Technology push or user pull? Digital transformation modes and driving mechanisms of agricultural machinery industry under the development of new agricultural productive forces

Despite the urgency of digitalising the agricultural machinery industry, the interplay between technology push and user pull mechanisms remains under-theorized. Integrating socio-technical systems theory and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this study analyses survey data from 982 stakeholders using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to identify three transformation modes: Policy-Driven (PDM), Technology-Penetrated (TPM) and Demand-Adaptive (DAM). Results show that technology push factors (TPF) primarily catalyse TPM, whereas user pull factors (UPF) dictate DAM adoption. Crucially, regional heterogeneity moderates these dynamics: TPF dominates in plain areas, while UPF drives adoption in hilly and mountainous regions, reflecting deeper infrastructural and socio-economic divides. These findings advocate a ‘dual-wheel drive’ approach, proving that inclusive agricultural digitalisation requires regionally calibrated strategies rather than one-size-fits-all technological deployments.