Mapping upland crop–rice cropping systems for targeted sustainable intensification in South China

Upland crop-rice cropping systems(UCR)facilitate sustainable agricultural intensification.Accurate UCR cultivation mapping is needed to ensure food security,sustainable water management,and rural revitalization.However,datasets describing cropping systems are limited in spatial coverage and crop types.Mapping UCR is more challenging than crop identification and most existing approaches rely heavily on accurate phenology calendars and representative training samples,which limits its applications over large regions.We describe a novel algorithm(RRSS)for automatic mapping of upland crop-rice cropping systems using Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR)and Sentinel-2 Multispectral Instrument(MSI)data.One indicator,the VV backscatter range,was proposed to discriminate UCR and another two indicators were designed by coupling greenness and pigment indices to further discriminate tobacco or oilseed UCR.The RRSS algorithm was applied to South China characterized by complex smallholder rice cropping systems and diverse topographic conditions.This study developed 10-m UCR maps of a major rice bowl in South China,the Xiang-Gan-Min(XGM)region.The performance of the RRSS algorithm was validated based on 5197 ground-truth reference sites,with an overall accuracy of 91.92%.There were7348 km^(2) areas of UCR,roughly one-half of them located in plains.The UCR was represented mainly by oilseed-UCR and tobacco-UCR,which contributed respectively 69%and 15%of UCR area.UCR patterns accounted for only one-tenth of rice production,which can be tripled by intensification from single rice cropping.Application to complex and fragmented subtropical regions suggested the spatiotemporal robustness of the RRSS algorithm,which could be further applied to generate 10-m UCR datasets for application at national or global scales.

Sustainable Intensification and Large-scale Operation of Cultivated Land Use at the Farmers’ Scale:A Case Study of Shandong Province,China

Sustainable intensification of cultivated land use(SICLU) and large-scale operations(LSO) are widely acknowledged strategies for enhancing agricultural performance.However,the existing literature has faced challenges in precisely defining SICLU and constructing comprehensive indicators,which has hindered the exploration of factors influencing LSO within the SICLU framework.To address this gap,we integrated self-efficacy theory into the design of an index framework for evaluating SICLU.We subsequently employed econometric models to analyze the significant factors that impact LSO.Our findings reveal that SICLU can be divided into four key dimensions:intensive management,efficient output,resource conservation,and ecological environment optimization.Furthermore,it is crucial to incorporate belief-based cognitive factors into the index system,as farmers’ understanding of fertilizer and pesticide application significantly influences their willingness to engage in LSO.Moreover,we identify grain market turnover as the most influential factor in promoting LSO,with single-factor contribution rates reaching 70.9% for cultivated land transfer willingness and 62.5% for the total planting areas.Interestingly,unlike irrigation and agricultural machinery inputs,increased labor inputs correspond to larger planting areas for farmers.This trend may be attributed to reduced labor availability because of rural labor migration,whereas the reduction in irrigation and agricultural input is contingent on innovations in production practices and the transfer of cultivated land management rights.Importantly,SICLU dynamically influences LSO,with each index related to SICLU having an optimal range that fosters LSO.These insights offer valuable guidance for policymakers,emphasizing farmers as their central focus,with the adjustment of input and output factors as a means to achieve LSO as the ultimate goal.In conclusion,we propose research avenues for further enriching the SICLU framework to ensure that it aligns with the specific characteristics of regional agricultural development.

Eco-environment Evolution and Its Sustainable Development Strategies in Western China

Natural condition in Western China is relatively poor and regional economy level is low. The ecological environment has been seriously damaged by population growth and over-exploitation of natural resources. It is very important for coordinating the regional development and safeguarding ecological security to discuss the eco-environment evolution trend and its sustainable development strategies in Western China. Based on analyzing documents and relative research,the changes of main ecological and environmental problems in the western region,such as degradation of forest and grassland ecosystems,shrinkage of wetland,desertification,water and soil erosion,etc. were synthetically discussed. Then,according to the development trend,some countermeasures for eco-environment protection and rehabilitation and sustainable development were proposed.

Sustainable Utilization of Arable Land Resources in Karst Area:A Case Study of Anshun City of China

Aiming at utilization status of arable land resources in Anshun City,a Karst area,quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed from the viewpoints of quality,quantity and benefits of arable land.And the benefits of arable land were analyzed with multiple linear regression.Finally,the sustainable utilization of arable land resources was discussed,and several protection measures were pointed out.

Studies on forest sustainable development and issues under the condition of WTO's principles in China

The World Trade Organization (WTO), an international organization to deal with the world free trade mechanism, allows for the optimal use of the world's resources in accordance with the objective of sustainable development and the protection of environment and trade. China, as a state member of WTO, is challenged by the WTO's agreements and the principles to guideline China sustainable forest development in the future. Forest resources in China will be protected as the basic sections of natural resources. The administrative function of Chinese government will be reformed by the condition of WTO's principles. So, the aim of China forest sustainable development is prior to deal with the relationship between the environment protection and development of economy. Under the condition of the WTO's principles and as a base on the international customary laws, the issues of China forest sustainable development focus on the China forest system reformation that applies for the China nature forest stratagem by the laws and protects the China environment for the sustainable development under the condition of science development, especially in the China forest protection and in dealing with the relationship among the environment and the economy development and others. Establishing the zoological forest industry is basic requirement by both the WTO's agreements and the WTO's principles, especially under the GATT 1947 Art XX, and other principles to protect the China forest sustainable development and to create the international environment for China forest. Keywords WTO's principles - China forest - Sustainable development CLC number S7-05 Document code B Biography: CAO Pei-zhong (1965-), male, Associate Professor of Shandong Agriculture of University. School of Laws and Literature. LLM of University of Canberra, one of ten lawyers with experience of almost ten years, sent by the Government in 2000, arbitrator and engineer. Chief of Shandong Agriculture University Laws Institution, publishing the papers abroad and in China medium At present, dealing with the project and rescarching on.international litigation, especially the WTO and EU law, is major the directionResponsible editor: Chai Ruihal

Evaluation of Ecological Sustainable Development in the Yangtze River Delta Region Based on Ecological Footprint Theory

The ecological footprint was employed as a quantitative indicator of resource inputs,enabling a detailed account of the structure of biological resources and energy occupancy,as well as the variation of resource productivity in the Yangtze River Delta(YRD)Region.From 2004 to 2018,there were notable variations in the ecological productivity of different types of land on basis of China’s equilibrium factor across the three provinces and one city in the YRD region.Jiangsu Province exhibited the highest ecological productivity of arable land,while Anhui Province exhibited the highest ecological productivity of forest land.Shanghai City exhibited the highest ecological productivity of pasture land,while Zhejiang Province exhibited the highest ecological productivity of water area.In 2018,the proportion of arable land within the total ecological carrying capacity of the YRD region reached 74.35%.Furthermore,the contribution of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces to the YRD’s total ecological carrying capacity was 41.36%and 41.26%,respectively.In the construction of a new development pattern in the YRD region,which is dominated by the domestic cycle as the main body and mutually reinforced by domestic and international double-cycle,the YRD region should combine the utilization of natural forces with innovation in science,technology and cooperation mechanisms.Furthermore,the government should guide the concentration of social capital towards green industries.It is also recommended that the moderate reduction of ecological footprints should be encouraged,and that the security of biological resources and energy,the leadership in the field of cutting-edge science and technology should be ensured in YRD region.This will facilitate the formation of a new development pattern of higher-quality integration at the national level firstly.

Assessing Agricultural Sustainable Development Based on the DPSIR Approach: Case Study in Jiangsu, China

According to the contemporary ecosystem approach, the linkages of human actions with their environment have to be assessed in an integrative manner. The Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response （DPSIR） model is applied to identify and describe processes and interactions in human-environmental systems. An example application from a research project dealing with the development of sustainable management strategies for the agriculture in Jiangsu, China, illustrates the potentials and limitations of its sustainable development. The concept and indicators of ecological integrity are used to assess the indicators in the dimensions of DPSIR between 2003 and 2006. The main drivers included population growth which caused increasing demand for food, growing environmental demands, and rapidly decreasing of land and other natural resources. The main environmental problem was water pollution. The results show that in the dimension of driver, total grain output and agricultural land productivity both increased. Labor intensive agriculture has been promoted to increase agricultural land productivity. In the dimension of pressure, on the positive side, infrastructure got greatly improved, the input level such as total power of machinery, and level of fertilizer use increased, and level of pesticides use decreased, but on the negative side, cultivated land per capita and irrigation rate decreased, natural resources keep decreased. Environmental pollution indicators such as industrial wastewater discharge and acid rain rate increased in Jiangsu Province. In the aspect of state, ecosystem state was improved, plant coverage index increased, biological abundance index increased, fertilizer productivity increased, eco-environmental quality index increased, but land degradation index also increased. In the aspect of impact, output level increased, output efficiency enhanced, farmer＇s social economic benefit improved. In the aspect of response, social support was greatly improved, input for environmental governance increased. To assess the effects of environmental governance, Jiangsu government was successful to increase compliance rate of sulfur dioxide emissions, but not so efficient in compliance rate of industrial wastewater discharge.

