Does Regional Digital-Intelligent Transformation Mitigate the Quantity-Quality Dilemma in Agricultural Production? —Empirical Evidence from China's Tea Industry

Agricultural production constitutes the foundation of national economies and livelihoods, and countries worldwide attach considerable importance to the efficiency, quality, and scale of agricultural operations. Nevertheless, an inherent dilemma has long persisted between high-quality agricultural output relying on intensive inputs and high-yield production driven by cost reduction and scale expansion. This trade-off has become increasingly difficult to reconcile amid the continuous outflow of agricultural labor globally. As a core transformative force advancing Agriculture 4.0, the regional diffusion and application of digital-intelligent technologies raise a critical research question: Can Regional Digital-Intelligent Transformation (RDIT) alleviate this long-standing dilemma? This study uses the value of regional public tea brands to measure the quantity-quality equilibrium level of agricultural production. Following the principle of organic integration grounded in a holistic indicator system rather than simple numerical aggregation, we construct the Regional Digital-Intelligent Transformation Index. Using panel data on China's tea industry from 2012 to 2023, this paper empirically examines the impact of RDIT on the Quantity-Quality Equilibrium Level of Tea Production (QQEL_TP). The main findings are as follows. First, RDIT significantly promotes QQEL_TP. After controlling for individual fixed effects, time fixed effects, and other confounding factors, a 1% increase in RDIT is associated with a statistically significant 0.432% rise in QQEL_TP. Second, the core conclusion remains robust after addressing endogeneity via the instrumental variable method, excluding observations from special years, and adjusting sample specifications. Third, RDIT enhances QQEL_TP by fostering the development of Taobao villages (TBV). Fourth, the positive impact of RDIT on QQEL_TP is negatively moderated by government investment in science and technology (GI_ST).