Exploring the impact of rural industrial integration on new quality productive forces: empirical evidence from China

China’s agricultural sector is characterized by inherent weak productivity features, and conventional productivity models face significant challenges in meeting the demands of modernization. Cultivating new quality productive forces (NQPF) in agriculture emerges as a critical pathway to promote rural revitalization and ensure food security. Rural industrial integration (RII), as a strategic measure, plays an indispensable role in this transformation. From a resource allocation perspective, this study elucidates the mechanisms through which RII influences NQPF. We construct a systematic evaluation framework comprising four dimensions: human capital development, technological innovation, green agricultural practices, and production outcomes. Empirical analysis using provincial panel data confirms that RII not only directly stimulates NQPF but also indirectly enhances it by fostering human capital and technological innovation. Furthermore, our results highlight regional heterogeneity in the effects of RII on NQPF. In major grain-producing regions, RII primarily drives NQPF through green development and human capital improvements, while in non-major grain-producing regions, the focus shifts to technological innovation and human capital. These insights provide policy-makers with evidence-based strategies to optimize agricultural modernization efforts across diverse regional contexts.