On antecedent grouping of digital transformation in agri-food supply chains: Based on the TOED theoretical framework

Exploring effective pathways to enhance the digital transformation and upgrading China's agri-food supply chains (ASC) is an urgent challenge. Research on the substitutive or complementary relationships among multiple influencing factors remains relatively limited. This study integrates the "antecedents" and "consequences" of the digital transformation and upgrading of ASC into a unified framework, constructing a TOED (Technology, Organization, Environment, Data) theoretical analysis framework. Utilizing configurational approaches and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, this study employs survey data from agricultural enterprises to adopt a configurational perspective. It investigates effective pathways for enhancing digital transformation and upgrading by examining the interactive effects among multiple factors. The findings reveal that: (1) A single factor does not drive the digital transformation of ASC but is the result of the synergistic interaction of eight antecedent conditions across four dimensions: technology, organization, environment, and data. (2) There are six driving paths for high levels of digital transformation in ASC and three for non-high levels of transformation. (3) Core conditions within the dimensions of technology, organization, environment, and data exhibit complementarity and substitutability, suggesting potential substitutive relationships among the six driving paths. (4) Data, as the most dynamic and advanced form of digital new productive force, is a central condition in most configurations, and its empowering, additive, and multiplicative effects are crucial for achieving a high level of digital transformation in ASC.