Influencing Factors and Improvement Suggestions for Agricultural Green Development Performance:Empirical Insights from China

Agricultural green development is an essential direction for global sustainable agriculture.The academic literature,however,needs to place greater emphasis on studying the factors influencing agricultural green development performance and how such performance can be improved.A theoretical framework for agricultural green development performance was constructed in this paper using the Super-SBM model,which considers undesirable outputs,to measure the agricultural green development performance of 330 cities at or above the prefecture level in China(excluding Tibet Autonomous Region,Hong Kong,Macao and Taiwan of China)from 2007 to2018.Furthermore,the influencing mechanism of agricultural green development performance was then analyzed using a spatial econometric model.The results show that:1)from 2007 to 2018,China’s agricultural green development performance experienced three stages of evolution:‘rise,decline and rise’.2)The regions with high performance agricultural green development are mainly distributed in eastern China,northeastern China,and southern Qinghai Province.3)The agricultural economic level,industrialization process,and labor quality play significant roles in promoting local agricultural green development performance,while such performance is obviously inhibited by the openness level and the government’s environmental regulations.Local agricultural green development performance is significant inhibited by the agricultural economic level and accelerated industrialization process in neighboring cities,while significantly promoted by the agricultural industrial structure in neighboring cities.Some suggestions for improving agricultural green development performance are proposed based on these research results,which can provide scientific references for promoting sustainable agriculture.

Evolution process,development goal and realization path of China’s agricultural green development

The agricultural green development process is sorted out from the historical perspective,combined with the“No.1 Central Documents”issued by the central government over the years and the relevant policy documents.Three stages are concluded,including embryonic stage,development stage,strategic promotion and promotion stage.Agricultural green development has three major goals,including providing high-quality agricultural products,efficient utilization of agricultural resources,protection and construction of beautiful countryside.The effective paths for achieving the above goals are agricultural supply-side structural reform,agricultural modernization and rural revitalization.The green development of agriculture is the intersection of the three to alleviate resource environmental pressure and change agricultural production mode.

Toward to agricultural green development by multi-objective zoning and nitrogen nutrient management:a case study in the Baiyangdian Basin,China

Although China has achieved great advancements toward national food security,the country is still confronted with a range of challenges,including natural resource stress,imbalanced diets and environmental pollution.Optimized management of crop–livestock systems is the key measure to realize agricultural green transformation.However,optimized management of crop–livestock systems that use multi-objective zoning is lacking.This study employed a multi-objective zoning management approach to comprehensively analyze four indicators:ammonia volatilization,nitrogen surplus,soil carrying capacity and ecological red line area.With its significant ecological integrity and a strong emphasis on sustainability,the Baiyangdian Basin serves as a unique and suitable test case for conducting analyses on multi-objective nutrient optimization management,with the aim to facilitate the agricultural green transformation.This study finds that less than 8%of the area in the Baiyangdian Basin meet the acceptable environmental indicator standard,whereas around 50%of the area that had both nitrogen surplus and ammonia volatilization exceeded the threshold.Implementation of unified management,that is,the same management technique across the study areas,could result in an increase of areas meeting environmental indicator thresholds to 21.1%.This project developed a novel multi-indicator partition optimization method,in which distinct measures are tailored for different areas to satisfy multiple environmental indicators.Implementation of this method,could potentially bring more than 50%area below the threshold,and areas with ammonia emissions and nitrogen surplus could be reduced to 15.8%.The multi-indicators partition optimization method represents a more advanced and efficiency-oriented management approach when compared to unified management.This approach could be regarded as the best available option to help China achieve agricultural transformation to improve efficient production and reduce environmental pollution.It is recommended that current policies aimed at nutrient management toward sustainable agricultural development should shift toward the application of multi-indicators partition optimization.

Comparison of indicators for agricultural green development and the Sustainable Development Goals,and mapping the way forward

While agricultural green development(AGD)is highly recognized and has become a national strategy in China,it is imperative to bridge the knowledge gaps between AGD and the UN Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs),and to evaluate the contribution of AGD to meeting the SDGs.The first aim of this study was to compare the AGD goals and indicators with those of the SDGs so as to identify their relationship.The next aim was to examine the historical evolution of AGD indicators and analyze the gaps between the current status of various indicators and their benchmarks.Limiting factors were identified in China's transition toward AGD.These findings reveal that the indicators of AGD align with those of the SDGs,but have greater specificity to the context in China and are more quantifiable.There has been a significant increase per capita calorie and protein intakes in China,as well as a notable rise in agricultural output per unit of arable land and rural incomes from 1980 to the 2010s.However,these achievements have been accompanied by a high resource use and environmental pollution,highlighting the need for a more sustainable,environmentally responsible agriculture in China.

