Search Results (1,111)

Against the backdrop of global agricultural transformation, rural China faces the critical challenge of reconciling economic development with environmental conservation and social well-being. This study, grounded in the rural revitalization strategy, investigates the internal mechanisms, level measurement, and sustainable development paths of rural industrial integration based on the “Triple Integration of Production, Livelihood and Ecology” (PLE) philosophy. Firstly, we discussed the suitability and the mechanisms of this philosophy on China’s rural industrial integration. Secondly, based on a textual corpus extracted from academic journals and policy documents, we employed an LDA topic model to cluster the themes and construct an evaluation indicator system comprising 29 indicators. Then, utilizing data from the China Statistical Yearbook and the China Rural Statistical Yearbook (2013–2022), we measured the level of China’s rural industrial integration using the entropy method. The composite integration index displays a continuous upward trend over 2013–2022, accelerating markedly after the 2015 stimulus policy, yet a temporary erosion of “production–livelihood–ecology” synergy occurred in 2020 owing to an exogenous shock. Lastly, combining the system dynamics model, we simulated over the period 2023–2030 the three sustainable development scenarios: green ecological development priority, livelihood standard development priority and production level development priority. Research has shown that (1) the “Triple Synergy of Production, Livelihood and Ecology” philosophy and China’s rural industrial integration are endogenously unified, and they form a two-way mutual mechanism with the common goal of sustainable development. (2) China’s rural industrial integration under this philosophy is characterized by production-dominated development and driven mainly by processing innovation and service investment, but can be constrained by ecological fragility and external shocks. (3) System dynamics simulations reveal that the production-development priority scenario (Scenario 3) is the most effective pathway, suggesting that the production system is a vital engine driving the sustainable development of China’s rural industrial integration, with digitalization and technological innovation significantly improving integration efficiency. In the future, efforts should focus on transitioning towards a people-centered model by restructuring cooperative equity for farmer ownership, building community-based digital commons to bridge capability gaps, and creating market mechanisms to monetize and reward conservation practices. Full article

The recent advancements in blockchain technology have also expanded its applications to smart agricultural fields, leading to increased research and studies in areas such as supply chain traceability systems and insurance systems. Policies and reward systems built on top of centralized systems face several problems and issues, including data integrity issues, modifications in data readings, third-party banking vulnerabilities, and central point failures. The current paper discusses how farming is becoming a leading cause of water and electricity wastage and introduces a novel idea called IncentiveChain. To keep a limit on the usage of resources in farming, we implemented an application for distributing cryptocurrency to the producers, as the farmers are responsible for the activities in farming fields. Launching incentive schemes can benefit farmers economically and attract more interest and attention. We provide a state-of-the-art architecture and design through distributed storage, which will include using edge points and various technologies affiliated with national agricultural departments and regional utility companies to make IncentiveChain practical. We successfully demonstrate the execution of the IncentiveChain application by transferring crypto-ether from utility company accounts to farmer accounts in a decentralized system application. With this system, the ether is distributed to the farmer more securely using the blockchain, which in turn removes third-party banking vulnerabilities and central, cloud, and blockchain constraints and adds data trust and authenticity. Full article

This study aims to explore whether the dual-scale management model, formed by integrating service-scale management with land-scale management, can further break through the benefit limits of single land-scale management and unlock additional profit potential in agricultural scale operations. This study used data from a 2024 questionnaire survey of 2166 farming households in Anhui Province and employed a coupling coordination degree model to measure the level of dual-scale management. Subsequently, we utilized OLS regression and mediation effect models to empirically examine the impact of dual-scale management on agricultural operational benefit and their underlying mechanisms. We find that dual-scale management significantly improves agricultural operational benefit. Our measurements show that dual-scale management not only breaks through the upper limit of the optimal operating area inherent in single land-scale management but also yields a greater improvement in agricultural operational benefit than single land-scale management. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that dual-scale management significantly enhances the agricultural operational benefit of farmers in plain areas and farmers with fully developed high-standard farmland. Mechanism analysis indicates that dual-scale management enhances agricultural operational benefit through an endogenous efficiency improvement mechanism and an exogenous risk-burden-sharing mechanism. These findings suggest that fostering a synergistic development system for land-scale management and service-scale management is conducive to improving the economic returns for land scale operators and unlocking new dividend spaces for agricultural scale operation in China’s post-land transfer era. Full article

