Agricultural transformation: Exploring the impact of digitalization, technological innovation and climate change on food production

Agricultural transformation is crucial for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainable food production has become a key driver of this transformation, with China playing a vital role as a major global food producer. We investigate the long- and short-term impacts of technological innovation (R&D investment), digitalization (Internet and mobile phone use), and temperature changes on food production in China. We confirm long-run equilibrium relationships between these variables using autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing. Findings indicate that the long-term usage of mobile phones and the Internet significantly increases food production. Similarly, long-term R&D expenditures significantly enhance food production, as long-term temperature increases reduce food production. Governments should facilitate information and communications technologies, research and development, and affordable financing to achieve food sustainability and adapt to climate change.