Search Results (480)

The succession crisis in Japan’s rural communities has made external growth strategies, particularly corporate farm mergers and acquisitions (M&A), crucial for preserving agricultural resources and maintaining rural land governance. Simultaneously, agribusinesses must pursue Creating Shared Value (CSV) for regional sustainable development. This study empirically examines the mechanisms underlying M&A execution among agricultural corporations and clarifies the structural dilemmas faced by CSV-oriented agricultural corporations in maintaining rural land governance. Using structural equation modeling and comparative analysis on a nationwide survey of 388 corporate farms, we analyzed relationships between organizational capacity, management goals, and M&A. Results show that M&A execution is positively associated with scale-based organizational capacity—a proxy for internal management systems and absorptive capabilities—rather than financial surplus. However, farms prioritizing CSV goals, such as farmland maintenance, face a critical structural dilemma. Motivated by socioemotional wealth and community ties, they informally assume local farmland without profit to prevent land abandonment and sustain the rural landscape. This non-strategic burden depletes resources and suppresses the organizational capacity required for formal M&A and post-merger integration. Furthermore, these CSV-oriented farms remain isolated from existing financial ecosystems, underutilizing banks for M&A coordination. To prevent synergy traps and foster sustainable land governance, the findings suggest that financial institutions may benefit from redefining their roles. Rather than solely providing acquisition capital, they could potentially serve as regional ecosystem coordinators by offering capacity-building support to CSV-oriented farms. Full article

This study analyzes land use dynamics in Fălticeni Municipality over four decades (1985–2025), examining the influence of major political, socio-economic, and demographic changes on urban development. The transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy, Romania’s democratic transformation and European integration, together with migration and population dynamics, have driven largely unregulated urban expansion at the expense of agricultural land and natural landscapes. Recent urban growth has also extended into areas with varying geomorphological vulnerability, increasing exposure to landslide hazards, while the city continues to face challenges related to abandoned industrial areas and insufficient forested land and green spaces. By integrating land use change analysis with physical vulnerability indicators, this study highlights the need for risk-informed and sustainable urban planning in medium-sized cities. It proposes a planning framework based on ecological zoning, controlled urban expansion on suitable terrain, brownfield redevelopment, the establishment of peri-urban forests, and the implementation of essential infrastructure supported by comprehensive geomorphological susceptibility assessments. The proposed approach provides practical guidance for enhancing urban resilience and can be replicated in other cities facing similar environmental and development challenges. Full article

Farmland abandonment has become an increasingly important challenge for the sustainable use of cultivated land worldwide. Although agricultural cooperatives can help mitigate farmland abandonment, their effectiveness has historically been limited in China due to their relatively weak organizational capacity and irregular development. This study argues that the County-wide Cooperative Quality Improvement Policy (CCQIP) improves the operational performance of agricultural cooperatives, thereby strengthening their capacity to mitigate farmland abandonment. Using geospatial data, we identify farmland abandonment at the county level in China and develop and test an analytical framework based on two mechanisms: increasing agricultural returns and improving service provision. The results show that the CCQIP significantly reduces the area of farmland abandonment. This effect is primarily achieved through three channels: promoting agricultural product branding, increasing the use of agricultural socialized services, and enhancing the vitality of the farmland transfer market. Heterogeneity analysis further indicates that the policy has stronger effects in major grain-producing regions and in rice-dominant areas. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of the CCQIP on farmland abandonment becomes stronger as the region’s comparative advantage in agriculture increases. Full article

Cultivated land abandonment poses a growing threat to regional food security and sustainable land resource allocation in tropical island regions, making the accurate identification of its spatio-temporal characteristics and driving mechanisms an urgent research priority. This study addresses existing research gaps by examining cultivated land abandonment in Hainan Island from 2000 to 2025. Utilizing multi-temporal remote sensing images and a geographical detector model, this study analyzes the spatio-temporal evolution patterns and driving mechanisms of abandonment. The findings indicate that the scale of abandoned cultivated land exhibits a phased trend characterized by sharp expansion, significant contraction, and minor fluctuations. Spatially, it displays a pattern of higher values in the northeast and lower values in the southwest, with coastal areas exhibiting greater abandonment than inland regions. Natural factors serve as fundamental constraints, socio-economic factors act as the primary driving forces, and locational factors have gradually assumed dominance. All factors demonstrate a two-factor enhancement effect following interaction. This study underscores the necessity for region-specific strategies to mitigate cultivated land abandonment and promote sustainable agricultural development in tropical island areas. Full article

