sustainability-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Agricultural Environment Monitoring for Sustainable Agricultural Development

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 214

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu, Taiwan
Interests: agricultural net-zero carbon emission technology; integrating technology and business models in agri-industrial system; six-grade agriculture industrial (Biz model)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Scientific research, technological innovation, and policy implementation are closely interconnected in ensuring the sustainable development of agriculture. In recent years, agricultural production and management have entered the era of smart technology. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and other related technologies not only enhances productivity and quality but also enables more precise resource management. The Special Issue "Agricultural Environment Monitoring for Sustainable Agricultural Development" focuses on environmental monitoring methods and technologies, exploring their integration with agronomic science, environmental science, socioeconomics, and policy-making to promote sustainable agriculture. The aim is to enhance the resilience and adaptability of agricultural ecosystems. This Special Issue covers, but is not limited to, the following areas:

  • Environmental Sensing and Data Processing: Low-power sensors, carbon emission monitoring, image analysis, and the integration of satellite remote sensing data.
  • Smart Decision-Making and Management Technologies: Pest and disease monitoring and early warning systems, crop health diagnostics, precision fertilization and pesticide application, and smart irrigation technologies.
  • Environmental Sustainability and Resource Recycling Applications: Agroecological indicators, soil testing and monitoring, carbon neutrality and carbon footprint assessment, and the circular utilization of agricultural waste or by-products.
  • Other Topics: Policy and economic development, as well as food security.

Dr. Chuan-Chi Chien
Guest Editor

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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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

  • environment monitoring
  • sustainable agriculture
  • smart agriculture
  • agricultural resource utilization
  • agricultural policy and economics

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

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

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

19 pages, 2437 KB  
Article
Effects of Agricultural Production Patterns on Surface Water Quality in Central China’s Irrigation Districts: A Case Study of the Four Lakes Basin
by Yanping Hu, Zhenhua Wang, Dongguo Shao, Rui Li, Wei Zhang, Meng Long, Kezheng Song and Xiaohuan Cao
Sustainability 2025, 17(19), 8838; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17198838 (registering DOI) - 2 Oct 2025
Abstract
To explore the coupling between agricultural farming models and surface water environmental in central China’s irrigation districts, this study focuses on the Four Lakes Basin within Jianghan Plain, a key grain-producing and ecological protection area. Integrating remote sensing images, statistical yearbooks, and on-site [...] Read more.
To explore the coupling between agricultural farming models and surface water environmental in central China’s irrigation districts, this study focuses on the Four Lakes Basin within Jianghan Plain, a key grain-producing and ecological protection area. Integrating remote sensing images, statistical yearbooks, and on-site monitoring data, the study analyzed the phased characteristics of the basin’s agricultural pattern transformation, the changes in non-point source nitrogen and phosphorus loads, and the responses of water quality in main canals and Honghu Lake to agricultural adjustments during the period 2010~2023. The results showed that the basin underwent a significant transformation in agricultural patterns from 2016 to 2023: the area of rice-crayfish increased by 14%, while the areas of dryland crops and freshwater aquaculture decreased by 11% and 4%, respectively. Correspondingly, the non-point source nitrogen and phosphorus loads in the Four Lakes Basin decreased by 11~13%, and the nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in main canals decreased slightly by approximately 2 mg/L and 0.04 mg/L, respectively; however, the water quality of Honghu Lake continued to deteriorate, with nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations increasing by approximately 0.46 mg/L and 0.06 mg/L, respectively. This indicated that the adjustment of agricultural farming models was beneficial to improving the water quality of main canals, but it did not bring about a substantial improvement in the sustainable development of Honghu Lake. This may be related to various factors that undermine the sustainability of the lake’s aquatic ecological environment, such as climate change, natural disasters, internal nutrient release from sediments, and the decline in water environment carrying capacity. Therefore, to advance sustainability in this basin and similar irrigation districts, future efforts should continue optimizing agricultural models to reduce nitrogen/phosphorus inputs, while further mitigating internal nutrient release and climate disaster risks, restoring aquatic vegetation, and enhancing water environment carrying capacity. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop