Search Results (77)

Oats (Avena sativa L.) are a staple grain and forage crop with substantial market demand. In China, they are the second most-imported forage grass, only after alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Enhancing the salt tolerance of oats to facilitate their cultivation in saline areas can thereby increase forage yield and promote the utilization of saline land, which constitutes an important reserve land resource in China. This study aimed to identify the bacterial strain Bacillus sp. LrM2 (hereafter referred to as strain LrM2) to determine its precise species-level classification and evaluate its effects on oat photosynthesis and growth under salt stress through indoor pot experiments. The results indicated that strain LrM2, capable of urease production and citrate utilization, was identified as Bacillus mojavensis. The strain LrM2 had a positive effect on shoot and root growth of oats under 100 mM NaCl stress conditions. Strain LrM2 inoculation modulated osmotic stress in oats under 100 mM NaCl stress by significantly increasing soluble sugar and decreasing proline content in leaves. It inhibited Na⁺ uptake and promoted K⁺ absorption in the roots, thereby reducing Na⁺ translocation to the leaves and mitigating ionic toxicity. Inoculation with strain LrM2 significantly increased photosynthetic pigment content (chlorophyll a, carotenoids), improved gas exchange parameters (stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, net rate of photosynthesis), enhanced PSII photochemical efficiency (maximum quantum yield, coefficient of photochemical quenching, actual photosynthetic efficiency of PSII, electron transfer rate), and reduced the quantum yield of non-regulated energy dissipation. These improvements, coupled with increased relative water content and instantaneous water use efficiency, thereby collectively enhanced the overall photosynthetic performance. In conclusion, strain LrM2 represents a promising bio-resource for mitigating salt stress and promoting growth in oats, with direct applications for developing novel biofertilizers and sustainable agricultural strategies. Full article

Exploring the impact of cultivated land transfer on grain green total factor productivity is of great significance in promoting efficient and low-carbon utilization of arable land and green and high-quality development of grain production in China. Based on the panel data of 30 provincial-level administrative regions in China from 2006 to 2022, this study employed the EBM model, Tobit model and mediation effect model to measure grain green total factor productivity across provinces, analyze its spatiotemporal evolution trends, and explore the influence and mechanisms of cultivated land transfer on the grain green total factor productivity. The findings revealed that: (i) The overall level of China’s grain green total factor productivity was relatively low, though it exhibited some improvement and regional differences during the sample period, with the highest level in grain-producing areas, followed by production-marketing balance areas, and the lowest level in grain-marketing areas. (ii) Cultivated land transfer had a significant positive impact on grain green total factor productivity. However, an excessively large scale of transferred cultivated land may also inhibit efficiency improvements. (iii) The impact of cultivated land transfer on grain green total factor productivity showed notable regional heterogeneity. In terms of coefficient magnitude, the impact was greater in production-marketing balance areas than in grain-producing areas, while it was not significant in major grain-marketing areas. The effect was stronger in the western region compared to the eastern and central regions. (iv) Cultivated land transfer could improve grain green total factor productivity through large-scale management of cultivated land, large-scale management of services and green production technology. Further analysis indicated a synergistic interaction between scale management and technological progress in green production within these pathways. To enhance grain green total factor productivity, it is essential to implement region-specific policies for cultivated land transfer and scale operations that account for local geographical and agricultural conditions. Specifically, policymakers should facilitate the integration of land scale management with service scale operation, while simultaneously promoting the coordinated advancement of scale operation and green production technology. Full article

Thinopyrum intermedium (c.n. intermediate wheatgrass), marketed under the trade name Kernza, is a promising species for perennial grain production based on seed size, ease of threshing, resistance to shattering, and grain quality. Although numerous generations of breeding for seed yield have been completed, the impact of selection on non-target traits is unknown. Here, we evaluated structural and functional changes brought about by selection for seed yield over a sequence of nine selection cycles (C0 to C9). In two experiments under semi-controlled environmental conditions, we compared gas exchange (A, E, gs, and A/Ci curves), leaf and root morphology, and the structure of seedlings from 10 generations. We found that the selection for yield throughout cycles indirectly changed the leaf structure (leaf size, leaf thickness, and leaf anatomy) and physiology (carbon acquisition and transpiration per unit area), with later cycles showing larger leaves with higher rates of CO₂ assimilation and transpiration. Changes in root structure followed similar trends: selection resulted in longer, more branched, and finer roots. These changes in non-target traits are linked to resource-use strategies and to ecosystem services provided by Kernza. Understanding how the domestication of perennial grains impacts non-target traits will aid in the design of integrated breeding programs for Kernza and other perennial grain crops. Full article