Abandoned paddy wetlands (APWs) develop after rice cultivation ceases and may support carbon sequestration, soil conservation, and sustainable management of abandoned agricultural land. This study quantified soil and biomass carbon in six reference APWs in the central region of the Republic of Korea. Following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (GPG-LULUCF), soil samples were collected to a depth of 30 cm to estimate soil organic matter (OM), soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil organic carbon storage per unit area (SOCS). Land cover-based carbon absorption was evaluated within 300 m hydro-ecological impact zones for 2000, 2013, and 2021, and biomass carbon was estimated for woody, herbaceous, and mixed communities using field measurements and drone LiDAR-derived vegetation structure. The mean OM and SOC contents were 33.7 and 19.54 g/kg, respectively. The corrected mean SOCS was 61.20 ± 22.28 kg/m² (unadjusted mean: 67.97 kg/m²), approximately 8.5–40 times the reference values reported for South Korean forest soils and urban parks. The mapped mean carbon absorption was 20.45 tCO₂/ha in 2000, 35.30 tCO₂/ha in 2013, and 38.14 tCO₂/ha in 2021. Because only three mapped years were analyzed, these values describe observed differences and do not establish a continuous temporal trajectory or a stable plateau. The findings suggest that APWs may contribute to sustainable land management, wetland restoration, soil conservation, and climate-change mitigation through carbon retention in soils and vegetation. These field data provide region-specific evidence for evaluating sustainable management strategies and complementing broader-scale soil–vegetation carbon models. Full article

Under the dual pressures of increasing fragmentation of farmland and profound changes in the agricultural labor force, the problem of abandoned farmland in rural China has become increasingly prominent, posing a serious threat to food security. Previous studies have mainly focused on the impact of socioeconomic factors on farmland abandonment behavior; however, there remains a lack of systematic investigations into the underlying mechanisms through which farmland fragmentation influences farmers’ land-use decisions. Therefore, this study applies behavioral theory to construct a “fragmentation–mechanization–abandonment” analytical framework to analyze the potential mechanisms of land-use decision-making. Using micro-level household survey data from multiple provinces across China, we conduct empirical tests through Probit models and Karlson Holm and Breen (KHB) mediation effect analysis. Our findings include: (1) Farmland fragmentation significantly increases the probability of farmland abandonment, which remains robust across multiple tests. (2) Farmland fragmentation indirectly influences abandonment behavior through the mediating variable of agricultural mechanization level, but this mechanism plays only a partial mediating role. (3) Heterogeneity tests indicate that the positive effect of farmland fragmentation is significantly stronger among households with low access to finance than among those with high access to finance. This influence is also stronger among households with high farmland accessibility. This study indicates that abandonment governance requires moving beyond a singular focus on land consolidation and shifting toward a synergistic approach that combines differentiated regional strategies with targeted support for smallholders. From a micro-mechanism perspective, this study provides empirical evidence for targeted implementation of land consolidation and livelihood support for smallholders, offering important policy implications for achieving agricultural modernization. Full article

Legume cultivation offers a chance for agricultural development on lands that have been abandoned over the years. In this study, simple agronomic indicators on the growth and yield of faba bean (Vicia faba L.), pea (Pisum sativum L.), and white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) were assessed on the abandoned agricultural lands of Foloi Plateau in Western Greece. Field trials were conducted from October 2023 to July 2025, and the legumes were grown either according to the false seedbed concept or with conventional seedbed preparation practices (direct sowing). The false seedbed involves pre-sowing weed control following initial seedbed preparation, and in these trials, it suppressed weed density by 62–77%. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) of faba bean and pea increased by 13% on the false seedbed plots, while white lupin NDVI was not affected by treatments (p ≥ 0.05). Destructive crop biomass measurements were in accordance with NDVI assessments. Faba bean and pea seed yield demonstrated an increase of 17% and 23%, respectively, in the false seedbed plots compared to direct sowing plots. White lupin seed yield was not significantly affected by false seedbed (p ≥ 0.05). This study provides preliminary evidence supporting the use of legume crops as a component of sustainable agricultural revitalization in the Foloi region. However, further research is required to optimize legume cultivation on the abandoned lands of the wider region as a first step towards the agricultural revitalization in the Plateau. Full article

