Exploring the Technological Changes of Green Agriculture in China: Evidence from Patent Data (1998–2021)

Ruifeng Hu () and Weiqiao Xu
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Ruifeng Hu: School of Economics, Xihua University, Chengdu 610039, China
Weiqiao Xu: School of Economics, Xihua University, Chengdu 610039, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 17, 1-18

Abstract: China views the development of sustainable agriculture as a crucial aspect of agricultural development. Using green agriculture patents from 1998 to 2021, this paper analyzes the spatial and temporal distribution of patent numbers and investigates the IPC co-occurrence network. The findings are as follows. First, the number of patents for green agriculture in mainland China has increased significantly. From 2010 to 2015, the number of patents reached its highest point. Second, the spatial distribution of green agriculture patents is quite uneven, particularly in Heilongjiang province, which has the largest grain production and the lowest patent output level. Third, while the majority of IPC subclasses are well-developed, some are unevenly developed. In China, popular fields include seed breeding, planting, and organic fertilizers. This research aims to present empirical evidence for the future layout of green agriculture in China and the development of green agriculture in other developing countries.

Keywords: mainland China; agriculture green patents; IPC co-occurrence; SNA; coupling coordination degree (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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