Farmland abandonment poses a significant threat to China’s food security by contributing to inefficient land use. Utilizing remote sensing data and the multiple cropping index extraction method, this study extracts abandonment cropland information and analyzes its spatiotemporal patterns across China, with its findings validated against the “China Rural Revitalization Survey” (CRRS) data. The results indicate that since the 21st century, China’s cropland abandonment rate has fluctuated around 5.86%, affecting an average of 7.6 million hectares annually. Spatially, cropland abandonment is more severe in southern China, with hotspots clustered around 25° N and 30° N latitudes. This southward shift exacerbates the spatial mismatch between water resources and cropland. Furthermore, abandonment is particularly pronounced in grain production—marketing balance areas and main marketing areas, intensifying pressure on national food self-sufficiency. Slope and fragmentation also drive abandonment, with steeper (>15°) and more fragmented plots showing higher susceptibility. These complex patterns are uncovered through the study’s systematic innovations—a dual-indicator quantification method, a multi-source validation framework, a dynamic spatiotemporal atlas, and a novel interpretation of abandonment multifunctionality, which also positions farmland reuse as a buffer against unemployment risks. We thus recommend addressing land fragmentation as a core strategy, through high-standard farmland construction, innovative contract rights certification, and expanded agricultural socialized services to promote moderate-scale farming. Finally, we urge the adoption of region-specific and category-based recultivation approaches, supported by clear governance priorities. Full article

Using a city-level panel for China (2011–2021), this paper estimates agricultural total factor productivity (TFP) with a stochastic-frontier approach and identifies the effect of digital finance through two-way fixed effects and instrumental-variable strategies. We document a statistically and economically significant negative association: a 1% increase in the digital finance index is linked to a decline of 1.5 in agricultural TFP. Evidence points to capital misallocation as the dominant channel, with the adverse effect most pronounced where agricultural capital markets are highly distorted. Heterogeneity analyses show stronger negative impacts in labor-intensive areas, non-major grain regions, and small-scale farming systems. Results are robust across alternative specifications and IV estimations. By moving from provincial aggregates to city-level variation, this study sharpens identification and uncovers within-province patterns that are invisible in coarser data. The findings highlight an important unintended consequence of digital financial expansion for agriculture and underscore a policy priority: improving the allocation and targeting of digital credit within rural economies to support productivity and sustainable development. Full article

This study uses provincial panel data from China (2014–2022) to examine the effect of agricultural outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) on agricultural imports. Employing panel regression, mediation effect, and spatial Durbin models, it explores the underlying mechanisms, spatial spillover effects, and regional heterogeneity, while emphasizing the role of OFDI in building sustainable agricultural supply chains. The results show that: (1) OFDI significantly promotes agricultural imports, enhancing the stability and diversity of the domestic supply, supporting food security, and facilitating the sustainable allocation of resources. (2) Mechanism analysis reveals that OFDI affects imports through reverse technology spillovers and improved international relations. (3) Heterogeneity analysis indicates that OFDI exerts stronger influence in major grain-marketing areas, production–marketing balance regions, and provinces along the Belt and Road, compared with grain-producing areas and non-Belt and Road provinces. (4) Spatial analysis based on the 0–1 adjacency matrix reveals that agricultural imports across Chinese provinces exhibit significant positive spatial autocorrelation. Furthermore, OFDI not only directly promotes agricultural imports within a given province but also generates notable positive spatial spillover effects, whereby OFDI in neighboring provinces likewise exert a positive influence on the province’s agricultural imports. To enhance the import effect of agricultural OFDI and stabilize the domestic supply of agricultural products, policy implications suggest that the government should adhere to the agricultural “going global” strategy, enhance enterprises’ capacity to absorb reverse technology spillovers, and explore regionally differentiated pathways for agricultural OFDI, among other policy recommendations. Full article

