Agricultural Economics and Development

Agricultural Economics and Development

The impact of technological innovation on environmental and economic performance with the aim of obtaining competitive advantages in the agricultural sector

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran; m.ajalli@basu.ac.ir
10.30490/aead.2026.367321.1640
Abstract
The agricultural sector in Iran is considered a key industry, significantly influencing the country's economic growth. Furthermore, technological innovation holds great importance in this sector—particularly regarding environmental concerns and "greening"—as the implementation of green process innovations, green products, and green productivity not only enhances environmental and economic performance but also exerts a substantial positive influence on gaining competitive advantages and increasing profitability. The primary objective of this research is to examine the impact of technological innovation on environmental and economic performance and the acquisition of competitive advantages, as well as to prioritize the contributing factors based on their importance within the agricultural sector. In terms of its objective and data collection methodology, this study is classified as applied, descriptive, correlational, and quantitative. From the population of highly knowledgeable and experienced agricultural producers, a sample size of 384 individuals was determined using Cochran’s formula. The content validity of the questionnaires was verified by experts, and their reliability was confirmed via Cronbach’s alpha coefficient using SPSS software. The questionnaires were distributed to the experts online; ultimately, the responses from 390 participants were analyzed. To test the four hypotheses of the proposed model, the Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach was employed. The final results indicate a good model fit. Additionally, based on the T-values, all hypotheses were accepted. Finally, the weights of the factors were calculated using the weighted arithmetic mean method. The results indicate that "green process innovation" ranks first with the highest weight, followed by "green productivity innovation," "environmental..
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