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Balancing soil greenhouse gas emissions (SGE) with crop production is crucial for sustainable agriculture in China. Optimizing field management practices regionally can effectively promote carbon reduction and food security, given the varying SGE responses across agroecological regions. This study employed meta-analysis and machine learning techniques to assess SGE responses to nine different farming practices in seven distinct agroecological regions. It aimed to identify optimal management strategies for balancing SGE and crop production within each region. Findings underscore substantial spatial heterogeneity in the effects of management practices on SGE, with the combined use of organic and inorganic fertilizers (MOF-MF) demonstrating the most pronounced variability (standard deviation, SD = 1.80), where MOF resulted in SGE 610% of that with MF in the Southern China (SC) region, yet only 54% in Northwestern China (NWC). Conversely, straw incorporation exhibited the most minor variability (SD = 0.27), influencing SGE by 35%–62%. Additionally, the study reveals that soil and climatic conditions significantly modulate SGE responses. In scenarios characterized by humid and warm climates with soil pH ranging from 5.5 to 8.5 or initial SOC ≤10, the environmental impact on SGE was marginal. However, in highly acidic or alkaline soils or with initial SOC >10, SGE responses varied markedly with management practices in arid and cold conditions. The study further proposes agricultural management strategies to achieve the lowest SGE while maximizing crop yield. It recommends specific methods for fertilizer applications, straw management, irrigation, and tillage practices meticulously tailored to the unique conditions of each agroecological region. This research offers essential insights for agricultural stakeholders regarding cultivation strategies and delivers theoretical guidance for enhancing agricultural management and land-use planning throughout China's heterogeneous landscapes. • A total of 2221 observed values of cropland soil greenhouse gas emissions (SGE) were utilized in this study. • It highlighted the spatial heterogeneity of SGE in response to diverse management practices. • Investigating soil pH, SOC, humidity, and temperature's impact on SGE has deepened insights into environmental mechanisms. • It proposed region-specific management strategies for seven agroecological zones designed to optimize yields while minimizing SGE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land consolidation plays a vital role in addressing the global poverty issue. Nevertheless, the factors and mechanisms contributing to the disparities in the impacts of land consolidation on poverty alleviation (LCPA) remain inadequately analyzed. This study aimed to explore how natural conditions influence the effectiveness of LCPA in contiguous impoverished mountainous regions. The structural equation model (SEM), questionnaire and interviews were used to analyze whether natural conditions will affect the effectiveness of LCPA in Wumeng Mountain contiguous poverty-stricken area. The results showed that under the influence of natural conditions, the direct benefits of LCPA decreased by 31.3%, while the indirect benefits decreased by 56.1%. Natural factors have a negative impact on the direct benefits of LCPA, as evidenced by a path coefficient of − 0.39. However, they exhibit a positive influence on the indirect benefits, with a coefficient of 0.57. Specifically, topography and soil have a negative effect on LCPA, but the characteristic hydrological and temperature conditions facilitate the cultivation of specialty crop, such as strawberries and blueberries. The impact of different natural factors on the benefits of LCPA exhibits significant variations. Elevation and precipitation have a pronounced impact on the benefits of LCPA, with path coefficients of 1.01 and 0.99, respectively, while the influence of soil and temperature is relatively limited. While adverse natural conditions are one of the significant factors contributing to poverty, the combination of characteristic climatic conditions and LCPA projects has jointly facilitated the development of agricultural enterprises. Policymakers should pay attention to the multidimensional role of natural factors in land consolidation and poverty alleviation and strengthen the sustainability of land consolidation in poverty alleviation. • The impact of natural factors on LCPA benefits was evaluated based on SEM and questionnaire. • Affected by natural conditions, the direct and indirect benefits of LCPA decreased by 31.3% and 56.1%, respectively. • Elevation and precipitation significantly affect LCPA benefits, with path coefficients of 1.01 and 0.99, respectively. • The hydrological and temperature conditions facilitated the development of characteristic agricultural enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appraisals of land-use sustainability (LUS) are indispensable for the attainment of sustainable land-use planning and management. At present, China is experiencing a pivotal phase of comprehensive reform in land-use policy, engendering a practical necessity for system-oriented land evaluations. Despite this, studies focused on national-scale systematic LUS evaluation remain scarce. Within this context, we developed a hierarchical structural framework for land-use systems based on the assumption that sustainable land-use systems adapted to development needs have mutually adaptable internal subsystems and fewer conflicting system elements. Employing this framework, we assessed the LUS across Chinese counties from 2000 to 2015 by using a newly introduced static equilibrium equation；we also analyzed the natural and socioeconomic influences