The bidirectional flow of population between urban and rural areas, not limited to rural-to-urban migration, influences the sustainable development of agricultural economic resilience in multiple ways. This study employs panel data from 31 provincial-level regions in China spanning 2017–2022 to comprehensively examine the impact of bidirectional urban–rural mobility on diverse dimensions of agricultural economic resilience, while further investigating its underlying mechanisms. Benchmark regression shows that the bidirectional urban–rural mobility exerts a suppressive effect on the agricultural economic resilience. Mechanism analyses indicate that such mobility contributes to strengthening agricultural economic resilience by catalyzing land-scale operational efficiency and amplifying labor productivity gains and that the advancement of smart agriculture technologies effectively mitigates the inhibitory impacts of bidirectional mobility on agricultural economic resilience. Furthermore, according to heterogeneity analysis, the mobility exerts a suppressive effect on the resistance (Res.) and reconstruction (Recons.) of agricultural economic resilience, while concurrently enhancing its restoration (Rest.). Meanwhile, the bidirectional mobility has significantly impeded the agricultural economic resilience of the eastern, central, and western regions, as well as the primary grain-producing areas, production and marketing balance areas, and the primary grain-selling areas. Further investigation reveals that the reverse mobility has a positive effect on the resistance but a negative effect on its restoration and reconstruction. Full article

Against the backdrop of global commitments to sustainable development and carbon neutrality objectives, the agricultural sector faces compelling imperatives to transition toward environmentally sustainable and resource-efficient production systems. Focusing on the critical role of agricultural inputs, this study investigates how China’s Zero Growth Policy for Fertilizer and Pesticide Use (ZGP), implemented in 2015, influences green transformation in the agricultural inputs sector through a quasi-natural experiment framework. Employing a staggered difference-in-differences (DID) design with comprehensive nationwide firm registration data from 2013 to 2020, we provide novel micro-level evidence on environmental regulation’s market-shaping effects. Our findings demonstrate that the ZGP significantly enhances green market selection, stimulating entry of environmentally certified firms, with effect heterogeneity revealing policy impacts are attenuated in manufacturing-intensive regions due to green entry barriers, while being amplified in major grain-producing areas and more market-oriented regions. Mechanism analyses identify three key transmission channels: intensified regulatory oversight, heightened public environmental awareness, and growing market demand for sustainable inputs. Furthermore, the policy has induced structural transformation within the industry, progressively increasing green enterprises’ market share. These results offer valuable insights for designing targeted environmental governance mechanisms to facilitate sustainable transitions in agricultural input markets. Full article

The change in the socio-political formation of Russia from a socialist planned system to a capitalist market system significantly influenced agriculture and one of its components—arable land. The loss of the sustainability of land management for arable land led to a reduction in sown areas by 38% (from 119.7 to 74.7 million ha) and a synchronous drop in gross harvests of grain and leguminous crops by 48% (from 117 to 61 million tons). The situation stabilized in 2020, with a sowing area of 80.2 million ha and gross harvests of grain and leguminous crops of 120–150 million tons. This process was not formalized legally, and the official (legal) area of arable land decreased by only 8% from 132.8 to 122.3 million ha. Legal conflict arose for 35 million ha for unused arable land, for which there was no classification of its condition categories and no monitoring of the withdrawal time of the arable land from actual agricultural use. The aim of this study was to resolve the challenges in the method of retrospective monitoring of soil–land cover, which allowed for the achievement of the aims of the investigation—to elucidate the history of land use on arable lands from 1985 to 2025 with a time step of 5 years and to obtain a detailed classification of the arable lands’ abandonment degrees. It was also established that on most of the abandoned arable land, carbon sequestration occurs in the form of secondary forests. In the course of this work, it was shown that the reasons for the formation of an array of abandoned arable land and the stabilization of agricultural production turned out to be interrelated. The abandonment of arable land occurred proportionally to changes in the soil’s natural fertility and the degree of land degradation. Economically unprofitable lands spontaneously (without centralized planning) left the sowing zone. The efficiency of land use on the remaining lands has increased and has allowed for the mass application of modern farming systems (smart, precise, landscape-adaptive, differentiated, no-till, strip-till, etc.), which has further increased the profitability of crop production. The prospect of using abandoned lands as a carbon sequestration zone in areas of forest overgrowth has arisen. Full article

