Spatial–Temporal Characteristics and Driving Mechanisms of Rural Industrial Integration in China

The scientific evaluation of the development of rural industrial integration is of great significance to understanding the changes occurring in the industrial structure of China’s agricultural sector. Combined with the practical problems related to the development of China’s rural industrial integration on the basis of four dimensions, i.e., agricultural industrial chain extension, agricultural multifunctionality, agricultural service industry integration development and the economic effect of rural industrial integration, the level of China’s rural industrial integration development is calculated for the period from 2008 to 2020 by means of the entropy method, and its spatial–temporal evolution characteristics and the regional heterogeneity of its driving factors are discussed on the basis of kernel density estimation, hotspot analysis and a fixed effect panel data model. The results showed the following: (1) From 2008 to 2020, the level of rural industrial integration development in 31 provinces in China improved to varying degrees. The growth rate of agricultural service industry integration was the highest, while the economic effect of rural industrial integration was second; the growth rate of the agricultural industrial chain extension was the lowest, and agricultural multifunctionality exhibited a fluctuating upward trend, peaking in 2017. In terms of spatial distribution, the representative provinces and cities with high and low levels of each dimension were different. (2) Rural industrial integration development in China was characterized by a regional imbalance, with polarization in the central and western regions. In terms of spatial distribution, an “east–middle–west” ladder pattern was obvious. The hotspots were mainly concentrated in the southeast region, and they showed a gradually expanding trend, while the coldspots were mainly concentrated in the northwest region, and they showed a trend of gradually decreasing size. (3) In terms of driving factors, the urbanization level, rural human capital, rural transportation facilities, rural ecological environment, intensity of financial support for agriculture and rural digitalization had significantly positive effects, while the degree of industrial upgrade had a significantly negative effect. Each driving factor had different effects on the rural industrial integration development in the eastern, central and western regions.