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Land
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Rethinking Rural-Urban Interactions in Terms of Food Security and Agriculture...
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Rethinking Rural-Urban Interactions in Terms of Food Security and Agriculture Development

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land Systems and Global Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 3336

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yingnan Niu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Urban Planning & Design, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China
Interests: food security; agriculture development; sustainable development
Prof. Dr. Gaodi Xie

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: agriculture development; ecological agriculture
Dr. Luoman Pu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of International Tourism and Public Administration, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Interests: land use and land cover change; food production; remote sensing in agriculture

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rural–urban interactions, as a complex economic and social phenomenon, involves various dimensions such as population mobility, resource allocation, and industrial integration. These interactions play a significant role in promoting coordinated rural–urban development, advancing agricultural transformation, ensuring food security, and fostering environmental protection and sustainable development. Research on the relationship between rural–urban interactions and food security, as well as sustainable agricultural development, can offer new theoretical frameworks and explanatory models for fields such as regional economics and agriculture development. This, in turn, enriches the academic discourse on rural–urban integration and development studies.

This Special Issue seeks to collect original research papers as well as review papers to provide the state of the art of theoretical and empirical insights into the relationship between rural–urban interactions and sustainable agriculture development. From this perspective, this Special Issue will welcome the following themes:

  • Rural–urban interactions and agricultural modernization;
  • Population and labor mobility;
  • Resource allocation;
  • Industry interactions;
  • Technology diffusion and innovation;
  • Policy support and institutional innovation;
  • Other aspects related to agricultural modernization;
  • Rural–urban interactions and food security;
  • Food production;
  • Food demand;
  • Food circulation;
  • Other aspects related to food security;
  • Rural–urban interactions and sustainable agriculture development;
  • Ecological protection;
  • Poverty reduction;
  • Social equality and equity;
  • Other aspects related to sustainable agriculture development;
  • Other dimensions related to the topic.

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Dr. Yingnan Niu
Prof. Dr. Gaodi Xie
Dr. Luoman Pu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • rural–urban interactions
  • food security
  • ecological agriculture
  • agricultural economy
  • agricultural policy
  • sustainable development