and driving effect of land-use change to LUS. Findings reveal a significant spatial clustering and urban-rural differentiation within the LUS spatial pattern. Five LUS hot and cold spots and eight metropolitan areas with poor LUS were identified. Furthermore, conflicting land capability elements and the non-adaptability of land function subsystems with capability subsystems are the primary constraints on LUS; gross domestic product (GDP), population growth, and the GDP growth per unit land area had the most significant impacts on LUS; The transformation of construction and cropland into ecological land and the re-purposing of grassland into building land are primary drivers of LUS. Our findings highlight the prospective utility of the proposed LUS framework in integrated natural resource management and territorial spatial planning. Meanwhile, Insights from this evaluation case could be harnessed to optimize land-use in critical regions (including northern arid and semiarid regions, the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau region, the poverty belt around the capital, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta metropolitan areas, as well as Fuzhou and Xiamen metropolitan areas), thereby enhancing land management decision-making processes. • Developing a hierarchical structural framework for land-use systems to evaluate land-use sustainability (LUS). • Evaluating LUS of 2855 county-level units in China between 2000 and 2015. • The LUS exhibits significant spatial clustering and urban–rural differentiation. • Identifying the influence of natural and socioeconomic factors on LUS and the driving role of land-use change. • LUS can be integrated into territorial spatial planning, key regional land-use optimization, and land management decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current complex and changeable external environment, the sustainable development of rural areas is the key to global economic and social transformation. Introducing the concept of resilience will help to tap the villages' internal potential and inject new vitality into realizing high-quality rural development. This study analyzes the rural system resilience (RRS) mechanism. It then constructs a village-scale resilience evaluation framework based on three dimensions: resources, morphology, and function. The combination of empirical research and field surveys verifies the feasibility of the analytical framework. This study constructed an analytical framework, used the catastrophe progression method and geo-detector to evaluate the RRS of 386 villages in Suining County, Jiangsu Province, and put forward a regional guidance scheme for RRS promotion based on factor characteristics. There are three key results and conclusions. First, the study combined system theory and adaptive circulation theory to analyze the connotations and mechanisms of RRS. Second, the empirical case study results show that the spatial differentiation of resilience in different dimensions is quite significant. For example, the overall resilience index is higher in the southern regions than in the northern regions of Suining County, and the polarization is obvious. Third, the study combined the dominant factors and their characteristics to construct a two-level rural zoning scheme to provide rural development strategies for different villages. The results can provide a potential approach to rural transformation development for cultivating resilient rural settlements and provide policy reference for rural land management and spatial planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper proposes a multi-dimensional assessment framework for cropland use stability. • Multi-dimensional cropland use characteristics present significant spatial differentiation. • Cropland stability in Northeast China Plain and Loess Plateau is the highest and lowest. • Urbanization will lead to about 9.31% of high-stability cropland losses in 2030. • Integrating landscape stability and national planning can draft a sustainable-oriented strategy. Shifting to more sustainable use can curb cropland resource degradation and improve production resilience. However, most cropland use assessments are unilaterally focused on biophysical levels and productivity, ignoring the multi-dimensional aspects of degraded cropland. This study attempts to describe cropland use stability in China by proposing a multi-dimensional assessment framework (including quantity, quality, management, service, and risk) to provide a reference for designing land degradation-neutral strategies. Results show that multi-dimensional cropland use characteristics present significant spatial heterogeneity. Western regions are reserve resource agglomerations that can replenish cropland quantity. In contrast, main grain-producing areas cover most current resources with preferably cultivation quality, management efficiency, and ecosystem services, while risk resistance is weak (especially in Middle-lower Yangtze Plain). Generally, the stability of cropland use in Northeast Plain is the highest and in Loess Plateau the lowest. Besides, urbanization will occupy about 9.31% of the high-stability cropland in 2030, of which 70.29% will occur in Northeast Plain and Huang-Huai-Hai Plain. The total potential productivity loss in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain alone will reach 100.1 kt, equivalent to supplying the food demand of 199,200 people annually. Therefore, a sustainable-oriented refined cropland management strategy should be designed according to the hierarchical nested spatial layout of comprehensive planning-stability map-multi-dimensional utilization characteristics to ensure the loss-replenishment balance and stable production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]