AUTHOR=Zhou Zhou , Duan Jianqiang , Geng Shaoqing , Li Ran 

TITLE=The role of highway construction in influencing agricultural green total factor productivity in China: agricultural industry structure transformation perspective

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

VOLUME=Volume 7 - 2023

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1315201

DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2023.1315201

ISSN=2571-581X

ABSTRACT=Highway construction is vital in agricultural production, directly influencing food security and public health. This study utilized the Epsilon-based measurement-global-Malmquist-model (𝐸𝐵𝑀 -𝐺𝑀𝐿) and the spatial econometrics model with 31 Chinese provinces' panel data from 2002 to 2020 to investigate the impacts and the mechanisms of low-grade and high-grade highways on the agricultural green total factor productivity (𝐴𝐺𝑇𝐹𝑃). Research findings indicated that (1) Low-grade and high-grade highway construction significantly promote the 𝐴𝐺𝑇𝐹𝑃 through technological progress, and the high-grade highway exerts a significant positive spillover effect on the adjacent areas' 𝐴𝐺𝑇𝐹𝑃 . (2) The mechanisms of low-grade and high-grade roads on the 𝐴𝐺𝑇𝐹𝑃 are heterogenous. Low-grade roads could improve the 𝐴𝐺𝑇𝐹𝑃 by encouraging the rationalization of the agricultural industry structure. High-grade highways promote the 𝐴𝐺𝑇𝐹𝑃 by upgrading the industry structure. And each-grade road could promote the 𝐴𝐺𝑇𝐹𝑃 by stimulating the integration of planting and breeding. (3) Both low-grade and high-grade highways improved the 𝐴𝐺𝑇𝐹𝑃 in non-main-grainproducing areas but inhibited it in main-grain-producing areas. Therefore, this study provided practical policy recommendations for green development in China's agricultural sector and valuable insights for other developing countries.