Adoption of Technologies, Farm Mechanism and Renewable Energy for Sustainable Agricultural Productivity in Developing Countries

Abstract

Researchers and policymakers are increasingly focusing on the adoption of climate change mitigation technologies, transitioning to low-carbon farming methods, and the widespread utilization of renewable energy across all sectors to attain sustainable development goals. In this investigation, we explore the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) on agricultural productivity alongside variables such as renewable energy usage, fertilizer consumption, and agricultural credits across 24 developing nations from 2000 to 2019. Employing the Driscoll-Kraay Standard Error (DSK) method, we scrutinize the direct and interaction effects of independent variables on agricultural productivity. Furthermore, we utilize the Methods of Moment Quantile Regression (MMQR) estimator to evaluate these effects, yielding robust findings despite challenges such as conditional heteroscedasticity, and endogeneity in the model. Our analysis reveals negative and statistically insignificant interaction effects between internet and mobile usage with renewable energy, while the interaction between ICT and agricultural credit exhibits a positive yet insignificant influence on agricultural productivity. These results underscore the necessity for developing countries to devise stringent policy frameworks that foster the integration of internet and mobile technologies with renewable energy, as well as ICT with agricultural credit, to enhance agricultural productivity and achieve sustainable agricultural production.