As cattle are criticized for contributing to environmental problems by emitting pollutants, it is expected that environmental regulations on livestock will be strengthened. This will lead to an increase in the costs and benefits associated with these regulations. This paper develops a model that clearly shows the effects of environmental regulations on the production costs for cattle-breeding farmers and the changes in social welfare, as well as environmental benefits. The benefits associated with the regulation are measured by evaluating reductions in both greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia emissions. These benefits are then compared to the reduction in social welfare. According to the analysis, the reduction in social welfare, in terms of consumer and producer surplus, outweighs the environmental benefits. These results suggest that, in designing environmental regulations, policy measures are needed to alleviate producers’ economic burdens and minimize reductions in social welfare through byproduct utilization and technical support. Furthermore, this study contributes to laying the institutional foundation for the sustainable development of the livestock industry and the reduction in management costs associated with manure treatment. Full article

Ridge and furrow planting is a prevalent drought-resistant cultivation technique in dryland regions. Notably, the effects of this technology on crop grain yield and quality in dryland maize–wheat double-cropping systems remain limited. This study utilized a long-term positioning experiment initiated in 2004, which included five treatments: a permanent ridge and furrow with a border ridge of 133 cm row space (PRFBR); a ridge and furrow created each year with a border ridge of 133 cm row space (EYRFBR); a permanent ridge with a normal ridge of 100 cm row space (PRFNR); a ridge and furrow created each year with a normal ridge of 100 cm row space (EYRFNR), and a conventional flat planting pattern according to the local farmer (CF). The crop grain yield in 2015–2021, as well as the protein and phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) content in maize and wheat grains, and the protein components in winter wheat grains in 2020–2021 were investigated. The results showed that, compared to CF, all four ridge and furrow planting patterns significantly enhanced crop yield in dry and normal years, and the effects varied depending on crop species, with increases of 45.3–97.8% for wheat and 11.0–33.8% increases annually in dry years; and 24.5–51.6% increases for maize and 12.2–37.5% increases annually in the normal years. EYRFBR treatment increased wheat grain P and K content by 24.3% and 13.7%, as well as increasing the total protein, albumin, gliadin, soluble protein, and storage protein content by 9.7%, 22.3%, 9.6%, 14.5%, and 5.6%, whereas PRFNR reduced the glutenin content and glutenin/gliadin ratio in winter wheat grains by 5.1% and 10.9%, respectively. The yield achieved with a permanent ridge and furrow (PRF) surpassed that achieved when the ridge and furrow was created anew each year (EYRF), yet the normal ridge width (NR) outperformed the border ridge width (BR). However, the P, K, protein, and protein component content in wheat grains under EYRF was superior to that under PRF. Comprehensive evaluations through principal component analysis (PCA) and TOPSIS analysis consistently demonstrated that the EYRFBR treatment delivered optimal performance in yield and quality for winter and annual, while PRFNR achieved superior yield for summer maize. Consequently, in dryland maize–wheat double-cropping systems, an EYRFBR planting pattern should be recommended for high-yield and high-quality wheat production; however, the PRFNR planting pattern is more suitable for summer maize production. Full article

The withdrawal of rural households from contracted farmland optimizes land resource allocation, aligning with urbanization and agricultural modernization goals, and supports agricultural transformation and urban–rural integration. Utilizing survey data from 1478 rural households in Shanghai and Wuhan suburbs, this study employs ordered Probit models and mediation effect tests to examine how urban social security influences farmland withdrawal and the role of pension income. Results indicate that within the context of new urbanization, 56.90% of rural households exhibit a social security participation rate exceeding 50%, with urban social security enrollment significantly facilitating the withdrawal of contracted farmland by suburban rural households. Specifically, a one-unit rise in the proportion of insured individuals escalates the likelihood of permanent farmland withdrawal by 25%. Among these, pension income plays a positive mediating role in the process of urban social security influencing farmers’ withdrawal from farmland. Participation in urban social security enhances farmers’ pension income levels, thereby strengthening their farmland withdrawal degree. Consequently, to effectively advance the mechanism for rural farmland withdrawal, social security emerges as a fundamental pillar. This study furnishes empirical backing for the “substituting land security with social security” proposition and offers crucial insights for enhancing rural land withdrawal policies. Full article