Relationship between the Ecological Livability and the Green Development of Agriculture

Ecological livability is one of the important tasks and objectives of the rural revitalization strategy proposed at the 19 th National Congress of the CPC.The most precious wealth of the countryside is the excellent ecological environment,and China must unswervingly follow the route of green agricultural development.Based on current research on the relationship between ecological livable and agricultural green development,comprehensive policy documents,journal literature and related reports,this paper explored the background and connotation of ecological livable,the current situation of agricultural green development and existing problems,and profoundly analyzed ecological livable and the internal connection between agricultural green development,aiming to provide theoretical reference and scientific reference for the final realization of ecological livable goal.

Establishing an Agro-ecological Compensation Mechanism to Promote Agricultural Green Development in China

In recent years, grain production has been rising steadily, and the income of farmers has been in- creasing dramatically, thanks in part to the central government＇s policy support for agriculture, rural areas and farmers. However, the conventional production mode leads to overconsumption of agricultural resources, increas- ingly challenging ecological environment impacts, and higher costs of agricultural products whose quality falls short of public expectations. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council both put ex- tra emphasis on agricultural supply-side reform, restructuring of the sector, and a shift in the production mode. This paper explains the significance of the agro-ecological compensation mechanism, analyzes the efficacy of China＇s current agricultural subsidy policies, introduces related experience from developed countries, elaborates options to establish the mechanism, and proposes policy recommendations to accelerate its development. This analysis con- cludes that one of the most important approaches to agricultural green development is to shift the existing subsidy policy from one which aims to ensure the yield by purchasing at a protective price, to a green subsidy which focuses on agro-ecological compensation.

Evaluation and Influence Factor of Green Efficiency of China’s Agricultural Innovation from the Perspective of Technical Transformation

Agricultural innovation is important for the green transformation of agriculture.Based on the perspective of technology transformation,this paper builds a theoretical analysis framework and evaluation index system for green efficiency of agricultural innovation,and discusses the evolution laws and influencing factors of the green efficiency of China’s agricultural innovation from 2005 to 2017 utilizing the DEA model,Malmquist index,and Tobit regression analysis.The results show that:1)The overall green efficiency of China’s agricultural innovation is not high,the green efficiency of agricultural innovation in eastern China is mainly driven by pure technical efficiency,while that in central and western China is mainly driven by the scale efficiency.The green efficiency of agricultural innovation shows significant spatial differences,and the low efficiency and relatively low-efficiency regions moved to central and southeastern China.2)Technical progress is the main force affecting the change of green total factor productivity of China’s agricultural innovation,seeing a trend of decrease followed by an increase.Pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency exhibit an increasing-decreasing trend,and gradually transform into key factors that restrict the improvement of the green total factor productivity of agricultural innovation.3)Agricultural technologies’diffusion,absorption,and implementation are three influencing factors of the green efficiency of agricultural innovation.The local level of informatization,the number of agricultural technicians in enterprises and institutions,average education level of residents,and the level of agricultural mechanization have positive impacts on the promotion of the green efficiency of agricultural innovation,promoting the diffusion,absorption and implementation of agricultural innovation technology can significantly improve the green efficiency of agricultural innovation.

Impact of country-of-origin image of Guizhou province on brand trust of green agricultural products

Brand building of agricultural products is the key for agricultural enterprises to gain competitive advantage and occupy the market. Guizhou province is rich in green agricultural products resources and has superior natural resources, but it is at a disadvantage in the market competition. The constraint factor is that the brand is not enough to obtain consumer trust. In order to provide countermeasures and suggestions for Guizhou provincial government and agricultural enterprises to shape green agricultural products brand, this paper explores the influence path of country-of-origin image of Guizhou province on brand trust of green agricultural products. Therefore, based on the theory of Country-of-origin effects this study conducts an empirical research. Taking the country-of-origin image, including natural conditions,technological conditions, brand supervision norms, technology input, government marketing promotion and government policies as antecedent variables, and green agricultural brand trust, including brand competence trust and brand quality trust as dependent variables, the structural equation model was constructed. Through data collection and empirical analysis by using structural equation model, this study found that natural conditions have a positive impact on brand competence trust, and technical conditions have a positive impact on brand quality trust. The brand supervision norms, technology input, government marketing promotion and government policy will all promote consumers to have a positive impact on brand trust in green agricultural products.

