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Land Management and Sustainable Agricultural Production: 2nd Edition
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Land Management and Sustainable Agricultural Production: 2nd Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2024) | Viewed by 4578

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Bhim Bahadur Ghaley

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2630 Taastrup, Denmark
Interests: agronomy; agroforestry; intercropping; plant-soil process modelling; soil carbon dynamics; conservation agriculture; nutrient and water use; arable crops; carbon sequestration; climate-smart agriculture; production system carbon footprint; environmental impacts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable production of food, fodder and energy is of critical importance to achieve food security, as there is an unprecedented rise in the global population which has increased the demands on the finite land base. Additionally, there is growing awareness and science-based evidence of the on- and off-site adverse impacts of intensive agriculture on the environment. This calls for concerted efforts from all stakeholders including farmers, advisory services, researchers and policy makers to facilitate the adoption of environmentally friendly farming practices without compromising food, fodder and energy production.

This Special Issue, ‘Land Management and Sustainable Agricultural Production: 2nd Edition’ aims to be platform where scholars from relevant fields could share their high-quality and original manuscripts focusing on cropping systems, crop rotations, agroforestry and other relevant production systems that promote efficient resource use (radiation, nutrients and water), and food, fodder and energy production without adversely impacting the environment. Manuscripts that highlight enhanced environmental performance of ecosystem services and sustainable land management practices and production systems with the use of innovative knowledge transfer tools and activities are also welcome.

Dr. Bhim Bahadur Ghaley
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

  • crop rotation
  • cropping systems
  • conservation agriculture
  • agroforestry
  • resource use efficiency
  • ecosystem services
  • crop–soil process modeling
  • soil health
  • carbon sequestration
  • climate-smart agriculture
  • production system carbon footprint
  • environmental impacts
  • controlled environment agriculture