Soil moisture content is an important determinant of crop productivity, especially in agricultural systems that are dependent on rainfall. Climate variability has introduced water management challenges for smallholder farmers in Southern Africa. The emergence of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-borne remote sensing offers modern solutions for monitoring soil moisture, plant health and overall crop productivity in real-time. This study evaluated the utility of UAV-acquired data in conjunction with random forest regression in predicting soil moisture content and chlorophyll across different growth stages of taro. The estimation models achieved R² values up to 0.90 with rRMSE as low as 1.25%, demonstrating the robust performance of random forest in concert with different spectral datasets in estimating soil moisture and chlorophyll. Correlation analysis confirmed the association between these two variables, with the strongest correlation observed during the vegetative stage (r = 0.81, p < 0.05) and the weakest during the late vegetative stage (r = 0.78, p < 0.05). The results showed that UAV bands were crucial in predicting soil moisture and chlorophyll across all stages. These results demonstrate the utility of remote sensing, particularly UAV-borne sensors, in monitoring crop productivity in smallholder farms. By employing UAV-borne sensors, farmers can improve on-farm water management and make better and more informed decisions. Full article

As China’s agriculture transitions toward high-quality development, reconciling agricultural green transformation with improved farmers’ income quality has become critical. This study seeks to investigate the effects of agricultural green development on the quality of farmers’ income from three dimensions: direct impact, structural influence, and heterogeneous characteristics. Leveraging provincial panel data from China spanning the period 2011 to 2022, a mixed-methods research design is adopted to conduct empirical analysis. First, the entropy weight method is applied to evaluate the comprehensive development level of agricultural green development and the quality of farmers’ income, along with their respective temporal variation features. On this basis, a two-way fixed effects model is then constructed to examine three core issues: the overall impact of agricultural green development on farmers’ income quality, as well as the structural heterogeneity and spatial heterogeneity characteristics inherent in this impact relationship. The results show that agricultural green development has significantly promoted farmers’ income quality in China, with improved resource utilization efficiency and output quality being the core driving factors, while environmentally friendly practices exhibit a negative effect in the short term. Specifically, agricultural green development significantly enhances income adequacy and structure but has a short-term inhibitory effect on income growth, with no significant impact on knowledge-based income. Regional heterogeneity analysis shows the strongest positive effect in the western region, followed by the eastern region, a negative impact in the northeastern region, and an insignificant effect in the central region. The income-increasing effect of green development is more significant in regions with poor natural resource endowments and low fiscal support for agriculture but is weakened in regions with high market vitality. This study provides a theoretical and practical basis for formulating differentiated agricultural green development policies and improving farmers’ income quality. These findings enrich the theoretical interface between agricultural green transformation and rural income improvement and offer actionable, region-specific policy insights by clarifying the constraints, key links and heterogeneous effects involved. Full article

As a major agricultural country, China is also one of the world’s most abundant sources of crop straw, with production expected to reach 900 million tons by 2025. As an agricultural by-product, straw has been widely regarded as a potential renewable resource. It is rich in organic matter and essential nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), playing a critical role in global carbon and nitrogen cycles, agricultural productivity, and green environmental development. The efficient and rational utilization of straw can not only meet the resource demands supporting economic growth but also contribute to environmental protection and sustainable social development in China. By closely integrating comprehensive straw utilization with the annual key tasks of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, the focus remains on prioritizing agricultural applications while adopting diversified measures. The efforts aim to improve straw utilization methods, strengthen technological support, explore replicable and sustainable industrial development models, and establish efficient utilization mechanisms to enhance the quality of agricultural straw use. To fully leverage the agricultural potential of straw, numerous technologies and equipment for straw utilization in agriculture have been developed in recent years, including straw harvesting and collecting equipment, straw crushing and returning-to-field equipment, full-straw seeding anti-clogging technology, combined straw and green manure returning-to-field equipment, and specialized straw seedling-raising equipment. Nevertheless, many challenges remain to be addressed, including bridging the equipment gap in mechanized processing, overcoming technical bottlenecks in resource conversion, and filling the lack of agronomy-adapted technologies. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive and critical analysis of present straw utilization technology and equipment in agriculture, discussing their potential benefits, limitations, and challenges, as well as future prospects and directions. This study provides insights from the perspective of key technologies and equipment to strengthen technological research, enhance straw’s agricultural potential, and explore green circular economy models in agriculture. By leveraging innovation in science and technology, it aims to ensure food security and improve grain production capacity. Full article