Amid the urgent need to align agricultural practices with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this study examines the role of agricultural digitalization in promoting sustainable and green development in China. Specifically, it explores demand-side factors that drive improvements in agricultural green development and categorizes development models into three types: market-oriented, policy-driven, and innovation-driven. Utilizing provincial-level data from 2011 to 2021, this study employs semiparametric and spatial Durbin models to empirically assess the effects, underlying mechanisms, and regional disparities of agricultural digitalization in advancing green development. The main findings are as follows: (1) Overall, both agricultural digitalization and the level of green agricultural development have gradually increased during the study period, with agricultural digitalization significantly contributing to sustainable agricultural development. (2) The impact of agricultural digitalization on green agricultural development shows an upward trend in eastern, coastal, and non-grain-producing regions, as well as in the southeastern areas of the “Hu Huanyong Line”. In contrast, inland regions and the northwestern areas of the “Hu Huanyong Line” exhibit a U-shaped relationship, and grain-producing regions experience a clear inhibitory effect. Additionally, the promoting effect of agricultural digitalization is more pronounced in regions with higher levels of green agricultural development. (3) Agricultural digitalization generates positive spillover effects, benefiting not only the local region but also surrounding areas, with a stronger radiative effect on neighboring regions. (4) Mechanism analysis suggests that under all three development models, agricultural digitalization can effectively enhance green agricultural development by improving the alignment of supply and demand for green agricultural products, accelerating the establishment and promotion of green agricultural brands, strengthening environmental regulation, fostering new agricultural business entities, advancing agricultural mechanization, and improving the efficiency of facility agriculture. Full article

An accurate assessment of food security and its challenges is essential for formulating effective measures and promoting sustainable socioeconomic development. This study develops an evaluation system for China’s food security, focusing on four dimensions: food supply, food access, food production stability, and food continuity. The entropy weight extended matter element model is used for quantitative processing, which ensures that the integrity of the information can be guaranteed to a greater extent while reducing the influence of subjective factors, and then, the study evaluates the food security of different functional areas in China, and finally, it diagnoses the main obstacles to food security by using the obstacle degree model. (1) From 2000 to 2020, China’s food security level fluctuated, initially declining, and then increasing. The food security level in major production and marketing areas is generally higher, while the primary marketing areas exhibit the lowest security levels. (2) The level of grain yields and the total power of machinery per unit area are the key factors affecting food security; the impact of inputs of agricultural materials (fertilizers and pesticides) on food security has decreased and is constantly stabilizing. In the main marketing area, the per capita food share is significantly lower than in the other functional areas, which has the greatest impact on food security. (3) Analysis of the obstacle factors reveals that the food supply and access security subsystems are crucial for ensuring national, production, and marketing security. From 2000 to 2020, the average obstacle degrees of food supply and food access security at the national level were 46.56% and 21.17%, respectively; for the production and marketing areas, they were 58.47% and 21.45%; and for primary marketing areas, they were 37.69% and 26.59%. In major grain-producing areas, the main obstacles lay within the food supply security and food production stability subsystems, with average obstacle degrees of 53.77% and 15.67%, respectively, from 2000 to 2020. The above results provide a scientific basis for comprehensively improving the level of food security in China, optimizing the structure of food production in each functional area, and formulating regionalized policies for stabilizing and maintaining food production and supply. Full article

