Informed by theoretical frameworks elucidating the nexus among agricultural digitalization, rural industrial integration, and agroecological efficiency, this study employs panel data encompassing 30 Chinese provinces from 2011 to 2020. Utilizing the super-efficiency SBM model, the study gauges the development index of agroecological efficiency. The empirical investigation is conducted through systematic GMM, mediation analysis, and panel threshold modeling to scrutinize agricultural digitalization’s impact and underlying mechanisms on agroecological efficiency. Results indicate a consistent upward trajectory in China’s agroecological efficiency index, exhibiting a spatial-temporal pattern characterized by higher values on the extremities and lower values in the middle. Significantly, agricultural digitalization positively influences agroecological efficiency, with rural industrial integration mediating this relationship. Furthermore, a notable double-threshold effect of digital inclusive finance emerges, wherein agricultural digitalization’s impact on agroecological efficiency and rural industrial integration intensifies with the progression of digital inclusive finance. Remarkably, the promotion effect of agricultural digitalization on agroecological efficiency is accentuated in the eastern region of China. This underscores the imperative to actively champion the advancement of agrarian digitalization, expedite rural industrial integration, and enhance agroecological efficiency to foster the sustainable development of agriculture and rural communities.