The spatial association network of agricultural grey water footprint efficiency and agricultural water environmental management zoning in China

Examining regional linkages between agricultural water pollution mitigation and economic growth is essential for informing coordinated governance of cross-border water resources. However, existing research often overlooks interregional linkages in agricultural grey water footprint efficiency (AGWFE), failing to account for spatial spillover effects and thereby constraining cross-regional policy coordination. This study employs the agricultural grey water footprint model, social network analysis, and quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) regression to explore the spatial association network and drivers of AGWFE across China from 2010 to 2019. Furthermore, we propose an innovative framework for water environmental management zoning. The findings reveal that: (1) China's AGWFE exhibited a steady upward trend, characterized by a distinct spatial pattern where efficiency decreases from the eastern coastal to the western regions. (2) The AGWFE spatial network demonstrates strong spatial reachability and a robust hierarchical structure, yet remains relatively sparse in terms of overall network density. Major grain-producing provinces and economically developed regions emerge as the primary hubs of the AGWFE network. (3) Disparities in technological level and spatial adjacency are positively associated with the AGWFE spatial correlation network, while disparities in economic development level and farmers’ per capita income correlate negatively with this network. (4) The network is partitioned into four functional sectors: agent, main beneficiary, net spillover, and two-way spillover. By incorporating agricultural water pollution levels, a dual-dimensional framework is developed to classify China into eight distinct management zones. This zoning provides a roadmap for targeted interventions to promote coordinated regional development and greener production–consumption synergy across China.