Accelerating the development of new quality productive forces in agriculture is an inherent requirement and important focus for promoting high-quality agricultural development. Based on the connotations of new quality productive forces in agriculture， an evaluation index system is constructed from four dimensions， the index of new quality productive forces in agriculture of 282 cities from 2012 to 2022 are measured using the fixed-base range entropy weight method， and the regional differences and driving factors are explored by combining the Dagum Gini coefficient and the optimal parameter geographical detector method. The results show that China’s new quality productive forces in agriculture have been continuously improving but remain at a relatively low overall level， with insufficient capacity for agricultural scientific and technological innovation. Grain main sales regions lead other regions in development level. More than 70% of cities have seen significant improvements in their new quality productive forces in agriculture， showing a “core-periphery” spatial distribution pattern. The Gini coefficient of the level of new quality productive forces in agriculture shows an upward trend， and intra-regional differences are the main source. Government-market factors， socio-economic factors， and factor endowment factors are important driving forces for the development of new quality productive forces in agriculture， while natural and climatic factors enhance the effect through interaction.
