Scale measurement and economic effect evaluation of smart agriculture in China

In this paper, input‒output analysis is applied to assess the value-added scale of smart agriculture, with an emphasis on industrial linkages and final demand. The results reveal that smart agriculture constitutes 5.58 % of the agricultural sector and only 0.47 % of GDP in China. Although the value-added contribution of smart agriculture remains modest in comparison with that of traditional agriculture, it demonstrates strong integration with digital industrialization sectors and low dependency on inputs or demand growth from other industries. In terms of final demand, sensitivity analysis shows that smart agriculture is a consumption-dependent industry; however, the promotion of smart agriculture associated with various final demands remains limited, with the expansion of final demand predominantly benefiting traditional agriculture. The transformation of the industrial structure has been a key driver of the growth of smart agriculture since 2012. Between 2012 and 2020, changes in the structure of intermediate goods and final demand collectively contributed to a 44.9 % increase in the scale of smart agriculture.