Lemon Effect of Green Agricultural Products and Its Marketing Strategy

The paper introduces the lemon effect of green agricultural products,analyzes the formation reasons of the lemon effect of green agricul-tural products and summarizes problems brought by the effect,such as malicious deception and high price.The paper proposes countermeasures toavoid the lemon effect of green agricultural products from a perspective of marketing.The first is to strengthen the quality supervision of green agri-cultural products,upgrade the quality of products,and build up branded products.The government should foster the main body of the products andguide the main body to realize the importance of brand construction and management.The second is to construct a sales channel system of greenagricultural products,making use of the trading center of modern green agricultural products to sell products,developing a long term partnershipwith processing industries,big supermarket and restaurants,making use of internet and selling products online and offline.The third is to propagatethe products.Make a good use of advertisement,personal sales,propagation and public relations to accelerate the healthy development of greenagricultural market.

The Impacts of the Green Barrier against China＇s Agricultural Products Exports

Green Barrier is one of the non-tariffbarriers, which has its special characteristics. More and more countries have imposed green barriers on China＇s agricultural products exports in a bid to protect their domestic agriculture. When studying the green barriers oriented market access system, we should handle well the following works： popularizing agricultural standardization, improving quality standard systems of agricultural products, propelling the technological innovations of green production, establishing an emergency system for the foreign trade of agricultural products by which the green production and operation can be supported from funds and policies, etc.

Coordinating environmental protection and agricultural development: a village-based case study for promoting green transformation

Balancing ecological preservation with sustainable agricultural practices is a global issue. Erhai Lake has felt this challenge keenly. To address it, in 2022, a Science and Technology Backyards(STBs) project was launched in Gusheng Village. The goal of this is to care for the environment while ensuring that farms and farmers can thrive sustainably. The uniqueness of the Erhai STB arises from its interdisciplinary integration, encompassing fields such as ecology, agronomy and social science, resulting in specifically-designed solutions for the Erhai context. While this model aligns with broader STB paradigms, its distinctive edge lies in technological innovation and robust support mechanisms for local agricultural stakeholders. This paper describes the methodology and outcomes of the STB initiative, highlighting its pivotal role in spearheading sustainable transition in Erhai. Preliminary findings underscore the potential of the STB model as an efficacious tool for harmonizing environmental conservation and agricultural practices, that are both financially and environmentally sustainable, rendering it a potential model for comparable regions in China and other counties.

Efficient Green Modern Agriculture of Fenlong Cultivation and Its Application Prospects

Based on the evolution of farming revolution in Fengyan aiming to create a healthier and more beautiful human existence and a harmonious coexistence with nature, this study introduced Fenlong green agriculture, which had the characteristics of natural yield increase of more than 10% with zero fertilization, and yield increase of 10%-30%, quality improvement of 5% and doubled land water holding capacity with the conventional fertilization in over 20 crops in more than 20 provinces, and significant reforming efficiency on salinized land and grassland; for the first time made a comprehensive description of high efficient application of Fenlong green modern agriculture to explore natural resources, realizing the sustainable develop- ment of quality improvement, yield increase and efficiency enhancement; for the first time clarified the scientific basis and theoretical system of the green efficient mod- ern agricultural technique-Fenlong cultivation, as well as the basic connotations and concepts of Fenlong cultivation, green efficient modern agricultural technical system; created a new model of efficient modern agricultural production and new technology system, and 6 major technical projects like cultivated land improvement to increase yield and transformation of salinized land and grassland, which could play a role in relieving the climatic disasters like haze, transformation of farmland with medium to low yield as well as the construction of high standard farmland, sucrose industry and ＂One Road One Belt＂ strategy; for the first time proposed Fenlong cultivation as the ＂China technology card＂ in China and even the whole world, so as to make people understand the particular significance of this technology to green develop- ment, which could benefit the future generations.

