Solar energy development and agricultural sustainability in China: assessing the impacts of green energy adoption and technological innovation on food security

Solar energy has recently become a significant option for countries to enhance their green energy initiatives, which can help mitigate pollution in the agricultural sector. One of the essential drivers of innovation is research and development (R&D). However, evaluations of how solar energy and R&D expenditure can impact food security and agricultural productivity are limited. Hence, this study examines the impact of solar energy, R&D investment, and green economic growth on food security and agricultural productivity in China from 2001 to 2022. This study uses the ARDL approach to explore the long- and short-run relationships between the variables. This study also employs the advanced Quantile-on-Quantile Kernel Regularized Least Squares (QQ-KRLS) method to assess the robustness of the long-run analysis results. The empirical results indicate that solar energy can significantly enhance food security and agricultural productivity. Moreover, along with R&D expenditure and green economic growth, arable land has a positive and significant impact on food security. This study confirms the long-term findings by using the QQ-KRLS estimation methods. To attain the Sustainable Development Goals, such as Goals 2, 7, and 13, policymakers should increase R&D funding for agricultural and green energy technology. Such investment is crucial for promoting food security and environmental sustainability. As the world's leading grain producer, China is facing global environmental challenges. Therefore, this study recommends the adoption of innovative climate change technologies and the development of high-temperature and drought-resistant cereal crop varieties to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and increase food production.