The evaluation and optimization of the agricultural sustainable development based on a data-driven approach: A case from Northern Anhui

The sustainable advancement of agriculture stands as the fundamental cornerstone of sustainable human progress. This study introduces a data-centric methodological framework founded upon the holistic delineation of measurement, feature assessment, and pathway enhancement for agricultural sustainability. Initially, the research articulates a comprehensive evaluative schema incorporating sub-dimensions encompassing agricultural production, agricultural economics, the agricultural resource environment, and rural society, grounded in sustainable development theory. Subsequently, it devises a methodological apparatus for assessing and enhancing sustainable development capabilities, employing entropy evaluation methods and exploratory spatial data analysis techniques. Employing North Anhui as a case study, the viability of this approach is substantiated. The empirical inquiry conducted within this article operationalizes comprehensive evaluation and explores pathways for optimizing agricultural sustainability, focusing on the period spanning 2011 to 2020 in Northern Anhui. The findings affirm the feasibility and efficacy of the data-driven approach. Recommendations derived from the empirical exploration of agricultural sustainability pathways at the local level offer valuable insights for governmental authorities and policymakers. This research endeavor could be extrapolated to other geographical locales worldwide, fostering innovative strides in the sustainable development of regional agriculture.

Spatio-temporal characteristics of soil Cd pollution and its influencing factors: A Geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) method

Soil Cd pollution is the result of the combined influence of various human activities over a long period of time, and then quantifying the influence is essential for the prevention and control. Based on published literature data during 2000-2020, this study investigated the pollution characteristics and influencing factors of soil Cd in the Yangtze River Delta. The results were as follows: (1) The average Cd concentration was higher than the Chinese soil criteria value (0.30 mg/kg), and the proportion of Cd concentration exceeding its background value was 87.43%. (2) The assessment results using Contamination factor (CF) and Geo-accumulation index (I_geo) indicated that the soil Cd pollution risk could not negligible in the study area. (3) The pollution center shifted significantly owing to the combined effect of human activities. (4) The main influencing factors of Cd pollution obtained by Geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model were GDP per capita, Consumption of chemical fertilizer, Output value of primary industry, and Output value of secondary industry, but there were significant differences in the dominant factors for different provinces. Our findings contribute to the current understanding of the relationship between Cd pollution and human activities, and provide a scientific basis for pollution control.