Abstract:Jiangxi Province is an important rice-producing region in China. However, the low efficiency of mechanized rice production restricts the improvement of production capacity per unit of cultivated area. Focusing on different operational scales of mechanized rice production models, from the perspective of operational costs, five key stages were selected as input indicators, namely land preparation, planting, plant protection, harvesting, and drying, with output value as the output indicator. The super-efficiency SBM model and Cobb-Douglas production function were employed to measure the technical efficiency of full-process mechanized rice production under different production scales and terrain conditions. The results showed that low pure technical efficiency was the main factor limiting the improvement of the technical efficiency of full-process mechanized rice production models. The technical efficiency of production models in the hilly areas of central and southern Jiangxi was gradually decreased, making these regions critical for technical efficiency improvements. As production scales expanded, the technical efficiency of the production models initially rose and then declined, highlighting the importance of rational allocation between technical models and production scale in improving technical efficiency. The application of high-performance machinery was encouraged, such as large and medium-sized tractors, ride-on rice transplanters, and large-scale dryers, in the northern plain areas of Jiangxi. In the central and southern hilly areas,,family farms and specialized large-scale households can be established firstly, radiating mechanization development to surrounding smallholders. Subsequently, large cooperatives can be formed, along with the establishment of seedling and drying centers, eventually evolving into comprehensive agricultural service centers. This path promoted the technical efficiency improvement of mechanized rice production models in the hilly areas of Jiangxi Province. Large-scale operators in the northern plain regions can develop a “self-operation + external service” model and extend into the “full industrial chain” model. Meanwhile, small-scale operators in the central and southern hilly areas can develop “self-operation” and “entrusted management” models, effectively integrating mechanization technology to improve production efficiency and increase farmers’ income.