The measurement of available water for agricultural plants is a crucial parameter for farmers, particularly to plan irrigation. However, an area-wide measurement is often not trivial as there are several inputs and outputs of water into the system. Here, we present a high-resolution, remote sensing-based water balance model for starch potato cultivation, combining multispectral ground station data with UAV and satellite imagery. Over a three-year period (2021–2023), data from Arable Mark 2 ground stations, DJI Phantom 4 MS drones, PlanetScope satellites, and Sentinel-2 satellites were collected in Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, Germany. The model utilizes NDVI-based crop coefficients (R² = 0.999) to estimate evapotranspiration and integrates on-farm irrigation and precipitation data for precise water balance calculations. A correlation with reference NDVI observations by Arable Mark 2 systems can be shown for UAV (R² = 0.94), PlanetScope satellite data (R² = 0.94), and Sentinel-2 satellite data (R² = 0.93). We demonstrate the model’s ability to capture intra-site heterogeneity on a precision farming scale. Our spatially comprehensive model enables farmers to optimize irrigation strategies, reducing water and energy use. Although the results are based on sprinkler irrigation, the model remains adaptable for advanced irrigation methods such as drip and subsurface systems. Full article

This study investigates the combined impact of climate change and land use changes on water resources and soil conditions in the Litani River Basin (LRB) in Lebanon. The Mediterranean region, including the LRB, is highly vulnerable to climate change. This study utilizes the WiMMed (Water Integrated Management for Mediterranean Watersheds) model to assess hydrological variables such as infiltration, runoff, and soil moisture for the years 2009, 2014, and 2019. It considers 2019 climate conditions to project the 2040 scenarios for Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 2.6 and 8.5, incorporating the unique characteristics of the Mediterranean watershed. Results indicate a concerning trend of declining infiltration, runoff, and soil moisture, particularly under the more severe RCP 8.5 scenario, with the most significant reductions occurring during summer. Land use changes, such as deforestation and urban expansion, are identified as key contributors to reduced infiltration and increased runoff. This study highlights the critical role of soil moisture in crop productivity and ecosystem health, showing how land cover changes and climate change intensify these effects. Soil moisture is highly sensitive to precipitation variations, with a 20% reduction in precipitation and a 5 °C temperature increase leading to substantial decreases in soil moisture. These findings highlight the urgent need for sustainable land management practices and climate mitigation strategies in the Litani River Basin (LRB) and similar Mediterranean watersheds. Protecting forests, implementing soil conservation measures, and promoting responsible urban development are crucial steps to maintain water resources and soil quality. Furthermore, this research offers valuable insights for policymakers, farmers, and environmentalists to prepare for potential droughts or flooding events, contributing to the preservation of this vital ecosystem. The data from this study, along with the recommended actions, can play a crucial role in fostering resilience at the national level, addressing the challenges posed by climate change. Full article

To enhance energy utilization efficiency, dairy farmers have increasingly adopted photovoltaic (PV) panels on barn roofs. However, there is currently a general separation between the barn construction and the additional aspects of the PV system. It is unclear to dairy farmers whether rooftop PV panels will have an impact on the dairy barn, particularly on the thermal environment. This study investigated the influence of air layer properties, specifically thickness and ventilation conditions, on the thermal performance of PV dairy barn roofs. Utilizing the harmonic analysis method, the study quantified its dynamic thermal properties. The results demonstrated that increasing the air layer thickness in ventilated roofs decreases heat flux and improves thermal resistance (1.67–2.15 times higher than non-PV roofs). In contrast, sealed air layers exhibit consistently high thermal resistance (up to 3.33 times higher). Optimizing ventilated air layer thickness (0.20–0.30 m) effectively minimizes heat ingress and prevents PV efficiency degradation. These results provide valuable insights for optimizing the design of energy-efficient PV dairy barns, enhancing thermal comfort, and contributing to low-carbon energy solutions in livestock facilities. Full article

