Social Network and Value Chain Integration: Unraveling the Formation and Evolution of Meizhou Pomelo Industry Cluster in China

The shift toward specialized and large-scale agricultural production has spurred the emergence of agricultural clusters as key forces of rural vitalization and sustainable development. This paper explored the formation and evolution of Meizhou pomelo industry cluster in China, focusing on its role in restructuring rural socio-economic systems and integrating the whole value chains. Based on a case study employing qualitative methods such as in-depth interviews and participatory observation, the agricultural cluster evolution of Meizhou pomelo was categorized into three key phases of initial decentralization, self-organized scaling, and reorganized clustering. Geographical proximity and industrial agglomeration constitute the physical foundation, while vertical/horizontal linkages, technological innovation, and policy support enhance competitiveness. Special mechanisms emerge through localized social networks, farmer cooperatives’ activation, and cross-regional market expansion. The cluster’s impact is manifested in the shift from extensive to standardized and modernized production, diversified and flexible livelihood of farmers, and the integration of agriculture with industry and services. The development of the whole value chain based on agricultural cluster represents a critical pathway for achieving agricultural modernization, encompassing both internal and external value chain optimization. Through quality assurance systems, product diversification strategies, operational efficiency improvements, and brand enhancement, these clusters amplify product value propositions and market competitiveness. This systemic approach facilitates supply-demand coordination, enables resource synergies, and optimizes economic returns across the horizontal and vertical value chain. This paper argues that agricultural clusters serve as strategic catalysts for sustainable rural development by reconstructing local production systems, fostering innovation ecosystems, and aligning agricultural modernization. It contributes to debates on rural vitalization by demonstrating how agricultural clustering can reconfigure rural areas as hubs of ecological modernization, rather than mere urban peripheries.