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Sustainable agricultural progress is one of the world's greatest challenges in the twenty-first century as the global population is estimated to rise to over nine billion by 2050. Over the years, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the African Union (AU) have sought prosperous African Policies based on sustainable agriculture and inclusive growth. Additionally, the AU has adopted the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) policy framework. Given the growing need for innovative policies and studies to reduce the negative environmental effects of agricultural development in Africa, this paper investigates the significance of green finance and digital technologies on green agricultural growth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from 2003 to 2018. Analysis of panel co-integration estimates indicates all variables are integrated. Using the panel-corrected standard errors estimator for long-run equilibrium co-integration assessment, the outcomes indicate mitigated green finance (MGF), internet and mobile phone use (IMU), as well as sustainable energy utilization (RE), individually and collectively exert a positive effect on agriculture, forestry and fishing value added (AVA). Additionally, panel causality estimates indicate (i) a bi-directional causality between MGF and AVA. (ii) A uni-directional causality running from IMU towards AVA without any rebound effect. For policy insights, the AU could urge member states to implement macro-policies to increase agricultural green credit to sustain food production and employment generation. Similarly, the FAO and AU could provide technical support in digital agricultural research and value chains towards ensuring sustainable agriculture development in SSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing demand on water resources, reduced land for agriculture, and concerns over food and nutrition security have prompted the evolution of innovative and complex food production systems. In this context, efficient and sustainable food production systems such as aquaponics are viewed as an important and environmentally friendly technology for adaptation under resource-limited environments. Producing food in soilless systems is a promising strategy, as this method utilizes significantly less water than traditional agriculture. However, optimizing growing conditions to enhance crop and fish yields in aquaponics is frequently ambiguous and is often not economically feasible. One of the strategies to improve plant yields and supply of nutrients in aquaponics is the application of probiotics. With this strategy, the crop yields in aquaponics are improved via a variety of mechanisms, including nitrogen fixation, solubilization of mineral nutrients, organic matter mineralization, plant hormone modulation, and biocontrol. As a result, incorporating probiotics in aquaponic systems is a strategy for mitigating environmental effects and advancing sustainable agriculture. This review paper provides the current knowledge of the use of probiotics in aquaponics. Suggestions for further studies on the effects of probiotics in aquaponic systems are proposed. Through literature review, integrating probiotics into aquaponic systems has the potential to improve nutrient supply, modulation of water quality parameters, and microbial communities, which are key processes in enhancing the productivity of aquaponic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability in our food and fiber agriculture systems is inherently knowledge intensive. It is more likely to be achieved by using all the knowledge, technology, and resources available, including data-driven agricultural technology and precision agriculture methods, than by relying entirely on human powers of observation, analysis, and memory following practical experience. Data collected by sensors and digested by artificial intelligence (AI) can help farmers learn about synergies between the domains of natural systems that are key to simultaneously achieve sustainability and food security. In the quest for agricultural sustainability, some high-payoff research areas are suggested to resolve critical legal and technical barriers as well as economic and social constraints. These include: the development of holistic decision-making systems, automated animal intake measurement, low-cost environmental sensors, robot obstacle avoidance, integrating remote sensing with crop and pasture models, extension methods for data-driven agriculture, methods for exploiting naturally occurring Genotype x Environment x Management experiments, innovation in business models for data sharing and data regulation reinforcing trust. Public funding for research is needed in several critical areas identified in this paper to enable sustainable agriculture and innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]