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 4101 KiB  
Article
Mapping the Potential to Establish Multifunctional Agrofood Parks to Foster the Food Transition at a Regional Level
by Rosário Oliveira and Gabriel Spínola Garcia Távora
Land 2025, 14(4), 772; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040772 - 3 Apr 2025
Viewed by 215
Abstract
Food transition has been widely inspiring regional and local food system transformation strategies to accomplish the Sustainable Development Agenda goals. Considering the urgency required to transform food systems by 2030, actions should be supported by principles of science-based and practical effectiveness. Within the [...] Read more.
Food transition has been widely inspiring regional and local food system transformation strategies to accomplish the Sustainable Development Agenda goals. Considering the urgency required to transform food systems by 2030, actions should be supported by principles of science-based and practical effectiveness. Within the framework of the Food Transition Strategy for the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (FTS-LMA), a methodology to identify the potential to establish Multifunctional Agrofood Parks (MAPs) has been applied to inform decision-makers where this potential is located as an opportunity to transform local food system towards healthier and more affordable food production. The method uses an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) operated in a Geographic Information System (GIS) to integrate a multicriteria environment and socioeconomic variables for determining suitable territories for MAP implementation. The results show the higher suitability for the MAP establishment in the LMA is over 30% of the region, which drives a thorough reflection on how to set up a socio-territorial transformation of the metropolitan food system envisioned by the FTS-LMA by using current results as part of a food system planning exercise to determine where the ecological suitability for sustainable food production overlap with the capacity for intervention by the fabric of producers in each of the 18 municipalities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rethinking Rural-Urban Interactions in Terms of Food Security and Agriculture Development)
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17 pages, 2534 KiB  
Article
Identifying Barriers to Implementation of Regenerative Agricultural Solutions Through Convergence Research
by Sarah G. McCarthy and Richard R. Rushforth
Land 2025, 14(3), 446; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14030446 - 21 Feb 2025
Viewed by 681
Abstract
Aridification in the U.S. Southwest has led to tension about conservation and land management strategy. Strain on multi-generational agricultural livelihoods and nearly 150-year-old Colorado River water adjudication necessitates solutions from transdisciplinary partnerships. In this study, farmers and ranchers in a small San Juan [...] Read more.
Aridification in the U.S. Southwest has led to tension about conservation and land management strategy. Strain on multi-generational agricultural livelihoods and nearly 150-year-old Colorado River water adjudication necessitates solutions from transdisciplinary partnerships. In this study, farmers and ranchers in a small San Juan River headwater community of southwestern Colorado engaged in a participatory, convergent research study prioritizing local objectives and policy. Acknowledging the historic and sometimes perceived role of academic institutions as representing urban interests, our goal was to highlight how research can support rural governance. This process involved creating community partnerships, analyzing data, and supporting results distribution to the surveyed population through social media. The survey was designed to support a local waterway management plan. Survey results showed lack of water availability and climate changes were selected by producers as most negatively affecting their operations, and many were extremely interested in agroforestry methods and drought-resistant crop species. Statistical analysis identified that satisfaction with community resources was positively correlated with scale of production, satisfaction with irrigation equipment, and familiarity with water rights. We hope to contribute our framework of a convergent, place-based research design for wider applications in other regions to uncover solutions to resource challenges. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rethinking Rural-Urban Interactions in Terms of Food Security and Agriculture Development)
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16 pages, 2883 KiB  
Article
Implications of Land Ownership Heterogeneity on Household Food Security: A Case Study of Urban Farming in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal Province
by Joyce M. Thamaga-Chitja, Nthabeleng Tamako and Temitope O. Ojo
Land 2025, 14(2), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14020236 - 23 Jan 2025
Viewed by 985
Abstract
Understanding the impact of land ownership on household food security is crucial for achieving sustainable rural and agricultural development in developing countries through improved farm performance. Using a multistage sampling technique to collect data from 156 urban farmers, this study analysed the impact [...] Read more.
Understanding the impact of land ownership on household food security is crucial for achieving sustainable rural and agricultural development in developing countries through improved farm performance. Using a multistage sampling technique to collect data from 156 urban farmers, this study analysed the impact of land ownership on household food security of urban farmers in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. This study employed the probit model to evaluate the drivers of land ownership among urban farmers, while the marginal treatment effects model was employed to address selection bias attributed to observed and unobserved characteristics. The analysis of food security status reveals varying degrees of food insecurity, with the majority of households experiencing mild food insecurity and a smaller proportion facing moderate food insecurity. Our results show that land ownership likelihood is positively and significantly influenced by monthly income, age, and membership to a cooperative, while gender and distance to market have negative and significant impacts. The empirical results also show that land ownership significantly reduces household food insecurity by 50%. In conclusion, the interplay of educational level, household size, access to water, access to credit, and distance to a market with land ownership significantly shapes food security outcomes. A comprehensive understanding of these relationships is essential for developing effective policies aimed at enhancing food security, particularly in regions where land ownership is a critical determinant of agricultural productivity and food availability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rethinking Rural-Urban Interactions in Terms of Food Security and Agriculture Development)
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22 pages, 24685 KiB  
Article
How Do Driving Factors Affect the Ecological Restoration Degree in Different Basins? A Case Study of Six River Basins in Yunnan, China
by Wangxu Qian and Jia Ning
Land 2024, 13(12), 2091; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13122091 - 4 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 751
Abstract
Ecological space provides human beings with the material resources and living environment needed for life; it is the basis for human survival and development, and ecological restoration is directly related to the sustainable development of human society. As an important ecological security barrier [...] Read more.
Ecological space provides human beings with the material resources and living environment needed for life; it is the basis for human survival and development, and ecological restoration is directly related to the sustainable development of human society. As an important ecological security barrier in China, the ecological restoration of the six river basins in Yunnan Province directly affects the ecological security of surrounding provinces and neighboring countries. At present, there is still a lack of research on the differences in ecological restoration between river basins. Therefore, we assessed the spatiotemporal differences in ecological restoration degree in terms of ecosystem patterns, ecosystem quality, and ecosystem services in Yunnan Province from 2000 to 2019 and explored their influencing factors in the six river basins. The results showed the following: ① The six river basins differed in terms of changes in ecosystem patterns over the 20-year period, with the share of settlement ecosystems increasing in the six river basins. The most pronounced changes in ecosystem patterns occurred in the Nu River Basin. There were also differences in the ecosystem transformation priorities of the six river basins. In addition to this, among the four selected indicators, fractional vegetation cover, net primary productivity, and soil conservation increased, but water retention exhibited a stable deteriorating trend. ② Yunnan Province’s ecological restoration degree as a whole is in a relatively stable state. There is no significant improvement or significant deterioration in the region. The best ecological restoration degree of the six river basins is the Pearl River Basin, with a trend of gradual stabilization improvement, and the worst is the Nu River Basin, with a state of gradual stabilization deterioration. ③ The factors that most influence the Ecological Restoration Index (ERI) of the six river basins are mean annual precipitation change rate, mean annual precipitation, annual mean temperature, ecological engineering, and border index. The precipitation change rate was the most important factor influencing ecological restoration in the six river basins, while the border index was the most important factor influencing the differences in ERI in the six river basins. In the future, ecological restoration measures in the six river basins of Yunnan Province should take into account regional differences, strengthen governmental supervision, and emphasize the impact of border factors on neighboring river basins to promote a balanced degree of ecological restoration in Yunnan Province as a whole. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rethinking Rural-Urban Interactions in Terms of Food Security and Agriculture Development)
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