Sustainable Ride

Chinese electric vehicle makers fuel Rwanda’s drive for pollution-free transportation.Amid a growing demand to electrify Rwanda’s public transport,companies are rushing into the sector to import electric vehicles(EVs)and related services from China.

Developing sustainable summer maize production for smallholder farmers in the North China Plain: An agronomic diagnosis method

With an increasing population and changing diet structure, summer maize is increasingly becoming an important energy crop in China. However, traditional farmer practices for maize production are inefficient and unsustainable. To ensure food security and sustainable development of summer maize production in China, an improved, more sustainable farmer management system is needed. Establishing this system requires a comprehensive understanding of the limitations of current farming practice and the ways it could be improved. In our study, 235 plots from three villages in the North China Plain(NCP) were monitored. Maize production on farms was evaluated;our results showed that the maize yield and nitrogen partial factor productivity(PFPN) were variable on smallholder farms at 6.6–13.7 t ha^–1 and 15.4–88.7 kg kg^–1, respectively.Traditional farming practices also have a large environmental impact(nitrogen surplus:–64.2–323.78 kg ha^–1). Key yield components were identified by agronomic diagnosis. Grain yield depend heavily on grain numbers per hectare rather than on the 1 000-grain weight. A set of improved management practices(IP) for maize production was designed by employing a boundary line(BL) approach and tested on farms. Results showed that the IP could increase yield by 18.4% and PFPN by 31.1%, compared with traditional farmer practices(FP), and reduce the nitrogen(N) surplus by 57.9 kg ha^–1. However,in terms of IP effect, there was a large heterogeneity among different smallholder farmers’ fields, meaning that, precise technologies were needed in different sites especially for N fertilizer management. Our results are valuable for policymakers and smallholder farmers for meeting the objectives of green development in agricultural production.

Sustainable Agriculture Evaluation for Red Soil Hill Region of Southeast China

Agricultural sustainability for economic development is important and a complex issue throughout the world; however,it is difficult to synthetically evaluate its use in the policy making process. The objective of this study was to evaluate sustainable agriculture in the red soil hill region of Southeast China through a newly proposed method combining four separate sub-systems: regional population (P), resource (R), environmental (E), and socio-economic (S). This new index system was proposed to appraise synthetically the agricultural sustainability of the red soil hill region from 1988 to 1996 with a two-step method assessing: a) the agricultural sustainability in each province independently and b) the relative sustainability of each province to the whole region. The first step only provided a development trend for each province based on its original situation, while the second step provided additional information on the comparative status of each province in agricultural development to the region as a whole. Higher index scores were found for the economy and resource categories denoting improvement. However, lower scores in the environment category indicated the improvement was achieved at the cost of deteriorating ecological surroundings due to an increasing population that demanded more from the agro-ecosystem and put heavier pressures on it. Results also showed that water and soil losses in this region were the major obstacles encountered in sustainable agriculture development. The assessment results were verified when compared with results from another method. This suggested that the new assessment system was reliable and credible in evaluating agricultural sustainability on a regional scale.

Natural resources deterioration,environmental degradation and sustainable resetlement in Southwest China

As a consequence of increased population growth and environmental degradation, a particular type of population mobility-environmental migration-has emerged in the Third World. In this paper environmental migration is defined and previous practices in some developing countries are reviewed. A case study of the Karst Region of Southwest China is used to illustrate the phenomenon, including root causes, restrictive factors, nature of the migration, desires of migrants, strategies of response and optional policies. It is argued that a comprehensive approach to the prevention of environmentally caused displacement should be developed.