Agricultural land abandonment is widespread in high-latitude regions, yet its effects on soil microbial communities in permafrost ecosystems remain insufficiently understood. In this study, we used a 0–25 year chronosequence of abandoned soils in the Yamalo–Nenets Autonomous Okrug to analyze the succession of soil microbial communities and compared them with mature reference Podzols. Soil physicochemical properties, microbial community composition, and potential functional changes were systematically assessed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, multivariate statistical analyses, and functional prediction. The results showed that, in mature soils, SOC was the key factor driving microbial community variation, whereas in agricultural and abandoned soils, available nutrients were the main factors influencing microbial community structure. The abandonment process also constrained soil microbial mineralization. The dominant microbial phyla mainly included Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, Verrucomicrobiota, Bacteroidota, and Actinobacteriota, while the relative abundances of other taxa differed markedly among land-use stages. Agricultural soils were dominated by copiotrophic microbial groups, whereas microbial communities in abandoned soils gradually shifted toward oligotrophic groups with increasing recovery time, and some taxa associated with the degradation of complex carbon substrates also increased in abundance. Functional analysis further indicated that carbon and phosphorus cycling functions in soil microbial communities exhibited a certain degree of functional redundancy, whereas nitrogen-cycling functions depended more strongly on specific microbial taxa. Land abandonment promoted an increase in the abundance of genes related to microbial carbon metabolism in soil. However, even after 25 years of abandonment, microbial community composition and functional potential had not fully recovered to the level of mature reference Podzols, indicating that agricultural disturbance exerts long-term legacy effects on soil microbiomes in permafrost-affected regions. Full article

Non-grain use of cultivated land (NGUCL) in ecologically fragile regions has become a major challenge to food security and land sustainability, yet its spatiotemporal dynamics, spatial spillover effects, and associated factors remain insufficiently understood. Taking Ningxia, China, as a typical semi-arid to arid transition zone, this study developed a phenology-informed framework that combined multi-temporal Landsat imagery, random forest classification, spatial autocorrelation analysis, centroid and standard deviation ellipse models, and a spatial lag model to identify and analyze NGUCL in 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. Within the cultivated land boundary, NGUCL was further decomposed into cash crop-cultivated farmland (CCCF) and farmland abandonment (FA). The results show that the classification framework achieved robust performance, with overall accuracies above 85% across the benchmark years. Food-crop mapping reached an OA of 86.38–90.12% and a Kappa of 0.80–0.85, while FA mapping reached an OA of 85.60–86.74% and a Kappa of 0.70–0.72. NGUCL in Ningxia exhibited strong subregional differentiation under the gradients of northern irrigation, central arid, and southern mountainous conditions. CCCF was more closely associated with irrigated and agriculturally productive areas, whereas FA was concentrated in ecologically constrained counties and showed stronger dispersion and migration complexity. Spatial econometric results further indicate significant spatial spillover effects, suggesting that NGUCL-related processes in one county are associated with those in neighboring counties. The effects of natural, socioeconomic, and agricultural production factors also varied by type and period, indicating that NGUCL in ecologically fragile regions is not a homogeneous land-use transition process. By distinguishing CCCF from FA, this study provides a more nuanced interpretation of NGUCL and offers empirical evidence for understanding cultivated land transition and governance in ecologically fragile areas. Full article

