The performance of low carbon agricultural technologies on farmers' welfare: A meta-regression analysis of Asian cases

What is the performance of Low Carbon Agricultural Technologies (LCAT) adoption on farmers' welfare? Although there is a substantial amount of information available, there is still a continuing discussion regarding the capacity of LCAT to enhance agricultural productivity, improve farmers' quality of life, and mitigate environmental damage. In order to draw reliable conclusions about the impacts of LCAT and understand the reasons for heterogeneous effects across different studies, we employ a meta-regression to conduct a thorough analysis of 60 empirical studies conducted in the Asian region. The findings suggest that the implementation of LCAT has no significant effect on the overall welfare of farmers in terms of their collective social, economic, and ecological dimensions. However, whether examining the economic or social consequences individually, LCAT demonstrates positive results. The magnitude of these outcomes varies depending on several characteristics. Specifically, studies based on plot-level data, conducted in the rest of Asia, excluding South and East Asia, with the “economic effects” category such as income and profits as the dependent variables, involving younger and less-educated farmers, larger cultivation areas, and LCAT with comprehensive attributes, tend to show more significantly positive effects. Furthermore, a significant “U” relationship can be observed between per capita GDP and the positive effects of LCAT adoption. Therefore, it is crucial to thoroughly evaluate the welfare effects of LCAT adoption by considering comprehensive factors such as farmers' characteristics and regional environmental conditions. Policymakers should carefully tailor suitable LCAT for specific circumstances, ultimately striving to achieve agricultural carbon reduction, enhancement of carbon sequestration, and an overall improvement in farmers' welfare.