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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21 pages, 3426 KiB  
Article
Multifunctional Analysis of Agriculture from the Perspective of Tradeoff/Synergy: A Case Study of Sichuan Province in Western China
by Qiang Liao, Chunyan Chen, Zhengyu Lin, Yuanli Liu, Jie Cao, Zhouling Shao and Yaowen Kou
Sustainability 2025, 17(4), 1761; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17041761 - 19 Feb 2025
Viewed by 778
Abstract
Exploring the spatiotemporal evolution pattern of agricultural functions, analyzing their tradeoff and synergies, carrying out multifunctional zoning, and determining the combination and expansion direction of agricultural functions in combination with regional development strategies are conducive to guiding the adjustment of agricultural structure and [...] Read more.
Exploring the spatiotemporal evolution pattern of agricultural functions, analyzing their tradeoff and synergies, carrying out multifunctional zoning, and determining the combination and expansion direction of agricultural functions in combination with regional development strategies are conducive to guiding the adjustment of agricultural structure and promoting the sustainable development of regional agriculture. In this context, based on the county scale and statistical data, this paper uses the agricultural function evaluation index system to measure and analyze the agricultural function index of Sichuan Province and its mutual relations. Spatial overlay analysis is used to analyze the agricultural function index for agricultural leading function zoning. Cluster analysis is used to evaluate the agricultural function results to explore the agricultural multifunctional zoning scheme of Sichuan Province. The results show that the spatial and temporal distribution of agricultural product supply, agricultural leisure, ecological services, employment and social security services are heterogeneous, and the agricultural multifunction index of Sichuan Province shows a spatial distribution pattern of high in the east and low in the west. The synergistic effect between the supply function of agricultural products and the function of employment and life security is the strongest. From 2010 to 2020, the relationships between the ecological service function and the supply function of agricultural products, the agricultural leisure function, employment, and the social security function change from irrelevant or there being a tradeoff effect to there being a significant synergistic effect. The leading areas of the ecological service function are mainly distributed in western and northern Sichuan. The leading areas of the agricultural product supply function are mainly distributed in eastern and southern Sichuan. Agricultural multifunctional zoning in Sichuan Province is divided into the agricultural leisure function, the agricultural product supply cooperative functional area, the weak cooperative functional area, the strong cooperative functional area, and the agricultural leisure priority functional area. The spatiotemporal heterogeneity of agricultural functions and the changes in tradeoffs and synergies in Sichuan Province have a significant impact on the development of agricultural functions. The research results can provide s theoretical reference for agricultural multifunctional zoning in the study area and provide guidance and suggestions for the sustainable development of agricultural economy and society in Sichuan Province. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management and Sustainable Agricultural Production: 2nd Edition)
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20 pages, 11615 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Spatiotemporal Evolution Patterns and Driving Factors of Various Planting Structures in Henan Province Based on Mixed-Pixel Decomposition Methods
by Kun Han, Jingyu Yang and Chao Liu
Sustainability 2025, 17(3), 1227; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17031227 - 3 Feb 2025
Viewed by 883
Abstract
Understanding the spatiotemporal evolution patterns and drivers of cropping structures is crucial for adjusting cropping structure policies, ensuring the sustainability of land resources, and safeguarding food security. However, existing research lacks sub-pixel scale data on planting structure, where planted area data are mainly [...] Read more.
Understanding the spatiotemporal evolution patterns and drivers of cropping structures is crucial for adjusting cropping structure policies, ensuring the sustainability of land resources, and safeguarding food security. However, existing research lacks sub-pixel scale data on planting structure, where planted area data are mainly derived from manual counting results. In this study, remote sensing technology was combined with geostatistical methods to realize the spatiotemporal evolution of crop planting structure at sub-pixel scale. Firstly, the spatial distribution of the multiple cropping structure in Henan Province was extracted based on a mixed-pixel decomposition model, and spatiotemporal evolution of the crop planting structure was analyzed using a combination of Sen’s slope estimator and Mann–Kendall trend analysis, as well as centroid migration. Then, Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to explore the contribution of driving factors. The results indicate the following: (1) from 2001 to 2022, the cropping structure in Henan Province shows a slightly obvious increase. (2) The centroid of different cropping structures migrates to the main production areas as a whole. (3) Among the driving factors, there was a positive correlation with the labor force and a negative correlation with the urbanization rate. This study provides new insights into the evolution of large-scale crop planting structures and offers significant theoretical and practical value for sustainable agricultural development and the optimization of agricultural planting structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management and Sustainable Agricultural Production: 2nd Edition)
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29 pages, 9703 KiB  
Article
Bibliometric Trends and Insights into the Potential of Maize (Zea mays) under the Framework of Conservation Agriculture
by Smruti Ranjan Padhan, Sushmita Saini, Shankar Lal Jat, Sanjay Singh Rathore, Mahesh Kumar Gathala, Radheshyam, Soumya Ranjan Padhan, Salah El-Hendawy and Mohamed A. Mattar
Sustainability 2024, 16(19), 8670; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16198670 - 8 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2071
Abstract
In spite of the detrimental effects of climate change and decreasing resource efficiency, maize farming is essential to the world’s food and nutritional security. With regard to sustainable maize farming in this environment, conservation agriculture (CA) offers a framework that holds promise in [...] Read more.
In spite of the detrimental effects of climate change and decreasing resource efficiency, maize farming is essential to the world’s food and nutritional security. With regard to sustainable maize farming in this environment, conservation agriculture (CA) offers a framework that holds promise in terms of low soil disturbance, perennial soil cover, and sustainable crop rotation. In order to acquire more profound information on the research advancements and publication patterns related to maize under CA scenarios, a bibliometric analysis was conducted. This involved utilizing René Descartes’s Discourse Framework to extract and screen 2587 documents spanning the years 2001 to 2023 from the Dimensions.ai database. The mapping showed that different stakeholders were becoming more interested in maize research under various CA pathways, with a greater emphasis on reaching the second sustainable development target, or “zero hunger”. The most influential journals were “Soil and Tillage Research” and “Field Crops Research”, with 131 and 85 papers with 6861 and 6186 citations, respectively. The performance analysis found “Christian L. Thierfelder” and “Mangi Lal Jat” as the eminent researchers in the areas of maize research under CA. Thus, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) were identified as the important institutions in conducting research pertaining to maize under CA systems, while the United States, India, and Mexico emerged as prominent countries with notable collaboration efforts for imparting research under the given scenarios. Three thematic clusters delineating keywords from three distinct sections—key drivers, objectives, and methodology—were identified through co-word analysis using word clouds, tree maps, and thematic networking of the keywords from the abstract and titles of screened publications. These thematic clusters highlighted the growing emphasis on region-specific studies under CA, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and the Indo-Gangetic plain, to enhance the resilience of the agri-food system. Therefore, mapping maize’s potentialities within the CA framework has revealed the field’s dynamic nature and offers insightful information to researchers and policymakers that could help them plan future studies and cooperative initiatives aimed at boosting the productivity and sustainability of maize-based systems under the CA framework. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management and Sustainable Agricultural Production: 2nd Edition)
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