Evaluation of the Level of Sustainable Development of Provinces in China from 2012 to 2018: A Study Based on the Improved Entropy Coefficient-TOPSIS Method

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.

Scenarios and sustainability of the economy-nitrogen-resource-environment system using a system dynamic model on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Nitrogen (N) plays a vital role in the development of crop production and animal husbandry in agricultural and pastoral areas. However, the irrational utilization of N resources and subsequent environmental issues with rapid economic development has attracted wide public attention. Coordinating the economy-N-resource-environment (ENRE) system is of great importance for regional sustainable development. In this study, the dynamics of the ENRE system of a typical agricultural and pastoral area on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) were simulated using the VENSIM software from 1998 to 2018. Four typical scenarios (current development scenario, economic development scenario, environment protection scenario and resource optimization scenario) are established to assess the sustainability level and the coupling coordination degrees (CCDs) of the three subsystems, i.e., the economy, N-resource and environment subsystems from 2019 to 2030. Our study indicates that the N flow-based system dynamics (SD) model connects the different subsystems of the ENRE system together well and allows different scenario simulations. From 2019 to 2030, the ENRE system is at a weak sustainability level during the simulation period, and the three subsystems are at slightly unbalanced stages of development in terms of CCD level. The sustainability and CCD levels of the four examined scenarios are as follows: resource optimization scenario > economic development scenario > environment protection scenario >current development scenario, with average values of 0.45, 0.37; 0.42, 0.36; 0.41, 0.35; and 0.39, 0.34, respectively. Under the resource optimization scenario, reducing N inputs to food production and consumption and reducing the planting area of cash crops can effectively improve the N use efficiency of the food chain in the N-resource subsystem (15.34% from 2019 to 2030 on average). Our results provide a reference for promoting sustainable development and formulating policies in agricultural and pastoral regions.

Are China’s Water Resources for Agriculture Sustainable? Evidence from Hubei Province

We assessed the sustainability of agricultural water resources in Hubei Province, a typical agricultural province in central China, for a decade (2008–2018). Since traditional evaluation models often consider only the distance between the evaluation point and the positive or negative ideal solution, we introduce gray correlation analysis and construct a new sustainability evaluation model. Our research results show that only one city had excellent sustainable development capacity of agricultural water resources, and the evaluation value of eight cities fluctuated by around 0.5 (the median of the evaluation result), while the sustainable development capacity of agricultural water resources in other cities was relatively poor. Our findings not only reflect the differences in the natural conditions of water resources among various cities in Hubei, but also the impact of the cities’ policies to ensure efficient agricultural water use for sustainable development. The indicators and methods in this research are not difficult to obtain in most countries and regions of the world. Therefore, the indicator system we have established by this research could be used to study the sustainability of agricultural water resources in other countries, regions, or cities.