Vulnerability and Sustainable Development Mode of Coal Cities in Northeast China

In this study, by carrying on the spot investigation to the seven coal cities in Northeast China and interview-ing with the local authority and the residents, the authors definite the vulnerability that is closed to exposure, sensitiv-ity and resilience, and set up vulnerability model of coal cities in Northeast China. At the same time, the authors broadly illustrate how the components of natural-social-economic system act in the coal area, so as to probe the ways to reduce vulnerability more effectively, such as preferential national policy and so on. Furthermore, the article studies the relationship between vulnerability and sustainable development. Vulnerability is a spatio-temporal function of sus-tainable development. The regional sustainable development refrains the spiral ascending of vulnerability. And the re-gional vulnerability and sustainable development appear in turn. Then the article analyzes the natural vulnerability, so-cial vulnerability and economic vulnerability of coal cities in Northeast China. At last, combing vulnerability model and situation of coal cities in Northeast China, the authors put forward regional technology innovation mode, multi-dimension structure transformation mode, attracting investment mode and recycling economy mode to reduce vulnerability.

CONSTRAINING FACTORS TO SUSTAINABLE UTILIZATION OF WATER RESOURCES AND THEIR COUNTERMEASURES IN CHINA

This paper discusses the constraining factors to sustainable utilization ofwater resources in China, and the countermeasures to realize sustainable water utilization. Theresult of comprehensive analysis shows that constraining factors to sustainable utilization of waterresources in China are complicated, including physical geographical factors and socio-economicfactors, such as uneven distribution of water resources at temporal and spatial scales,inappropriate institutional arrangement and non-water-saving and non-wter-conservation productionand life mode. The countermeasures against constraining factors to water resources sustainabledevelopment are put forward as follows: 1) using wetlands and forests, and through spatialconversion to realize temporally sustainable supply of water resources; 2) transferring waterbetween basins and areas and developing various water resources in water shortage area; 3)establishing water-saving society; 4) strengthening water pollution control and water resourcesprotection; and 5) establishing unified water resources management mechanism.

CHALLENGES AND CORRESPONDING POLICIES FOR CHINA'S URBAN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Since the late 1970s, China'S economy has been growing very fast with an average rate of over 8 percent annually. Urbanization has become the indicator of economic and secial deveopment in China. Rapid growth of oromy in China pushed the process of urbanization. Since 1978, China's urban non-agricultural population has grown from under 113.4 million in 1977 to 176.09 million in 1993. The number of cities increased from 188 to 617 in 1994. With urban economic activities making up an increasing share of GDP, preductivity of urban economy will heavily influence economic growth. In eastern coastal area, because economy of larger scale and agglomeration has been made more productive, the forces contributing to urban growth bome stronger.The number of cities has increased from 78 to 247 since 1980. Urban population was over 90 million. The urbanization level reached 31.5 peed. Four megalopolises have been emerged, they are : the Shanghai -Nanjing-Hangzhou region, the Pearl River Delta region, the Beijing-Tianjin- Tangshan region and the Shenyang-Dalian region. According to statistics, the area of these four regions occupies about 2.6 perat of China's total territory, but their GDP has exceeded 35 percent of the country's total. However, the rapid urbanization also resulted in a series of problems on deveopment and environment.

Regional Sustainable Assessment at City Level Based on CSDIS(China Sustainable Development Indicator System)Concept in the New Era,China

The core issue of sustainable development refers to the coordinated development of economic-social-environmental issues.In the present study,by complying with the China Sustainable Development Indicator System(CSDIS)concept,a comprehensive index system was built;besides,Natural Breaks(Jenks)Classification Method,Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis and Geographic Detector Analysis were conducted to delve into the sustainability and coordinated degree at city level in China from 2007 to 2017.The achieved results are presented as follows.First,for spatial differentiation,the overall spatial distribution pattern was characterized by the high-value units in eastern China and the low-value units in western China from 2007 to 2017.To be specific,the high-value units were radiated along the Beijing-Guangdong Axis(Jing-Guang Axis)centered on the core of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region,the middle-value units were distributed in strips along the coast,and the low-value units were vastly gathered in western China and gradually break via the Hu Huanyong line(Hu Line)in south China from 2007 to 2017.More specifically,based on the five subsystems,the pattern of each system was consistent with the whole,whereas the degree of concentration was different.Second,for spatial correlation,the significant High-High(HH)areas were primarily distributed in the core of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei,Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta Regions.The significant Low-Low(LL)areas were continuously distributed in the southwest China and broke through the Hu Line from 2007 to 2017.There were insufficient number of significant High-Low(HL)and significant Low-High(LH)areas,whereas the spatial agglomeration of them was less obvious.Third,for internal coupling coordination,the spatial differentiation between the coupling degree and the coupling coordinated degree was significantly consistent in 2007 and 2017.The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei,Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta Regions have demonstrated a high level of coordinated evolution,and the pattern of western mountainous areas exhibited a low degree of coordinated growth.Lastly,based on the combination of quantitative and qualitative,its factors were underpinned by robust economic strength,the vitality support of the information level and the basic support function of the topography,active guidance of national policies and path dependence and industrial transfer.

