Sustainable Food and Agriculture: New Study Highlights Importance of AgriTech in Reducing Emissions and Achieving SDG 2.4

Strategic Insights -

Researchers at Duzce University have published a study examining the impact of agricultural technologies (AgriTech) on sustainable agriculture in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. The study found that AgriTech, agricultural value-added, and internet use significantly contribute to reducing agricultural emissions and improving the environment. However, agricultural credits are insufficient to reduce emissions, and the effect of agricultural labor and internet use is limited to lower quantiles. The study's findings emphasize the importance of integrating green procurement and production technologies, supported by green credits, into agricultural production to achieve sustainable agricultural development goals in SSA. Policies that facilitate farmers' access to agricultural green credits, increase internet access, and raise awareness of green production and sustainability among agricultural workers are recommended.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that AgriTech, agricultural value-added, and internet use significantly reduce agricultural emissions in SSA countries.
  • The coefficients of AgriTech and agricultural value-added variables are negative and statistically significant in all quantiles, indicating that increasing AgriTech and value-added reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Agricultural credits (ACRD) only provide environmental improvements in the low-emission quantile (25%) and are insufficient to reduce emissions in high quantiles.
  • Agricultural labor (AEMP) and internet use (INT) significantly reduced emissions at 10-50% quantiles, but the effect disappeared at higher quantiles.
  • The study recommends policies that facilitate farmers' access to agricultural green credits, increase internet access, and raise awareness of green production and sustainability among agricultural workers.
  • The use of green procurement and production technologies supported by green credits is crucial for achieving sustainable agricultural development goals in SSA.

Statistics:

  • The study analyzed panel data from 20 SSA countries between 2000 and 2022.
  • The test results showed that AgriTech use (ATECH) and agricultural value-added (AGRW) have statistically significant negative coefficients in all quantiles.
  • The potential of AgriTech to reduce emissions is higher in low-emission quantiles (10-30%), while the effect is relatively weaker in high-emission quantiles.
  • Agricultural credits (ACRD) only provide environmental improvements in the low-emission quantile (25%).
  • Agricultural labor (AEMP) and internet use (INT) significantly reduced emissions at 10-50% quantiles.
  • The study found that farmers' success in reducing emissions is directly dependent on their internet access.

Sources:

  • Impacts of agritech on sustainable agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa: a quantile regression approach towards SDG 2.4. Carbon Balance and Management, 2025, 20(1):1-22.
  • Duzce University Researchers Detail Findings in Sustainable Food and Agriculture (Impacts of agritech on sustainable agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa: a quantile regression approach towards SDG 2.4). Global Warming Focus. September 8, 2025; p 90.