Traditional wooden granaries in rural Türkiye are disappearing at an accelerating rate due to agricultural abandonment, rural depopulation, and the absence of systematic documentation and conservation frameworks. In the Sındırgı district of Balıkesir, one of the richest concentrations of vernacular granary architecture in the Marmara Region, these structures remain largely unprotected and unstudied within a sustainable design framework, constituting an urgent conservation challenge. This study aims to assess the current preservation status of Sındırgı granaries, classify their typological diversity, and evaluate their sustainability performance against a defined set of ecological design criteria. A mixed methods approach was employed, combining a systematic literature review with extensive fieldwork across 33 neighborhoods. In total, 1411 granaries were identified and grouped into five typologies: evli, Simav, kabak, sandık, and üstü örtülü sandık. These typologies were systematically compared to five parameters: spatial distribution across neighborhoods, plan and section geometry, construction system and structural elements, material selection and condition, and preservation status. This comparison revealed that typological variation is not incidental but directly reflects differences in land ownership, agricultural production capacity, topography, and distance from the district center. Representative examples from each typology were documented through onsite measurements, photogrammetry, technical drawings, and interviews with local craftsmen. The sustainability performance of the granaries was then assessed across seven ecological design criteria: spatial organization, building form design, structural element design, material use and conservation, design with nature, urban design area planning, and nature interaction. The findings demonstrate that the long-term durability of these structures depends on an interrelated system of climate-responsive design decisions rather than any single factor. The study concludes by proposing a holistic conservation model comprising typology-based inventory, roof water moisture-focused intervention, periodic monitoring, and transmission of vernacular building knowledge, a framework applicable to comparable rural granary heritage across the region. Full article

Nepal has undergone significant land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes from 2000 to 2020, driven by urbanization, agricultural shifts, and broader socioeconomic dynamics. This study analyzes historical changes and projects LULC dynamics for 2030, 2040, and 2050 across four scenarios: Business-as-Usual (BAU), Rapid Urban Development (RUD), Forest Degradation and Terai Contraction (FDTC), and Agricultural Land Abandonment and Ecological Recovery (ALER). A CA–Markov modeling framework in TerrSet was used to simulate future land-use patterns, utilizing scenario-specific transition probability matrices and spatial constraints to reflect different socio-economic and policy assumptions. Under the BAU scenario, land-use change remains moderate, characterized by gradual urban expansion and limited forest decline. On the contrary, the RUD scenario predicts a drastic expansion of built-up areas by about 1.44 million ha, along with significant losses of cropland, bare soil, grassland, and forest, reflecting intensified development pressure. The FDTC scenario emphasizes agricultural expansion at the expense of forests, while urban growth remains limited. Conversely, the ALER scenario demonstrates strong ecological recovery driven by cropland abandonment and secondary vegetation regeneration, resulting in notable expansion of forest and other woody land. Overall, these four scenarios reveal sharply divergent land-use trajectories, ranging from rapid urban transformation to ecosystem restoration. These contrasting land-use pathways highlight the critical importance of integrated land-use policies that can proactively manage urban expansion, safeguard high-value agricultural and forest landscapes, and promote ecological restoration through incentives for agricultural land abandonment and secondary vegetation recovery, thereby ensuring long-term sustainability and climate resilience in Nepal. Full article

Mountainous Mediterranean rivers provide essential ecosystem services but are increasingly affected by land-use change, hydraulic works, and inadequate wastewater management. This study investigates the links between geomorphological transformation and river water quality in the Central Eurytania drainage basin (Greece) over the past two decades, within the institutional framework of European and Greek environmental legislation, with emphasis on the protection and restoration of aquatic ecosystems. Georeferenced satellite imagery from 2003/2010 and 2023, Google Earth Engine (GEE, Python Earth Engine API: 1.7.20)-based spatial analysis, high-resolution UAV orthomosaics, and seasonal spectrophotometric analyses were integrated to assess spatial and temporal dynamics. Results indicate that land-use changes, including the construction of solar parks, expansion of tourism infrastructure, and partial agricultural abandonment, reflect ongoing socio-economic shifts influencing fluvial processes. Water-quality analyses further showed that channel alteration and wastewater inputs jointly degrade ecological conditions. The findings highlight the need for integrated watershed management focused on riparian buffer restoration, improved wastewater control, and systematic monitoring of hydromorphological change. The proposed interdisciplinary framework contributes to the assessment of environmental resilience in Mediterranean mountainous watersheds, which are increasingly vulnerable to climatic and socio-economic pressures. Full article

