Digital economy and agricultural development: an analysis an Bimstec Countries

Abstract

This research investigates the impact of the digital economy on agricultural development in the BIMSTEC region, comprising Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. The quantitative approach was followed using data over 10 years (2012-2021), and the qualitative approach was carried out using document analysis. This study assesses different variables such as mobile technologies, computing capacity, Internet capacity, infrastructure development, credit to agriculture, investment in agricultural research, and education level, while controlling for factors including water usage, fertilizer consumption, and land temperature and agricultural land area. The study had to exclude Bhutan in the panel data analysis due to limited data. The findings of the study reveal a positive correlation between Internet and computing capacity in rural areas, and mobile technology. Overall, the study highlights the critical roles of mobile technology, computing capacity, and Internet capacity in driving agricultural development within the BIMSTEC region. It also provides policy recommendations for agricultural development in a digital economy era.