The Impact of Food Production Comparative Advantage on Green Total Factor Productivity: The Moderating Role of Environmental Regulation

Abstract

Guaranteeing an increase in ecologically sustainable food production is a sufficient prerequisite for the long-term development of national food security. This study’s primary goal is to determine strategies for improving the nation’s green total factor productivity (GTFP) of food. We begin by measuring the GTFP of food with the Global Malmquist–Luenberger (GML) index. Second, the food production comparative advantage is determined using the entropy-weighted Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. The food production comparative advantage is then used as a leaping point to experimentally study the pathway to enhancing the GTFP of food. The 510 sample statistics for this study come from 30 provinces in China from 2003 to 2019. The study’s findings indicate that (i.) China’s “food production comparative advantage” and “GTFP of Food” have shown an ascending pattern. China’s Northeast and Huang–Huai–Hai regions have the greatest comparative advantages in food production. The regions with the highest food GTFP are the Northeast and Middle and Lower reaches of the Yangtze River. (ii.) Food production comparative advantage can effectively contribute to green total factor productivity, but there is a time lag. (iii.) As food production’s comparative advantage rises, its contribution to GTFP becomes more apparent. (iv.) Environmental regulation moderates the influence of food production comparative advantage on GTFP. In addition, environmental regulations exert a greater moderating effect in regions with lower green total factor production rates than in regions with higher green total factor production rates. (v.) The food production comparative advantage improves the GTFP through both structural and technological effects. This study not only expands the research horizon of GTFP of food but also offers planning recommendations for technological advancement and structural adjustment in food production.