Abstract: Agricultural new quality productive force (ANQPF) has broken through the traditional agricultural production mode, which is of great significance in promoting the development of agricultural modernization. This study takes the Yangtze River Basin and the Yellow River Basin as examples, uses the entropy value method, spatial measurement model and GIS technology to visualize and compare the spatial and temporal evolution, regional differences and convergence trends of their ANQPF development, and employs the Tobit regression model to examine the factors affecting the ANQPF and the differences between the two basins. The results show that:(1) From 2012 to 2022, the development of ANQPF in the Yangtze River Basin and the Yellow River Basin has steadily increased, but the overall level is generally low, and the former’s NQAPF level is higher than the latter’s ANQPF level, and the level of ANQPF in the middle and lower reaches of the provinces in both basins is relatively high. From the viewpoint of spatial and temporal evolution, the former’s ANQPF in the middle and low-grade areas showed an expansion trend toward the periphery, while the latter’s ANQPF development is polarized toward the two sides. (2) The development of ANQPF in the Yangtze River Basin does not show stable α-convergence, while there is significant α-convergence of ANQPF in the Yellow River Basin. Both basins exhibit absolute β-convergence and conditional β-convergence, and the agricultural planting structure. (3) Agricultural planting structure has a significant negative impact on the development of ANQPF in the Yangtze River Basin, while the policy concern has the opposite impact. The scale of land transfer and regional population attraction are important factors to promote the development of ANQPF in the Yellow River Basin, while the industrial restructuring will hinder the level of ANQPF in both river basins. Accordingly, differentiated policy recommendations for the development of ANQPF are put forward.