Agricultural green total factor productivity (AGTFP) is vital to sustainable agricultural development (SAD), which plays a pivotal role in achieving high-quality economic growth in China. The current research quantified China’s AGTFP from 2007 to 2019 with the Super-SBM model and the GML index. Subsequently, it examined the impact of environmental regulation (ER) on AGTFP and its heterogeneity. Finally, this study developed a mediating effect model and a panel threshold model to investigate the role of technological innovation (TI) in affecting environmental regulation (ER) on AGTFP. The findings indicate that the following: (1) The average annual growth rate of AGTFP is 7.84%, which is mostly driven by green technological innovation progress. (2) ER has a significant positive impact on AGTFP with noticeable regional differences. The eastern and central regions experience a more substantial promotion effect compared to the western region. Additionally, the prominent grain-producing areas and main grain-marketing areas have a more significant promotion effect compared to the grain-balanced areas. The promotion effect of heterogeneous ER on AGTFP varies, with the effects of command-and-control environmental regulation (ERC), market-based incentives for environmental regulation (ERM), and public participation regulation (ERP) decreasing in magnitude. (3) The mechanism analysis reveals that promoting TI is a crucial way to enhance AGTFP through ER. There exists a notable dual threshold for TI in ER, encompassing both ERC and ERM. Moreover, AGTFP becomes increasingly pronounced. This study presents a novel perspective for promoting SAD, with a focus on the rise in AGTFP and the path to achieving it. Full article

Global grain production faces severe risks and challenges, such as the complex and volatile international situation and the frequent occurrence of extreme weather events. The effectiveness of national policies intended to support grain production security is becoming increasingly important. China has implemented a range of policies to promote grain production and increase the incomes of grain farmers. This study constructed a policy quantification model using a content analysis method to quantitatively analyze the various grain production support policies issued by the Chinese government. The application of sensitivity models and the difference-in-differences model to study the spatial response of China’s grain production to these policies enabled an assessment of the future policy trends of China, with the aim of enhancing grain production security. Grain production in the main grain-producing areas (MGPAs) responded best to the policy, the grain production–marketing-balanced areas (GPMBAs) were the second most responsive, and the main grain-marketing areas (MGMAs) responded to the policy to a lesser extent. The direct grain subsidy policy significantly contributed to an increase in grain production, especially in the MGPAs. The results of the study suggest that it would be more prudent for China’s future grain policy to guide the centralization of grain production toward the MGPAs. It will also be necessary to ensure that the government’s various support policies and subsidy funds are inclined toward the MGPAs, and the compensation mechanism should be improved to serve the interests of the MGPAs in terms of resources, ecology, and economy. This will help to enhance the comprehensive production capacity and production efficiency of the MGPAs, thereby guaranteeing China’s food security. Full article

In the modern conditions of the growing consumer market for environmentally friendly industries, the issue of optimizing resource-intensive and energy-intensive technological chains is acute. One of the most expensive stages is the storage of grain—raw materials for the production of biodiesel. This is due to there being no unified temperature control system. In this paper, the authors have developed a mathematical model and a hardware–software complex that allows for the measurement of the temperature field in grain storage areas. To address this challenge, the authors employed methodologies derived from spatial distributed systems to construct a mathematical model. The development of a technical device and the implementation of a software module for processing the measured data in C++ Builder were then undertaken. Full article

Promoting the sustainable development of agriculture is the basis of reducing the poverty rate, ensuring food security, and promoting common prosperity. In order to explore the impact of industrial capital and commercial capital on the sustainable development of agriculture, this paper starts from the perspective of agriculture and conducts empirical tests based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China (except Tibet) from 2013 to 2022, using the fixed-effect model and spatial spillover effect model. The results included the following: (1) industrial capital and commercial capital can significantly promote the sustainable development of agriculture, and this conclusion was still valid after endogenous test and robustness test; (2) a heterogeneity test showed that industrial capital and commercial capital has a stronger role in promoting the sustainable development of agriculture in non-major grain producing areas, areas with high marketization level and central and western regions; (3) the test of the transmission mechanism showed that industrial capital and commercial capital can promote the sustainable development of agriculture by optimizing agricultural production conditions, improving rural environment and promoting farmers’ poverty reduction and common prosperity; (4) further research showed that industrial and commercial capital has a positive spillover effect on the sustainable development of agriculture in neighboring areas while promoting the sustainable development of agriculture in this region. Based on the above conclusions, this paper puts forward some countermeasures and suggestions, such as improving rural infrastructure construction, strengthening efforts to guide industrial and commercial capital to the countryside, and paying attention to the differentiation of industrial and commercial capital investment development. Full article