ABSTRACT Frequent global geopolitical conflicts, climate change and food security are threatening the global human living environment. This study aims to investigate the spatial and temporal dynamic evolution and spatial correlation between agricultural mechanization and agricultural energy efficiency in China in the context of sustainable development, and to explore whether agricultural mechanization in China can contribute to the improvement of agricultural energy efficiency in China. Based on panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2010 to 2022, this study calculated China's agricultural energy efficiency and agricultural mechanization levels, and used spatial analysis methods to explore the spatiotemporal dynamics of these two factors. Furthermore, the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) was used to analyze the impact of agricultural mechanization on agricultural energy efficiency at the provincial level. The results show that China's total agricultural energy consumption has been increasing annually, with a shift in energy structure from indirect to direct energy. Agricultural energy efficiency has generally improved, but significant regional differences persist. Between 2010 and 2022, agricultural mechanization exhibited clear spatial correlation and agglomeration effects. Prior to 2014, agricultural energy efficiency showed no spatial correlation, but after 2014, spatial correlation gradually emerged. A U‐shaped relationship exists between agricultural mechanization and agricultural energy efficiency: initially, higher mechanization is negatively correlated with energy efficiency, but after reaching a critical point, this correlation becomes positive. This study innovatively combines the EBM‐DEA model with spatial econometrics to more comprehensively capture efficiency measures and spatial spillover effects. It identifies and verifies the U‐shaped nonlinear relationship between agricultural mechanization and agricultural energy efficiency in China. The study also reveals significant regional differences and spatial agglomeration patterns in both agricultural mechanization and agricultural energy efficiency, enriching theoretical and empirical research in the field of agricultural energy efficiency. The study concludes that the promotion of agricultural mechanization should be combined with the promotion of energy‐saving equipment, the utilization of renewable energy, and regionally differentiated policies to achieve the goal of sustainable agricultural development.
Wang et al. (Sat,) studied this question.