Agricultural land transformation significantly affects ecosystem services (ES), yet its impacts across different topographic gradients remain unclear, hindering integrated land management in karst mountainous areas. Using Puding County, Guizhou Province, as a case study, this research employed the land-use transfer matrix, the InVEST model, and Spearman correlation analysis to examine the spatiotemporal patterns and relationships between agricultural land transformation and ES from 2004 to 2024. The findings indicate: (1) Agricultural land transformation shows distinct topographic differentiation: non-agricultural conversion and agricultural intensification dominate low-topographic positions; ecological land use conversion and agricultural intensification coexist in mid-topographic positions; and ecological land use conversion prevails in high-topographic positions. (2) ES vary consistently along topographic gradients: soil retention and carbon storage increase with elevation, food supply concentrates in low topographic positions, and water yield changes are most pronounced at low topographic positions. (3) Topography regulates the ecological effects of transformation pathways: ecological land use conversion enhances regulating services in high-topographic positions, while farmland abandonment increases erosion risk; composite transformation promotes a dynamic balance between services in mid-topographic positions; and agricultural intensification improves food supply but intensifies water competition in low-topographic positions, whereas non-agricultural conversion degrades multiple ecosystem services. This study provides a scientific basis for zoned land management and sustainable development in karst mountainous areas. Full article

Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics and underlying drivers of invasive species is crucial for moving beyond descriptive monitoring to predictive management. The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren, RIFA) continues to spread globally, yet studies often lack the seasonal and cross-habitat resolution needed to explain the puzzling heterogeneity of infestations within urban landscapes—such as the stark contrast between high-density agricultural zones and low-density urban green spaces. To address this gap, we conducted a four-season, city-wide survey of 129 sites across four dominant habitat types (farmlands, fishponds, orchards, and urban green spaces) in Guangzhou, a core city of the GBA. Using inverse distance weighting interpolation, kernel density estimation, and spatial autocorrelation, we sought to examine not only the spatial patterns of RIFA distribution but also its potential contributing factors. Our analysis points to three key observations. First, the occurrence level of RIFA appears to follow a significant gradient (farmlands > fishponds > orchards > urban green spaces), suggesting that idle agricultural lands may serve as core reservoirs. Second, we observed a pronounced seasonal bimodal pattern, with peak infestation indices in spring and autumn—a dynamic that seems closely associated with agricultural disturbance cycles. Third, spatial analysis (Global Moran’s I = 0.346, p < 0.001) revealed significant clustering, with “high-high” clusters concentrated in peripheral suburban districts. Notably, abandoned or idle farmlands emerged as a potentially important factor, possibly acting as dispersal hubs that help bridge these spatial and temporal peaks and offering one explanation for how local outbreaks may spread across the landscape. Collectively, these findings suggest that RIFA distribution may not be driven solely by static habitat suitability or climate; instead, they point to the importance of considering the dynamic interplay between land-use legacies (such as abandonment), seasonal agricultural practices, and spatial connectivity. By elucidating these drivers, this study refines the theoretical framework of urban invasion biology and provides a replicable, evidence-based control paradigm. We suggest implementing a “zoned, seasonal, and pathway-specific” management strategy that prioritizes suburban farmland complexes during critical seasons and targets abandoned lands for intervention, offering a path towards more sustainable and precise regional RIFA control in the GBA and beyond. Full article

While return migrant workers (RMWs) are increasingly viewed as key to rural development, their specific impact on grain production remains ambiguous. Clarifying this role is critical to manage the dual nature of their reintegration—leveraging valuable resources and knowledge while addressing complex reintegration challenges—to ensure national food security and advance agricultural modernization. Drawing on data from the 2018 China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS), this study explicitly tests the hypothesis that migration experience significantly reduces the likelihood that RMW households engage in grain production. The empirical results from probit models support this hypothesis, and this finding is robust across multiple specifications. Further analysis shows that migration experience significantly reduces land cultivation scales—especially among larger producers—and increases land abandonment. Additionally, it inhibits technology adoption or invest in agricultural technology. These results suggest that migration experience may weaken, rather than enhance, RMWs’ commitment to grain production, challenging the policy expectation that they can lead agricultural transformation. The study calls for more nuanced policy interventions that account for the structural constraints facing RMW households and their limited contribution to large-scale, efficient grain farming. Full article