Abstract: The agricultural new quality productivity is the core driving force propelling the substantial improvement of agricultural total factor productivity. Based on the provincial panel data of China from 2012 to 2022, this paper constructs an index system for agricultural new quality productivity by using the entropy method, employs DEA to evaluate the level of agricultural total factor productivity, and conducts an empirical test of the impact and mechanism of agricultural new quality productivity on agricultural total factor productivity. The results indicate that both the new quality productivity of agriculture and the total factor productivity of agriculture shows an overall upward trend during the research period, but there is a significant differentiation in the level of development among the provinces. The new quality of agricultural productivity significantly promotes the growth of total factor productivity in agriculture, and this impact has a threshold effect. With the improvement of the level of new quality productivity in agriculture, its promoting effect on total factor productivity in agriculture has been enhanced. The mechanism analysis shows that agricultural new quality productivity promotes the growth of agricultural total factor productivity through agricultural mechanization. The heterogeneity analysis reveals that the promotion effect of agricultural new quality productivity is most significant in the central region and the grain production and sales balance zones. Therefore, various regions should strengthen technological innovation, promote the technology transformation of labor force, enhance the role of mechanical transmission, and implement regional precise policies to develop agricultural new quality productivity, so as to promote the improvement of agricultural total factor productivity and high-quality agricultural development.

Key words: agricultural new quality productivity, agricultural total factor productivity, threshold effect, agricultural mechanization