The digital economy significantly promotes high-quality agricultural development in China, as evidenced by a study analyzing panel data from 31 provinces (2012–2021). Using the entropy method, the study measures the digital economy and high-quality agricultural development levels. It employs fixed effects, mediation, and spatial spillover models to explore the digital economy's impact on agriculture. The findings show that the digital economy significantly drives high-quality agricultural development, even after controlling for endogeneity and robustness. Mechanistically, industrial structure rationalization is a key pathway. Regionally, the central and western regions benefit more from the digital economy than the eastern region. Spatially, the digital economy has a spillover effect, promoting synergistic development between adjoining regions. Policy recommendations include strengthening rural infrastructure, addressing regional shortcomings, and enhancing internal and external regional linkages. The study highlights the importance of digital innovation in improving agricultural efficiency, quality, and sustainability, and suggests targeted strategies for different regions to maximize the digital economy's benefits. The digital economy's role in promoting high-quality agricultural development is further supported by its positive spatial spillover effects and its ability to enhance agricultural productivity through technological and structural changes.The digital economy significantly promotes high-quality agricultural development in China, as evidenced by a study analyzing panel data from 31 provinces (2012–2021). Using the entropy method, the study measures the digital economy and high-quality agricultural development levels. It employs fixed effects, mediation, and spatial spillover models to explore the digital economy's impact on agriculture. The findings show that the digital economy significantly drives high-quality agricultural development, even after controlling for endogeneity and robustness. Mechanistically, industrial structure rationalization is a key pathway. Regionally, the central and western regions benefit more from the digital economy than the eastern region. Spatially, the digital economy has a spillover effect, promoting synergistic development between adjoining regions. Policy recommendations include strengthening rural infrastructure, addressing regional shortcomings, and enhancing internal and external regional linkages. The study highlights the importance of digital innovation in improving agricultural efficiency, quality, and sustainability, and suggests targeted strategies for different regions to maximize the digital economy's benefits. The digital economy's role in promoting high-quality agricultural development is further supported by its positive spatial spillover effects and its ability to enhance agricultural productivity through technological and structural changes.