Purpose – This study aimed to investigate the impact of e-commerce capabilities on agricultural firms’ performance gains through organizational agility. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was used to collect data from 280 managers of agricultural firms. The proposed model was tested via structural equation modeling. Findings – The empirical results indicated that organizational agility plays a mediating role in conveying the positive influences of e-commerce capabilities on agricultural firms’ performance gains. Specifically, managerial, talent and technical capabilities have different effects on market capitalization and operational adjustment agility, with talent capability performing the most important role. Market capitalization and operational adjustment agility have positive impacts on financial and nonfinancial performance gains, respectively. Originality/value – This study provides a new framework to understand the relationships between e-commerce capabilities, organizational agility and agricultural firms’ performance gains.