Efficiency divergence in agricultural innovation-to-ecological security transformation: Network analysis of Chinese provincial spillovers

Agricultural innovation represents a critical pathway for achieving land ecological security under intensifying environmental pressures, yet how agricultural innovation drives land ecological security across spatial scales and through network mechanisms remains underexplored. We address this gap by analyzing how Chinese provinces transform agricultural innovation resources into land ecological security outcomes while accounting for spatial interdependencies and network effects, testing competing hypotheses from convergence versus cumulative advantage theory and homophily versus complementarity theory. We integrated Slacks-Based Measure models with undesirable outputs and social network analysis, employing a modified gravity model to construct interprovincial association networks. Provincial efficiency demonstrated substantial spatial heterogeneity, while the coefficient of variation increased from 0.487 to 0.629, indicating growing divergence rather than convergence. The association network maintained constant density but declining functional performance, suggesting structural stability amid deteriorating knowledge transfer mechanisms. Multiple Regression Quadratic Assignment Procedure analysis revealed that agricultural innovation differences and geographic distance exerted the strongest positive and negative influences on network formation respectively, challenging assumptions that similarity drives collaboration. Block model analysis identified four functionally distinct provincial clusters—Broker Board, Net Spillover Segment, Two-way Spillover Panel, and Net Benefit Segment—revealing hierarchical spillover patterns where peripheral provinces depend heavily on external connections for ecological improvements. These findings demonstrate that complementarity rather than similarity drives effective network formation in sustainability transitions. Achieving land ecological security requires differentiated regional strategies that leverage network positions while building peripheral provinces' capacity for autonomous innovation, suggesting that sustainable development necessitates networking diverse approaches rather than promoting convergence toward standardized practices.