Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems in Southeast Asia and China

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 April 2024) | Viewed by 8445

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Qian Forrest Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University, Singapore
Interests: agrarian political economy; sociology of development; sustainability

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A sustainable agriculture and food system—a key in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals—is crucial for not only achieving food security and reducing hunger, but also enhancing environmental sustainability. Developing sustainable agriculture and food systems requires both the critical assessment of the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of the prevailing practices of industrial, productivist agriculture and creative imagination of more sustainable alternatives. For this Special Issue, we invite original research papers from a wide range of perspectives, disciplines, and methodologies that study the sustainability of agriculture and food systems in Southeast Asia and China. We encourage original research papers that either examine the impacts of agricultural production and food systems on socioeconomic and environmental sustainability or critically evaluate the experiences and viability of alternative practices of developing sustainable food systems.

We welcome papers that study various aspects of the food system, including agricultural production, food manufacturing and processing, food distribution and retail, food consumption, and food trade. As China has become a new “food import complex” in the region, if not globally, and is now the top destination of agricultural export for most Southeast Asian countries, we are particularly interested in studies that examine the impact of either exporting to the Chinese market or investment from China on the local agriculture and food systems in Southeast Asia.

Dr. Qian Forrest Zhang
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

sustainable agriculture
food system
rural development
smallholders
Southeast Asia
China

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

30 pages, 174885 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Conservation, Livelihoods, and Agrifood Systems in Papua and Jambi, Indonesia: A Case for Diverse Economies

by Angga Dwiartama, Zulfikar Ali Akbar, Rhino Ariefiansyah, Hendra Kurniawan Maury and Sari Ramadhan

Sustainability 2024, 16(5), 1996; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16051996 - 28 Feb 2024

Viewed by 737

Abstract

Community-based conservation in Indonesia is seamlessly intertwined with rural livelihoods and agriculture and food (agrifood) systems. In bridging conservation and livelihood, the state often imposes market-based mechanisms and value chain linkages onto smallholder farmers, which disparages other forms of livelihood strategies and modes of production. This paper, therefore, aims to document the diverse economies within forest-dependent communities that enable them to autonomously build a sustainable livelihood and contribute to conservation. We used Gibson-Graham’s diverse economies approach as a framework to understand the ways in which the diversity of economic means (subsistence, market-based, alternative) goes beyond a mere livelihood strategy, but also acts as a basis for a more democratic and inclusive conservation practice. To capture these livelihood stories, we employed participatory rural appraisal (PRA), in-depth semi-structured interviews with 89 key informants (including smallholder farmers, household members, community leaders, village officials, elders, and youths), and visual ethnographic approaches in six villages adjacent to forest areas in two provinces in Indonesia (Jambi and Papua). We conclude by emphasizing how the diverse economies approach helps in understanding the ways in which the local communities seamlessly move beyond various agrifood systems and modes of economies, while making the case that what emerges from this space of possibilities is an ethics, and politics, of care toward forest conservation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems in Southeast Asia and China)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 674 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Study on the Impact of External Shocks on the Resilience of China’s Grain Supply Chain

by Tao Zheng, Guiqian Zhao and Siwei Chu

Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 956; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16030956 - 23 Jan 2024

Viewed by 658

Abstract

Grain supply is the lifeblood of a country, and the stability of the supply chain is a crucial prerequisite for ensuring national grain security. This paper draws on the definition of resilience in physics and economics. It takes supply chain fracture resilience, impact resilience, and synergy resilience as the secondary indicators. It constructs a comprehensive evaluation indicator system of the grain supply chain resilience, measures the resilience indicator of China’s grain supply chain from 1996 to 2021, and analyzes the role of supply, cost, exchange rate, and other external shocks in influencing the resilience of China’s grain supply chain on this basis. The study found that the overall level of China’s total grain supply chain resilience has been growing year by year and can be divided into three stages: low-level stabilization stage, continuous growth stage, and high-level stabilization stage. Grain supply chain fracture resilience has been growing steadily, grain supply chain impact resilience fluctuation is more obvious, and grain supply chain synergy resilience has been changing more gently. In the inquiry of the impact of external shocks on the resilience of China’s grain supply chain, it was found that world grain exports and the RMB exchange rate have a significant positive impact on China’s grain supply chain resilience level, while the international oil price has a significant negative impact. Based on this, the paper puts forward suggestions for ensuring stable production and supply in the grain market, improving the structure of foreign trade in grain, and actively coping with international commodity price shocks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems in Southeast Asia and China)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 1090 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of the Digital Economy on Food System Resilience: Insights from a Study across 190 Chinese Towns

by Haifeng Wang, Guangsi Li and Yunzhi Hu

Sustainability 2023, 15(24), 16898; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416898 - 15 Dec 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 827

