Abstract:
Innovation in rural business models is a key approach to promoting the high-quality development of rural industries, playing an important role in optimizing the rural economic structure, increasing farmers’ income, and advancing the modernization of agriculture and rural areas. Based on a systematic analysis of the connotation, characteristics, and influencing factors of rural business model innovation, this study constructs a comprehensive evaluation index system from three dimensions: full industrial integration, full chain value-added, and full process improvement. Using data from 11 provinces in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2011 to 2022, the entropy method, Theil index, and standard deviational ellipse are applied to quantitatively measure the level of rural business model innovation and analyze its spatio-temporal patterns. Furthermore, an Two-way fixed-effect model is employed to empirically test the influencing mechanisms. The results show that the level of rural business model innovation in the Yangtze River Economic Belt has steadily increased, but regional disparities have gradually expanded. The downstream region has the highest development level, followed by the middle reaches, while the upstream lags behind. Zhejiang and Jiangsu have maintained a leading position across the region. In terms of spatial evolution, the standard deviational ellipse presents a northeast–southwest distribution pattern, with the center first shifting southwestward and then northeastward, showing a trend of “first dispersion, then aggregation” and ultimately concentrating in the downstream region. In addition, rural finance, land transfer, rural human capital, and rural technological innovation significantly promote rural business model innovation, while rural digital infrastructure construction and fiscal support for agriculture do not show the expected positive effects.