber workforce, technology-intensive means of production, and diverse subjects of labor. Using inter-provincial panel data from 2013 to 2022, we measure the new quality productive forces in agriculture and analyze their spatiotemporal characteristics and obstacle factors. The findings are as follows: 1) the development level of new quality productive forces in agriculture shows an overall upward trend nationwide, with an average annual growth rate of 3.26%. However, the overall level remains relatively low, ranging between 0.12 and 0.18. Regionally, the development level consistently follows the pattern: Eastern China > Central China > Northeastern China > Western China. 2) From 2013 to 2022, regional disparities within each area had gradually widened, with notable polarization in Western and Northeastern China. There had been positive spatial correlation among provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), indicating strong spatial clustering. 3) The primary factors influencing the development of new quality productive forces in agriculture are, in descending order, industrial integration level, mechanization, digitization, and rural education level. Based on these findings, the following policy implications are proposed: to strengthen the data monitoring and evaluation mechanisms; to formulate differentiated regional development policies; to support the development of agricultural and rural industrial clusters; and to promote the coordinated advancement of agricultural technological innovation and talent cultivation.