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Sustainable Rural Development and Agricultural Policy
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Sustainable Rural Development and Agricultural Policy

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 2237

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Changbin Yin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: agricultural resource utilization; agricultural green development; agricultural economic theory and policy
Dr. Qiang Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Business, Shandong Management University, Jinan 250357, China
Interests: rural green development; resources and environmental economics; agricultural circular economy; green consumption behavior
Dr. Shu Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Jinan University-University of Birmingham Joint Institute, Jinan University, 855 Xingye E. Ave., Guangzhou 511436, China
Interests: agricultural economics; population, resources and environmental economics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to announce the new Special Issue “Sustainable Rural Development and Agricultural Policy” of the journal Sustainability. In the wake of escalating environmental challenges and the pressing need for sustainable practices, the quest for sustainable rural development and agricultural policy has never been more critical. This research area sits at the intersection of environmental science, agricultural technology, and socio-economic policy, offering innovative solutions for long-term sustainability in rural communities worldwide. The scientific background of this field draws on a multidisciplinary approach, integrating ecological, technological, and policy-oriented perspectives to address the complex challenges of modern agriculture and rural development. Highlighting the importance of this research area, the pursuit of sustainability in these sectors is not only vital for ensuring food security and economic stability but also for conserving biodiversity, managing natural resources wisely, and mitigating the impacts of climate change.The aim of this special issue, “Sustainable Rural Development and Agricultural Policy”, is to showcase cutting-edge research that contributes to the advancement of sustainable practices and policies in rural areas and agriculture. This issue seeks to highlight studies that offer insights into effective strategies for promoting environmental sustainability, socio-economic development, and resilience in rural communities, aligning closely with the journal's scope of fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and innovation in sustainability science. By bringing together a diverse array of research articles, case studies, and reviews, this special issue aims to catalyze discussions and inform policy-making processes, thereby contributing to the broader goals of sustainable development and environmental stewardship.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

  • Green development of agriculture;
  • Innovative agricultural practices for enhancing sustainability;
  • Common prosperity of rural residents;
  • The role of technology in sustainable rural development;
  • Policy frameworks and incentives for sustainable agriculture;
  • Climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies for rural communities;
  • Socio-economic impacts of sustainable agricultural practices;
  • Agricultural waste resource utilization;
  • Rural green consumption;
  • Sustainable land use planning and management;
  • Case studies of successful sustainable rural development projects.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Changbin Yin
Dr. Qiang Wang
Dr. Shu Wang
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. 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

  • sustainable agriculture
  • green development
  • green consumption
  • rural development
  • agricultural policy
  • environmental sustainability
  • climate change adaptation
  • sustainable technologies
  • socio-economic
  • farm planning

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 5269 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of High-Level Construction of Rural Living Environment in China Under the Incentive Policies
by Jiarui Wang, Shuoxin Yang, Siwei Hu, Qian Li, Chong Liu, Yi Gao, Jianyin Huang, Christopher W. K. Chow, Fang Liu and Xiangqun Zheng
Sustainability 2025, 17(1), 107; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17010107 - 27 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 904
Abstract
Improving the rural living environment is of great significance in enhancing the life quality of rural residents and promoting rural sustainable development. The Chinese government initiated a nationwide three-year action in 2018, followed by a five-year campaign starting in 2021, to improve the [...] Read more.
Improving the rural living environment is of great significance in enhancing the life quality of rural residents and promoting rural sustainable development. The Chinese government initiated a nationwide three-year action in 2018, followed by a five-year campaign starting in 2021, to improve the rural living environment. Despite these efforts, comprehensive assessment covering multiple facets of the rural living environment at the national level remained scarce. A novel evaluation method was proposed in this study that included seven aspects and nineteen indicators, applied AHP for weighting, and PLS-SEM to analyze the relationships between variables. Then, the completion of key tasks of rural living environment improvement in 37 counties, which were incentivized by the State Council on account of its excellent governance results, was comprehensively investigated and evaluated. The assessment of key tasks in the 37 incentivized counties revealed high completion in rural household solid waste disposal, domestic sewage treatment, and toilet improvement. However, the level of the rural living environment was uneven among different regions, and the progress varied in different key tasks. The funds input had a greater impact on the comprehensive level of rural living environment than social and economic factors. Accordingly, the government should provide more targeted financial and policy support to underdeveloped areas. And priority should be given to the sewage treatment and sanitation, especially in rural and remote areas. Furthermore, local governments should diversify funding sources to ensure the sustainability of rural living environment development. These findings provide a theoretical basis for developing policies and specific plans to address the challenges of financial investment and rural living environment management in China and other developing countries and regions worldwide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Rural Development and Agricultural Policy)
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Review

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29 pages, 3375 KiB  
Review
Towards Digital Transformation of Agriculture for Sustainable Development in China: Experience and Lessons Learned
by Shu Wang, Yueling Yang, Heyao Yin, Jianya Zhao, Ting Wang, Xiaomei Yang, Jing Ren and Changbin Yin
Sustainability 2025, 17(8), 3756; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083756 - 21 Apr 2025
Viewed by 567
Abstract
In the era of the digital economy, where digitization permeates all sectors of society, digital transformation in agriculture stands as a crucial solution for addressing the growing challenges in agricultural production. Amid the competition to enhance the resilience of sustainable food systems, China [...] Read more.
In the era of the digital economy, where digitization permeates all sectors of society, digital transformation in agriculture stands as a crucial solution for addressing the growing challenges in agricultural production. Amid the competition to enhance the resilience of sustainable food systems, China sets an exemplary model with its achievements in digital agricultural transformation, providing a blueprint for developing countries in Asia and the Pacific. Primarily based on statistical data and typical case studies, this paper presents analytical findings on how digital transformation of agriculture enhances the adoption of green agricultural practices and promotes inclusive development in China. In light of the intricate challenges faced by China’s food system, the adoption of digitization emerges to facilitate the transformation from conventional agriculture to smart and sustainable practices. The pathways by which digital transformation of agriculture have the potential to address the over-application of chemical fertilizer and irrigation water, mitigation of carbon emissions, and the challenge of climate change and contribute to environmental sustainability of agriculture have been discussed. The implementation of digital transformation in sustainable agriculture—which enhances green practices and social inclusiveness by promoting digital literacy, reducing workload, creating job opportunities for low-skilled labor, and developing rural inclusive finance—has been completely explored. The challenges in digital transformation of agriculture are explained in this paper, which also provides evidence-based policy recommendations for its sustainable development applicable to developing countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Rural Development and Agricultural Policy)
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