The rapid development of the internet is affecting rural residents’ well-being profoundly in China. To empirically investigate the impacts of internet use on farmers’ subjective well-being, the latest version of the China Family Panel Studies data is utilized and multiple regression methods are employed. The results of the ordered logit model indicate that internet use positively affects farmers’ subjective well-being. Propensity score matching and endogenous switching regression are used to eliminate possible endogeneity and still reveal robust results. The frequencies of online study, online social interaction, and online entertainment are important channels influencing farmers’ subjective well-being. Furthermore, the impacts of internet use are heterogeneous. Internet users from the central and western regions have higher levels of subjective well-being than their counterparts from the eastern region. Young and middle-aged internet users are happier than the elderly ones. Therefore, the government ought to fully cover rural areas with the internet, eliminate the digital division, especially in Central and Western China, and pay more attention to internet use by the elderly.

Understanding the impact of the digital economy on agriculture in developing countries holds significant importance in enhancing agricultural production and addressing hunger-related challenges. This study uses panel data of 35 SSA countries from 2006 to 2021 and investigates the relationship between digital economy and agriculture using dynamic regression models. The impact mechanism is also analyzed using mediating models. The results show that the digital economy has a positive impact on agriculture through the increase of agricultural productivity, human capital accumulation and the improvement of government governance. The effects of the digital economy are larger in countries with higher and lower levels of agricultural development, significant in middle-income countries, and insignificant in low-income countries. This study may provide a better understanding of the nexus between digital economy and agricultural development, and offer valuable insights for governments in developing nations to formulate relevant and effective policies.

Promoting sustainable agricultural development is pivotal to realizing sustainable development goals. This study initially constructs a comprehensive indicator to delineate the landscape of agricultural sustainable development (ASD) across China. While ASD in China demonstrates an upward trajectory, it remains relatively low and exhibits disparities across regions. Ensuring food security with minimal energy consumption in agriculture is particularly critical for China, and fostering access to affordable and clean energy services in rural areas is essential for expediting the transition to sustainable agriculture. This study investigates the impact of rural energy poverty (REP) on ASD across 30 Chinese provinces from 2000 to 2017, revealing that the eradication of REP yields tangible benefits for ASD. Furthermore, considering regional disparities, the elimination of REP significantly enhances ASD, particularly in non-major grain-producing areas compared to major grain-producing regions. These findings underscore the imperative of integrating efforts to alleviate energy poverty with initiatives aimed at advancing ASD. Such integration is indispensable for driving the overarching transition toward sustainable agriculture.

Farmers’ low agricultural productivity in East African countries is attributed to among other factors, the low application of modern agricultural technologies. Using meta-analysis this study intended to examine the determinants of adoption of agricultural technologies in East African countries recipients of Chinese Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centers (ATDCs). A comprehensive review employed to gather 22 studies addressing the determinants of adoption of agricultural technologies such as improved varieties, agricultural mechanization, soil conservation, and animal breeding from Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda. The collected data were analyzed using STATA 17 software. The study used a random-effect model to estimate the determinants of agricultural technologies adoption. The findings demonstrated that access to credit, age, education, farming experience, farmer group membership, household size, and off-farm income have a significant influence on farmers ‘adoption of improved varieties. Age, farm size, and education have a significant influence on the adoption of agricultural mechanization. Soil conservation practices are influenced by age, household size, and sex. Moreover, age, education, extension services, and farming experience have a significant impact on the adoption of animal breeding. It is recommended that East African governments, policymakers, and agricultural practitioners to focus on these common variables when planning for the intervention of new agricultural technologies.

As a major source of investment in Africa, the rapid growth of China’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Africa has exerted a profound influence on regional development and food security. Based on multinational panel data of African countries from 2006 to 2024, this paper systematically investigates the impact, transmission mechanisms, and heterogeneous characteristics of China’s FDI on food security in Africa. The empirical results show that China’s FDI in Africa has a significant positive effect on food security. Mechanism analysis indicates that China’s FDI improves food security indirectly, mainly through upgrading infrastructure and promoting agricultural technology spillovers. Moderating effect analysis reveals that a sound governance environment and strong absorptive capacity amplify its positive impact, whereas a less diversified industrial structure (a low share of secondary industry) weakens its effectiveness. This paper provides policy implications for optimizing the layout of China’s investment in Africa and promoting the sustainable development of Africa’s food system.

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has experienced a high economic growth rate over the last two decades, which has been accompanied by concerns about increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This study aims to find out whether renewable energy and agriculture can help reduce CO2 emissions for selected SSA countries. A balanced dataset for 38 SSA countries covering the period 2000-2019 is utilized. The differentiated-generalized method of moments (GMM) is employed as a benchmark estimation method. The regional heterogeneity analysis of countries at different income levels is then carried out. The moderating role of government governance in the energy-agriculture-environment nexus is also investigated. The following conclusions are highlighted: (1) the consumption of renewable energy can reduce CO2 emissions, while agriculture increases them; (2) the mitigating effect of renewable energy on CO2 emissions is relatively larger in countries at a low income level. countries than in high-income countries, while agriculture aggravates CO2 emissions in lower middle-income and low-income regions, but mitigates emissions in upper middle-income regions; (3) governance quality turns the mitigating role of renewable energy use on CO2 emissions into an increasing one, and exaggerates the polluting effect of agriculture. Finally, the study proposes policy implications for improving renewable energy use and green agricultural growth to achieve sustainable development in SSA.