Examining the role of digital economy on supply chain resilience: An empirical analysis of China's food sector

Zhao Ding^*Hongxia YueJiawei Liu

• College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China

In the digital economy era, the utilization of digital technologies is of vital significance for fortifying the food supply chain, especially in safeguarding food security. Based on provincial data from China from 2008 to 2023, this study uses fixed effect, mediation effect and threshold models to explore the mechanism of digital economy in improving the resilience of food supply chain. Results show that digital economy has a substantial positive impact on enhancing the resilience of the food supply chain. This relationship remains robust even after accounting for potential endogeneity issues. Notably, the influence of the digital economy is particularly remarkable in major food - producing regions. This implies that these regions are advantaged in leveraging digital progress to enhance the stability and efficiency of the supply chain. Information technology adoption serves as a crucial mediating factor in the relationship between the digital economy and supply chain resilience. Moreover, there exists a threshold effect of fiscal investment in science and technology on the impact of the digital economy on supply chain resilience, suggesting that a certain level of investment is required to optimize the benefits. To fully tap into the potential of the digital economy, accelerate the digitalization and intelligent upgrade of the food supply chain, strengthen its resilience, and promote high - quality agricultural development, it is imperative for the government to accelerate the construction of digital infrastructure, drive the digital transformation of the food industry, reinforce regional cooperation, and enhance the resilience of the food supply chain to guarantee food security.