Dilemma of Harvested Cropland and Land Degradation in Agriculture Growth: Determining the Role of Water and Green Energy Resources

ABSTRACT Research has paid much attention to climate change and natural resource management while overlooking a critical area of harvested cropland, land degradation, and agricultural growth. Nonetheless, the global population is rapidly increasing, and China, as the most populated economy globally, could face the issue of land degradation and scarcity of agricultural products. It is crucial to recognize the factors determining agriculture growth in the region. In this regard, this research intends to analyze the influence of land degradation, agriculture cropland, and agricultural growth. China has increased its green energy production and consumption climate change abatement, and water utilization for industrial and agricultural purposes. Therefore, these factors are also considered along with the socioeconomic conditions and technological advancement. Covering the quarterly data from 1980Q1 to 2023Q4, this research uses time series cointegration tests, which validate the presented of long‐run association. Following the mixed order of integration on variables, this uses the autoregressive distributed lag approach. The results mention that harvested cropland, water resources, and green energy are the significant drivers of agriculture growth in the short and long run. The study recommends investing in modern agriculture technology, implementing policies to improve socioeconomic conditions, enhancing circular economy and maintaining food security.