Utilizing more bioresources exposes supply chains to agricultural risks. Therefore, sustainable agricultural practices are crucial for supporting a resilient transition. This requires tools for assessing the environmental performance of cropping systems. However, most existing tools are not adapted to the operational realities of, for example, cosmetics supply chains. The Field Cultivation Index (FCI) has been developed with a threefold aim: 1. assess cropping systems’ strengths and weaknesses and guide their improvement; 2. compare cropping systems to identify the most environmentally friendly; 3. promote initiatives and efforts made to improve sustainability. It also meets the requirements for tackling the specific operational challenges of global industries like cosmetics: it is (i) simple (data collection is easy and straightforward), (ii) deployable in all regions of the world (with a diversity of soils, climates, etc.), and (iii) adaptable to all cropping systems (industrial, family, etc.) and all plant species (perennials, annuals, etc.). Its methodology is based on scientifically recognized evaluation methods and economic operator initiatives. It is built around a theoretical framework embodying the concepts of regenerative agriculture, enabling the qualitative assessment of the impact of cropping systems on five main regenerative environmental outcomes: soil quality improvement water resource conservation biodiversity enhancement, pesticide reduction, and carbon emission mitigation. This article describes the FCI methodology and reveals initial results from the evaluation of about 40 diversified cropping systems. It demonstrates that the FCI is an operational, sensitive, and educational tool capable of determining the performance level of diversified cropping systems, while highlighting the need for a high level of regenerative practice deployment to achieve satisfactory scores. The tool supports farmers and supply chains in assessing and improving the environmental profile of agricultural production systems in line with sustainability goals. Finally, this paper discusses the benefits, limitations, and potential uses of this tool for monitoring the environmental impact of cropping systems within cosmetics supply chains. Full article

The rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is one of the major pests in rice-growing areas. Its larvae feed on rice stems, causing symptoms of rice dead sheaths, dead hearts, and withered ears, resulting in heavy rice yield losses. Chemical insecticides remain the cornerstone of control strategies; however, the rapid development of resistance to multiple insecticide classes has emerged as a critical challenge to farmers and pest control specialists. Advanced methods utilizing molecular and gene sequence data from field-collected C. suppressalis populations, both resistant and susceptible, have provided a deeper understanding of the resistance mechanisms in this pest. Several components of Insecticide Resistance Management (IRM) programs serve as countermeasures to insecticide resistance in this pest. In the current review, we concentrate on insecticide resistance development, molecular mechanisms and resistance management of C. suppressalis. Full article

Water scarcity and soil salinization pose significant challenges to sustainable agricultural development in arid and semi-arid regions globally. This study applies Positive Mathematical Programming (PMP) to analyze agricultural water resource management in the Hetao Irrigation District (HID), China. The research constructs a comprehensive multi-stress-factor integrated PMP model to evaluate the compound impacts of water resource constraints, pricing policies, and environmental stress on agricultural production systems. The model incorporates crop-specific salinity tolerance thresholds and simulates farmer decision-making behaviors under various scenarios including water supply reduction (0–100%), water pricing increases (0.2–1.0 CNY/m³), and soil salinity stress (0–10 dS/m). The results reveal that the agricultural system exhibits significant vulnerability characteristics with critical thresholds concentrated in the 60–70% water resource utilization interval. Water pricing policies show limited effectiveness in low-price ranges, with wheat demonstrating the highest price sensitivity (−23.8% elasticity). Crop salinity tolerance analysis indicates that wheat–sunflower rotation systems maintain an 85% planting proportion even under extreme salinity conditions (10 dS/m), significantly outperforming individual crops. The study proposes a hierarchical water resource quota allocation system based on vulnerability thresholds and recommends promoting salt-tolerant rotation systems to enhance agricultural resilience. These findings provide scientific evidence for sustainable water resource management and agricultural adaptation strategies in water-stressed regions, contributing to both theoretical advancement of the PMP methodology and practical policy formulation for irrigation districts facing similar challenges. Full article