Can Agricultural Spending On Technology Reduce Agricultural Greenhouses Gas Emissions in Africa’s Regional Trading Bloc Member States?

Pegging warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius requires a considerable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through technological advancement. However, the role played by technology in mitigating emissions has attracted less attention in the agricultural sector. This novel study examines the effect of agricultural spending on technology on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in 29 selected regional trading bloc member states in Africa. We adapted the Kaya Identity model to the agricultural sector by equating technology to expenditure on capital goods and research and development. We collected secondary data from 1993 to 2022. We analyzed the adapted Kaya Identity model using the fully modified ordinary least squares method and the canonical co-integration regression technique for a robustness check. The results revealed that agricultural spending on capital goods plays a moderately significant role in mitigating agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. We recommend that the member states increase the budget for green agriculture and incentivize clean technology investments. At the regional trading bloc level, we recommend the crafting, implementation, or strengthening of the regional trading blocs' emissions control plans.