The Conflicting SDGs of Agricultural Productivity and Agro-Environmental Sustainability in Africa: Does Technology Infrastructure Matter in Resolving This Conundrum?

Abstract

This study uses technological infrastructures to inform evidence-based policy design, addressing the conundrum of agricultural productivity and agro-environmental sustainability in Africa. The investigations are done using the Instrumental Variable Two-Stage Least Squares (IV-2SLS) strategy to control for potential endogeneity, covering the period 2000–2020. The findings show that farmers, in their pursuit of greater productivity, often adopt unsustainable agricultural practices, which degrade agro-environmental quality through emissions of nitrous oxide and methane gases. The findings remain consistent after considering the specific cases of crop production and animal agriculture. Similarly, results indicate that technology-infrastructure reduces nitrous oxide and methane gas emissions. Moreover, the negative marginal effect indicates that the indirect benefits for sustainable agriculture provided by integrating technological infrastructure outweigh the adverse impacts on agricultural sustainability. These findings suggest that policymakers should promote the integration of technology infrastructures into the agricultural sector, as they serve as effective tools for enhancing agro-environmental sustainability.