Agro-ecological engineering in China: a way towards sustainable agriculture

Sustainable development, as a “hot topic”, concerns not only economic development but also environmental protection. Agriculture, the base of other economic activities, has faced many difficulties that include over growth population, land decrease, and land degradation and so on. Therefore, how to increase the food supply, to meet the over\|growth population demands, is the main task all over the world at present, especially in the developing countries, such as China, but we also must protect agricultural environment for medium\| and long\|term development simultaneously. Hence, sustainable development in agriculture is the most important estate that we must concern. Its sustainable development determines the sustainability of other economic development to a great extent. Despite Chinese government has paid much attention to develop agricultural production and obtained great successions, there are also many shortcomings in Chinese agriculture. Therefore, China must seek new approaches for its development and environmental protection that suit local conditions and are based on local resources. Agro ecological engineering, the application of ecological engineering in agriculture, is very thriving in China in recent decades. In this paper, the ecological, economic and social benefits of agro\|ecological engineering are analyzed. The principles are discussed. The results indicated that agro\|ecological engineering can meet the farmer′s short\|, medium\| and long\|term benefits. In the meanwhile, it also concerns not only economic benefits but ecological and social benefits. Therefore, agro\|ecological engineering is a way that leads to sustainable agriculture in the future in China.

ENVIRONMENTAL MIGRATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT——A Case Study of Southwest China

This paper focuses on migration occurrence as a result of environmental degradation and population growth. It briefly reviews previous practices in some less developed courtries and then considers the extent to which environmental factors have been and may be significant in initiating migration. A case study of the karst region of southwest China is used to illustrate the phenomenon, including root causes, restrictive factors, nature of the migration, desires of migrants, strategies of response and optional policies. It is argued that a comprehensive approach to the prevention of environmentally caused displacement should be developed.

Five tips for China to realize its co-targets of climate mitigation and Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)

In 2018,a total of US$166 billion global economic losses and a new high of 55.3 Gt of CO_(2)equivalent emission were generated by 831 climate-related extreme events.As the world’s largest CO_(2)emitter,we reported China’s recent progresses and pitfalls in climate actions to achieve climate mitigation targets(i.e.,limit warming to 1.5-2°C above the pre-industrial level).We first summarized China’s integrated actions(2015 onwards)that benefit both climate change mitigation and Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).These projects include re-structuring organizations,establishing working goals and actions,amending laws and regulations at national level,as well as increasing social awareness at community level.We then pointed out the shortcomings in different regions and sectors.Based on these analyses,we proposed five recommendations to help China improving its climate policy strategies,which include:1)restructuring the economy to balance short-term and long-term conflicts;2)developing circular economy with recycling mechanism and infrastructure;3)building up unified national standards and more accurate indicators;4)completing market mechanism for green economy and encouraging green consumption;and 5)enhancing technology innovations and local incentives via bottom-up actions.

Protecting world heritage in China by enacting laws:Sustainable tourism development

Chinese scholars have been debating how to best protect and utilize world heritage.This study discusses three key perspectives on this issue,which are“conflict-focused”,“compromise-oriented”,and“coordination-oriented”.Some typical incidents,which involve damage to heritage resources,are analyzed before a coordination model is presented that maximizes the compatibility of sustainable tourism development and world heritage protection.Finally,this study explores the possibility of constructing a legal system that engages all the stakeholders in protecting world heritage.Chinese lawmakers,for example,should seize the opportunity to create a law concerning national parks,which will modify and integrate existing laws and regulations in order to produce a comprehensive legal system that embodies the fundamental values of world heritage protection and sustainable tourism development.This system should implement the following:(1)maximize the complementary aspects of and mutual benefits derived from both tourism development and world heritage protection;(2)pay special attention to the various restraints that are inherent in the fundamental requirements for world heritage protection;(3)make world heritage protection sustainable while supporting sustainable tourism development;and(4)emphasize the public-interest nature of profits that are obtained by tourism developers while ensuring that the income from tourism is proportionately allotted to heritage protection.