Does Digital Village Construction Empower the Green Allocation of Agricultural Water Resources?

The development of digital villages plays a critical role in advancing green agriculture steadily and with high quality. This study measures the efficiency of agricultural water resource allocation using provincial-level rural data from 2011 to 2022 and a super Slacks-Based Measure model accounting for non-desirable outputs. Using the ArcGIS tool, this study illustrates the spatiotemporal patterns and provincial clustering of the green allocation of agricultural water resources. A spatial Durbin model further examines interactions between digital villages and water resource efficiency. Findings indicate the following: (1) The green water resource efficiency in China’s 30 provinces showed a gradual, steady increase, albeit with notable regional differences, particularly a “northwestern depression” in spatial distribution. (2) Moran’s I index indicates a strong positive spatial correlation between digital villages and green water resource efficiency, manifested as either “high–high” or “low–low” clustering. (3) The spatial Durbin model results demonstrate that digital villages enhance the green water resource efficiency of neighboring areas, a phenomenon referred to as the “Matthew effect”. (4) Different aspects of digital village construction, operation, and lifestyle positively influence green water resource efficiency, while digital loops have a negative impact. Aligning resource allocation efficiency with the establishment of digital village infrastructure is paramount. This symbiotic relationship bolsters the structural foundation of agricultural production, optimizing resource utilization and fostering technological advancements in rural settings.