Analysis of Economic Benefits Brought by Industrialization of Natural Enemy Insects

In the field of biological control of agricultural and forestry pests,natural enemy insects play an important role,constituting the core of modern integrated pest management(IPM)strategy,providing solid support for the zero growth goal of chemical pesticide use,and helping the sustainable development of green agriculture.The rise of the natural enemy insect industry has become a key driver of the transformation of green agriculture,injecting vitality into the sustainability and ecological protection of agriculture.With the increasing concern about food safety,environmental protection and ecological balance all over the world,the application scope of natural enemy insects as biological control means is constantly expanding.Its unique ecological adaptability and environmentally friendly characteristics help to reduce dependence on chemical pesticides,ensure the safety of agricultural products and maintain ecological diversity.The purpose of this study is to analyze the current situation of natural enemy insect industry,evaluate its cost and benefit,emphasize its great significance in promoting the transformation of green agriculture,improving production efficiency and promoting ecological protection by drawing lessons from foreign successful experiences,and explore an efficient and sustainable new agricultural development model.

Thoughts on Development of Green Agriculture and Green Economy——Based on the Survey of Farms in Qinhuangdao

Based on the concept and development process of green agriculture and green economy,the field survey and questionnaire investigation were carried out in Jincheng Specialized Planting Cooperative in Xinji Town,Changli County of Qinhuangdao City. The results show that there are still many problems in the development of green economy and the improvement of green farms in Hebei Province. On this basis,it came up with pertinent measures and recommendations,in the hope of providing theoretical basis and reference for establishment and development of green farms in Hebei Province and most of domestic areas.

Essential Factors and Sustainable Development of Green Agriculture

This paper discussed the definition and essential factors of green agriculture, including green ecological environment, green material energy input, application and the popularization of green agricultural technology, the green behavior of worker, green policy regulations guarantee, fund support, supply and the production of green agriculture products, as well as the concept of green agriculture, structural mechanism and function. And finally existing problems in present green agriculture and five suggestions of green agricultural sustainable develonment were proposed.

Synergistic Effect of Nonionic Surfacants(Nonethoxylated Sorbitan Esters)on Herbicides in Paddy Fields

An uneven herbicide distribution can lead to reduced efficacy,and the release of herbicide residues and their transformation products into the environment through runoff increases their potential use risk.Understanding the water distribution dynamics of commonly used paddy field herbicides,for example,oxadiazon,is imperative for the long-term management of weeds in paddy fields.To clarify the diffusion and sedimentation ability of oxadiazon with the addition of a nonionic surfactant—diffusion and settling agent(DSA)for subsequent commercial use in paddy field water layers,the synergistic mechanisms of DSA with butachlor and bensulfuron-methyl in paddy fields were studied.Bioassays,instrumental analysis and field experiments were conducted in this research to provide a relevant basis for improving the efficacy of paddy field herbicides.The field experiment results indicated that DSA could increase the plant and fresh weight control effects of oxadiazon(450 g a.i.·hm^(-2)),butachlor and bensulfuron-methyl to different degrees.These findings demonstrated that DSA could not only effectively improve oxadiazon diffusion and settling in water layers and significantly increase the control effects of butachlor and bensulfuron-methyl,but also promote crop growth and development to different degrees.

Basic Path and System Construction of Green and Low-Carbon Agricultural Development with Respect to the Strategic Target of Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality

The Dual Carbon strategy,which is aimed at achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality,is one of China's major strategiesinthecomingperiod.Agriculture is both an important source of greenhouse gas and a huge carbon sink system.To promote the Dual Carbon strategy,it is crucial for China to lay emphasis on green and low-carbon agricultural development.To achieve carbon peaking,agricultural carbonreduction and sequestration are significant means and haveegreat potential.Thisspaper firstly reviews the current situation of green and lowcarbon agricultural developmen.t.At present,the total agricultural carbon emissions in China are approaching the peak smoothly,and the proportion of carbon emissionsSgenerated by the use of such modern agricultural inputssas fertilizer and on-farm energy increases.Meanwhile,the operation of agricultural ecosystems in China demonstrates the strong capacity to absorb carbon.Then,the paper analyzes the main problems existing in green and low-carbon agricultural development,including excessive agricultural inputs and excessive consumption of fossil energy,the low utilization rate of agricultural resources,insufficient technical reserves for green and low-carbon agricultural development,and a weak supporting system.In the next part,the paper elaborates on the basic path and measures to realize green and low-carbon agriculturalddevelopment,such as strengthening the conservation of agricultural resources and improving the efficiency of resource utilization;enhancing the comprehensive treatment of agricultural non-point source pollution,realizing the reduction and efficiency of fertilizer and pesticide,resource utilization of agricultural wastes,and effective control of white agricultural pollution;cultivating,expanding and strengthening green and low-carbon agricultural industries,and greening the whole industrial chain of agricultural products from production,processing tocirculation;increasing scientific and technological innovation and building a scientific and technological support systems for green and low-carbon agricultural development.Finally,an institutional system to promote green and low-carbon agricultural development is constructed from the aspects of fiscal and taxation system,financial system,land management system,value realization mechanism of ecological products,and constraint and incentive mechanism,etc.This study provides a scientific basis for the further formulation of green and lowcarbon agricultural development policies and measures and relevant research.

