Evaluating the impacts of energy security, adoption of digital technologies, and green finance on food and agricultural productivity: evidence from emerging economies in South Asia

In South Asia, food and agricultural productivity are crucial for sustainable economic development and food security; however, the region faces several challenges, including persistent poverty, climatic vulnerability, economic crises, and resource scarcity. This study applies the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) and Modified Quantile Regression (MQR) techniques to examine the impact of energy security, digitalization, and green finance on food and agricultural productivity in South Asian economies—Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka over the period from 2000 to 2023. The findings reveal that energy security significantly enhances food and agricultural productivity at the lower, middle, and higher quantiles. Similarly, digitalization and green finance also substantially increase food and agricultural productivity across all quantiles (τ = 0.10–0.90). The findings suggest that energy security, the adoption of digital technologies, and the accessibility of green agricultural credit are key drivers of food and agricultural productivity and play a pivotal role in promoting food security in South Asian economies. The outcomes of MMQR are verified by the MQR method. Based on the findings, the study suggests allocating capital to the energy sector for sustainable renewable energy production, enhancing funding and improving credit access policies for agriculture, and catalyzing innovation in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG-2) and promote agricultural sustainability.