Abstract

This study explores the impact of the digital economy on the resilience of the food system, employing data from 190 towns in China and a difference-in-differences (DID) model. The results indicate that, between 2011 and 2020, the progress of the digital economy was instrumental in driving continuous improvements in the food system’s resilience in China. This conclusion stands firm after accounting for endogenous issues and conducting comprehensive robustness tests. According to a mechanism test, the digital economy can impact the resilience of the food system through three avenues: digital technology, digital finance, and human capital. Further research indicates that the influence of the digital economy on the resilience of the food system varies across regions and different food functional zones. These findings offer fresh insights and empirical evidence into the linkages between the digital economy and food system resilience. Such insights may bolster the food system’s resilience in developing countries and promote sustainable food development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems in Southeast Asia and China)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 1170 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of Bioplastics from Cassava toward the Sustainability of Cassava Value Chain in Thailand

by Apichaya Lilavanichakul and Rangrong Yoksan

Sustainability 2023, 15(20), 14713; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152014713 - 10 Oct 2023

Viewed by 4750

Abstract

Population growth and urbanization in Thailand has generated negative environmental externalities and the underuse of agricultural materials. Plastics from cassava present an alternative that helps reduce the use of non-biodegradable petroleum-based plastics and can reshape a sustainable cassava value chain. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the cassava value chain, consumer acceptance, and the opportunities and challenges for developing bioplastics from cassava in Thailand. We analyze the value added to different applications of cassava products and investigate the consumer acceptance of bioplastic from cassava using a two-step cluster analysis. From an economic perspective, bioplastics based on cassava add a value of 14.8–22 times that of cassava roots. We conducted a survey of 915 respondents and found that consumer acceptance of bioplastic products from cassava accounts for 48.6% of all respondents, but few are willing to pay extra for them. We also found that the development of cassava-based bioplastic not only positively contributes to economic aspects but also generates beneficial long-term impacts on social and environmental aspects. Considering cassava supply, bioplastic production, and potential consumer acceptance, the development of bioplastics from cassava in Thailand faces several barriers and is growing slowly, but is needed to drive the sustainable cassava value chain. This study provides guidelines for businesses and the government to adopt bioplastics from cassava. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems in Southeast Asia and China)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 252 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adaptability of Maize Farmers to Drought and the Selection of Irrigation Period—A Survey of Irrigation Behavior of Farmers in the Three Provinces of Huang-Huai-Hai, China

by Wenjia Hou and Shudong Zhou

Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11759; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511759 - 30 Jul 2023

Viewed by 883

Abstract

The summer maize area of Huang-Huai-Hai is the main summer maize production area in China, droughts occur frequently during the growth period of summer maize and irrigation water resources are scarce in this region. This paper studied the adaptability of maize farmers to drought and the selection of irrigation period in the three provinces of Huang-Huai-Hai. The adaptability index of irrigation at different growth stages was analyzed by establishing an extended C-D production function model, while the marginal income of irrigation in each growth period was calculated based on the estimation results of adaptability index model. The results showed that: (1) The growth period with the largest adaptability index in the three provinces of Huang-Huai-Hai was milk ripening stage. The adaptability index in milk ripening stage in Hebei, Henan, and Shandong was 1.063, 1.081, and 1.053, respectively. (2) The maize key growth periods of water sensitivity in the three provinces of Huang-Huai-Hai were tasseling period and milk ripening period, and in most cases, the irrigation period of farmers was consistent with the key growth period of water sensitivity. (3) In Hebei, Henan, and Shandong provinces, the marginal benefits of irrigation were greater than the marginal costs in each growth period. The marginal income of irrigation during tasseling period in the three provinces was relatively large, and tasseling period was the preferred irrigation period of most farmers. To optimize future irrigation water allocation, farmers should prioritize ensuring sufficient water supply during tasseling stage and milk ripening stage in Hebei and Shandong, and during big bell mouth stage and tasseling stage in Henan. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems in Southeast Asia and China)

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems in Southeast Asia and China

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (5 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI