Editorial: Harnessing digital innovation for sustainable agricultural development, part II: digital transformation, agribusiness systems, and the future of food value chains

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Methodologically, the Research Topic is characterised primarily by quantitative empirical analyses using cross-sectional surveys, provincial panel datasets and quasi-natural experiments, complemented by simulation-based approaches such as agent-based modelling and evolutionary game theory. These approaches provide important evidence on associations, strategic interactions and system behaviour, although they are generally less suited to examining long-term institutional change or causal pathways over extended periods Several studies converge on the importance of digital technologies for improving supply chain resilience and operational efficiency. Ding et al. (2025) demonstrate that the digital economy strengthens resilience within China's food supply chains through improved information integration and adaptive capacity. Similarly, Zhang et al. (2025a) show that digital transformation enhances transportation synergy resilience, while Zhou et al. (2025) identify digital financial risk management as a critical determinant of efficient agricultural supply chain financing. Collectively, these studies suggest that resilience is increasingly driven by the ability of firms and institutions to exchange timely, accurate, and actionable information across interconnected networks. This convergence supports a systems perspective in which resilience emerges from coordination among multiple actors rather than from improvements at individual firms.The collection also provides complementary evidence regarding digital transformation at the enterprise level. Rong et al. (2025) explain digital transformation as a strategic process influenced by interactions among firms, governments, and markets, whereas Yuan et al. (2025) demonstrate that digital transformation directly enhances agribusiness performance and long-term sustainability. Wang and Jia (2025) extend this discussion by showing that economic policy uncertainty can either stimulate or constrain enterprise digitalization depending on firms' risk management strategies. When considered together, these studies indicate that successful digital transformation depends not only on technological investments but also on supportive institutional environments, adaptive organizational capabilities, and coherent public policies. The implication is that technology alone is insufficient to drive transformation; complementary investments in governance, managerial capacity, and institutional learning are equally important.Another important theme emerging across the studies concerns transparency and trust within food value chains. Bai et al. (2025) illustrate how combining generative artificial intelligence with blockchain technology can improve coordination and product quality assurance through intelligent decision support and decentralized verification systems. Similarly, Zhang et al. (2025b) propose blockchain adoption strategies that optimize supply chain cost-sharing arrangements, while Li et al. (2025) demonstrate that consumer acceptance of blockchain traceability depends on both technological perceptions and trust-related factors. These predominantly China-based studies collectively suggest that blockchain technologies create value not merely through improved traceability but by reducing information asymmetries that have historically undermined confidence among producers, processors, retailers, and consumers. This represents an important conceptual shift from viewing blockchain as a technical innovation to understanding it as an institutional mechanism for strengthening governance within agricultural value chains.The studies further illustrate that digital transformation is increasingly shaping agricultural markets and consumer behaviour. Li and Ji (2025) show how digital information and emotional contagion influence food price dynamics during animal disease outbreaks, highlighting the growing influence of online information ecosystems on agricultural markets. Pan et al. (2025), in contrast, focus on international competitiveness and demonstrate that digital transformation contributes to market expansion by improving competitiveness within global value chains. Together, these contributions reveal that digitalization simultaneously affects both the supply side and demand side of agricultural markets through enhanced information exchange, market transparency, and consumer engagement. Despite these complementary findings, the Research Topic also reveals several important gaps that present opportunities for future investigation. First, the overwhelming majority of studies are situated within the Chinese context. While China provides an important laboratory for studying digital agriculture because of its substantial investments in digital infrastructure and rural revitalization, questions remain regarding the transferability of these findings to other developing regions where institutional environments, infrastructure quality, market structures, and digital readiness differ considerably. Expanding comparative international research would strengthen understanding of context-specific and universally applicable drivers of digital transformation.Second, most studies employ cross-sectional data, provincial panel datasets, quasinatural experiments, or simulation approaches that primarily capture short-to mediumterm impacts. Although these methodologies provide robust evidence regarding associations between digitalization and agricultural outcomes, relatively little is known about the long-term sustainability of digital transformation processes. Questions remain regarding technology adoption trajectories, organizational learning, technological obsolescence, and the persistence of digital benefits over time. Longitudinal research following firms, supply chains, and farming communities through different stages of digital maturity would substantially enrich current knowledge. Third, while technological innovations receive considerable attention, relatively fewer studies investigate the institutional and behavioural dimensions of digital transformation. Successful digitalization depends on trust, governance arrangements, organizational culture, digital leadership, regulatory frameworks, and stakeholder collaboration. Yet these factors remain underexplored compared with analyses of technological efficiency or economic performance. Future research would benefit from integrating insights from institutional economics, innovation systems theory, organizational behaviour, and public policy to better explain why similar technologies generate different outcomes across regions and organizations.Another notable gap concerns inclusiveness within digital food systems. Most studies implicitly assume that digital transformation benefits supply chains and agribusinesses as a whole. However, relatively limited attention is paid to whether these benefits are distributed equitably among smallholders, women, youth, informal enterprises, and marginalized communities. As digital technologies increasingly become prerequisites for market participation, future research should examine whether digital transformation inadvertently reinforces existing inequalities through unequal access to infrastructure, finance, digital skills, or data ownership. Addressing issues of digital inclusion will be essential if technological progress is to contribute meaningfully to the Sustainable Development Goals.The collection also points toward important methodological opportunities. Many studies rely on econometric modelling using secondary provincial datasets, while others employ evolutionary game theory or agent-based simulation. These approaches provide valuable macro-level insights but often overlook behavioural processes occurring within firms and supply chains. Future work could benefit from mixed-methods research combining quantitative analyses with qualitative case studies, participatory research, network analysis, and systems modelling. Such approaches would improve unde