China's agriculture green development: from concept to actions

China has initiated a green transformation plan in 2015, which was soon applied to agriculture, known as the agriculture green development(AGD)initiative, with the goals of achieving food security, high resource use efficiency, and an ecofriendly environment. To assess the agricultural transformation from 1997 to 2020, this paper proposes a national-scale indicator system consisting three dimensions(socioeconomic, food production and eco-environmental) and ten sub-dimensions to quantify the AGD score.This study showed that AGD score in China was at a moderate level during 1997–2010, scoring 40 out of 100. During this stage, decreased scores in the sub-dimensions of resource consumption, environmental quality, and environmental cost have offset the improvement in the socioeconomic dimension, resulting in fluctuated scores around 40. In the second stage(2011–2020), China's AGD score improved but still at moderate level, scoring an average of 46.3, with each dimension increasing by 5.3%–25.0%. These results indicate that China has made progress in the agricultural transformation, transitioning from conceptualization to actions through the implementation of various policies and projects. However, the study emphasizes the need for more effort to address the insufficient and unbalanced development, along with the growing eco-environmental challenges, especially the trade-offs among dimensions.

An index system for evaluation of agriculture green development at county level in China

Agriculture green development(AGD)has become an unavoidable choice to address the unique national circumstances of China.This study established a county-level AGD evaluation index system,comprised three dimensions,food production,ecological environment and socioeconomic development,using 20 indicators.The assessment delved into historical trend and current situation,utilizing Spearman rank correlation analysis to analyze trade-off and synergy relationships,using Quzhou County,Hebei Province as a case study.The main findings were in four areas.Firstly,the index for AGD in Quzhou County increased by 58.9%from 1978 to 2019.The major contribution were the social economy(65.8%)and food production(53.5%),whereas the ecological environment was found to have had a negative impact.Secondly,in 2019,the AGD index was only 56.4,indicating substantial potential for improvement relative to the target value.A notable difference in scores existed between the three dimensions,with the order being ecological environment(66.3)>food production(61.7)>socioeconomic(41.3).Also,90%of the indicators did not reach the target value.Thirdly,relationship analysis of the indicators revealed that the synergistic effect exceeded the trade-off effect.Specifically,46.3%of the indicators had no significant relationship,35.3%had a synergistic relationship,and 18.4%had a trade-off relationship.Finally,interdimensional indicator relationships exhibited a trade-off effect between the ecological environment and both food production and socioeconomic dimensions.However,a positive trend of synergy between production and ecology has emerged since 2015.In conclusion,the quantitative evaluation index system exposed the unbalanced development and significant potential relative to the target value of AGD in Quzhou County,despite notable progress.

Toward sustainable food systems: global initiatives and innovations

A recent UN Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) analysis indicated a significant regression in the global SDG goal scores, particularly in SDG 2—Zero Hunger. The emissions of environmental pollution caused by meeting food demands have prompted some countries to intensify their climate change mitigation efforts. These circumstances have introduced significant uncertainty to the future global sustainable food development. Additionally, a notable global challenge is the persistence of hidden hunger, primarily characterized by the insufficient consumption of high-quality animal protein. Addressing this issue would necessitate increased environmental costs to attain high-quality food security. The future food system presents a significant challenge in coordinating food security, food quality and environmental quality. This article presents a comprehensive review and proposes a three-step strategy for future agricultural development based on food security, quality, and environmental aspects. This is a novel food system transfer strategy, as it concurrently addresses both global food security and environmental thresholds. It involves the construction of an efficient food system that operates within the constraints of environmental limits. The objective is to align with global SDG indicators and to maintain natural resource consumption and pollutant emissions within planetary boundaries.