Effect of Agricultural Employment and Export Diversification Index on Environmental Pollution: Building the Agenda towards Sustainability

Guirong Jiang, Rafael Alvarado (), Muntasir Murshed, Brayan Tillaguango, Elisa Toledo, Priscila Méndez and Cem Işık
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Guirong Jiang: College of Economics, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610041, China
Brayan Tillaguango: Esai Business School, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondon 091650, Ecuador
Priscila Méndez: Carrera de Economía, Universidad Nacional de Loja, Loja 110150, Ecuador

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-20

Abstract: Agricultural activities have a significant impact on environmental quality, because they generate waste that pollutes water and soil. In parallel, the supply of products has diversified in recent years to meet growing demand, exerting strong pressure on nature’s capacity for regeneration and absorption of waste. This research aims to examine the impact of agricultural employment and the export diversification index on ecological footprints, using advanced techniques of panel data econometrics. This relationship is moderated by population density and real per capita product. Cross-section dependence and slope homogeneity were included in the econometric models. The cointegration and causality analysis was reinforced by estimating the short- and long-term elasticities, using the AMG, CCE-MG, FMOLS, and DOLS models. Using annual data for 96 countries, we found a heterogeneous impact of agricultural employment and the export diversification index on ecological footprint, between the short and long term. The findings reveal that the increase of the product increases the pressure on the ecological footprint. The achievement of SDGs must include joint efforts between countries, and not in isolation. Those responsible for environmental policy should promote the idea that production must be friendly to the environment and promote the green growth of countries. The adoption of new technology, higher productivity agricultural employment, and the regulation of exports of sustainable products can contribute to achieving environmental sustainability.

Keywords: agricultural employment; export diversification index; ecological footprint; FMOLS; AMG; CCE-MG (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 (7)

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