The impact of the use of renewable energies on productivity and improving sustainability in Iraq

Abstract

The use of renewable energy represents an effective economic approach to enhancing productivity and achieving resource efficiency. This relationship is a pivotal element in supporting sustainability within agricultural economies facing increasing environmental and development challenges. The study aims to analyze the impact of renewable energies under study on productivity in various economies with the aim of achieving environmental and economic sustainability in agriculture, which enables us to identify how to reduce production costs and increase returns, as well as reduce carbon emissions for the sample countries (Iraq) for the time period (2000-2022). The research was based on a basic hypothesis that renewable energies have a positive impact on agricultural productivity, Two approaches were used in scientific research: the first includes the descriptive aspect, which in turn includes the theoretical framework and reference presentation of renewable energies, productivity, and sustainable agricultural development, and the impact of renewable energies on productivity and sustainable agricultural development. The second approach relies on standard quantitative analysis, which includes building the model for the study based on the functional theoretical relationships presented in the theoretical aspect and strengthening them. Based on previous studies, the model was then tested using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model using the EViews software package.

The study reached a set of results, the most notable of which are:

1. The rate of energy consumption in agriculture and foreign direct investment in the agricultural sector have a direct and significant effect. This means that increasing the rate of energy consumption in agriculture and foreign direct investment in the agricultural sector will lead to an increase in land productivity in the short term.
2. Agricultural labor, the rate of energy consumption in agriculture, the share of spending on agriculture, and foreign direct investment in the agricultural sector have a direct and significant effect. This means that an increase in any of these variables will lead to an increase in productivity in the long term.