Precision agriculture technologies are widely recognized as a key pathway to achieving agricultural sustainable intensification. However, empirical research on their farm-level economic benefits and environmental gains has yielded inconclusive and hotly debated results. This study employs a meta-analysis to systematically integrate 85 empirical studies from around the world, comprising 1472 independent farm observations. This approach aims to quantify the average effects of precision agriculture technologies (PATs) and explore the sources of heterogeneity. The results indicate that: (1) Overall, the adoption of precision agriculture technologies generates significant economic benefits, increasing the average return on investment by 22.3% and net profit by 18.5%; (2) Environmentally, technology adoption significantly improves nitrogen use efficiency (average increase of 15.1%), reduces pesticide application (average reduction of 12.8%), and decreases greenhouse gas emissions (average reduction of 9.4%); (3) Moderating effect analysis reveals that technology type, farm size, region, and development level are key factors causing effect heterogeneity. Variable rate technology and auto-guidance systems show the most pronounced benefits in large-scale grain farms, whereas benefits are relatively weaker and less stable in small-scale farms and developing countries. The findings of this study emphasize that the realization of precision agriculture’s benefits is highly context-dependent. Therefore, policy formulation and technology promotion should abandon the “one-size-fits-all” model and adopt differentiated strategies. These strategies should focus on lowering application barriers for smallholders and developing low-cost, locally adapted technical solutions. This approach is essential to maximize the sustainability potential of the technologies.

Do geographical indication products help facilitate the development of the agricultural economy? This problem is a point of controversy in the field of global agricultural intellectual property. For a long time, there have been different viewpoints on this problem; that is, there is a positive correlation, negative correlation, U-shape correlation, or no correlation between the geographical indication products and the development of the agricultural economy in the context of different studies. To clarify the influence mechanism between the two and explain why there are these disputes, this study used the meta-analysis method to statistically reanalyze 405 observation values provided in 64 independent research samples from the context of different regions around the world. The study results show that geographical indications not only generate more economic benefits than ordinary products but also contribute to the growth of the agricultural economy by effectively promoting the development of agricultural product trade and the enhancement of agricultural product price. There exists a low positive correlation between the geographical indication products and the agricultural economy (r = 0.176, 95% CI = [0.126, 0.225]). In addition, the promotion effect of geographical indication products on the agricultural economy is regulated by the country of origin of the samples, sample level, publication journal, data type, data acquisition approach, and research method. Our research findings further revealed the internal relationship mechanism between the geographical indication products and the agricultural economy and lay a foundation for better protecting and developing geographical indication products.

The Chinese government has implemented a series of corporate social responsibility (CSR)-related policies in recent years, aiming to achieve high-quality economic development and transformation. To assess the effectiveness of these CSR policies, this study empirically explores the relationship between the quality of CSR information disclosure and corporate innovation performance using data from A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen, China, from 2009 to 2020. The results show that: (1) Improvement in the quality of CSR information can significantly improve corporate innovation performance. (2) Further analysis reveals that the improvement of CSR information quality not only helps to reduce the agency costs and alleviate the financing constraints of enterprises but also reduces the cost of external interpretation of corporate innovation projects and conveys a good corporate image by attracting the attention of analysts and the media, which all contribute to the improvement of corporate innovation performance. This study further refines the mechanism of the impact of CSR disclosure on firms’ innovation performance, which may provide guidance to governments in developing and improving CSR disclosure systems in the future.

As an intellectual property product that is highly farmer-friendly, geographical indication (GI) products have always garnered significant attention. In recent years, research on how GI products promote agricultural development has been increasing, yet the academic community remains divided on this issue. On one hand, some studies point out that GI products can drive agricultural development; on the other hand, other studies suggest that the impact of GI products is not significant or varies. Meta-analysis is a method that leverages statistical techniques to integrate the findings of multiple studies with a common research objective, addressing controversial issues and arriving at generalizable conclusions. Therefore, to more precisely uncover the intrinsic relationship between GI products and agricultural development and to delve deeper into the root causes of the aforementioned discrepancies, this study employed a meta-analytic approach. We extracted 478 correlation coefficients (r) as effect sizes from 82 empirical articles worldwide. Using these coefficients, we calculated the overall effect size and moderating effects of GI products on promoting agricultural development. Research indicates that GI products exert a positive influence on agricultural development. There is a low positive correlation between the two (r = 0.197). Further analysis reveals that various factors at the sample, data, literature, and methodology levels all impact the outcomes of GI products’ promotion of agricultural development. Research has shown that, in pursuit of sustainable agricultural development goals, it is further recommended that governments should accord high priority to the cultivation and development of GI products. This is aimed at providing practical insights to facilitate the sustainable advancement of GI products and bolster agricultural competitiveness.

Geographical indication (GI) products serve as one of the significant instruments for increasing farmers’ income. While most studies affirmatively indicate that GI products contribute to boosting farmers’ income growth, it is noteworthy that their relationship does not consistently demonstrate a positive correlation. The academic discourse on this issue remains inconclusive. This study employs a meta-analysis method to reanalyze 140 effect sizes from 32 independent research samples across diverse global contexts. The findings reveal that the development of GI products significantly promotes farmer income growth, showing a high positive correlation (r = 0.348, CI = [0.104, 0.540]). Specifically, there exists a high positive correlation between GI products and per capita disposable income (r = 0.389) and a moderate positive correlation between GI products and agricultural product prices (r = 0.255). Further analysis indicates that factors at the sample level, literature level, and methodological level all exert moderating effects on the relationship between GI products and farmers’ income. This study not only provides a scientific response to the debate surrounding the relationship between GI products and farmers’ income but also delves into the underlying mechanisms. It holds significant importance for advancing the rational optimization of agricultural resources and enhancing agricultural competitiveness.

High-tech industrial agglomeration enhances the technological level and value of regional industries. It is considered to be a new and effective way to drive China’s regional innovation and development at present. Numerous studies indicate that high-tech industrial agglomeration contributes positively to regional innovation, but the current academic discussion on this issue has not yet reached a unified opinion. In various research contexts, it has also been pointed out that there may be a negative correlation or non-linear relationship between the two. This contradictory relationship makes it difficult to generalize the current research findings to realistic application scenarios. Therefore, to clarify the relationship between the two scientifically, this study employs meta-analysis, reanalyzing 833 effect values derived from 69 independent research samples based on Chinese data. The findings reveal a moderately positive correlation (r = 0.204) between the agglomeration of high-tech industries and regional innovation in China. In particular, high-tech industrial agglomeration significantly contributes to regional innovation under the paths of diversified agglomeration and competitive agglomeration. We further found that sampling region, measurement approach, measurement perspective, research methodology, and year of publication all exhibit significant moderating effects on the relationship between the two variables. Based on meta-analysis, this study not only scientifically responds to the controversy of the relationship between high-tech industrial agglomeration and regional innovation but also further reveals the inner conduction mechanism between the two. It is of great significance in exploring future studies in related fields.