agriculture

Editorial
Sustainable Agriculture: Theories, Methods, Practices
and Policies
Moucheng Liu 1, * , Xin Chen 2 and Yuanmei Jiao 3

1 Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Beijing 100101, China
2 College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; [email protected]
3 Faculty of Geography, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650500, China; [email protected]
* Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +86-15901262968

Due to the extensive degree of the consumption of resources and energy by industrial
agriculture, there is a growing awareness of sustainable agriculture development that
should not only increase yield to meet people’s demands for food security, but should also
improve product quality and promote the multi-functionality of the agricultural ecosystem.
Although research and practices of sustainable agriculture have achieved remarkable
results over the past 40 years, the development of the social economy and the current
challenges of the world agriculture necessitate further research to improve the future
of agriculture. Therefore, summarizing our experiences and lessons, analyzing existing
problems, and contemplating the future of development will lead to innovations in the
realms of theories and practical methods, which will promote the practice and policy of
sustainable agriculture.
This Special Issue includes 16 articles related to the theoretical methods, policies and
systems of agricultural sustainability, as well as practical experience, focusing particularly
on the former two, with the aim to contribute to the sustainable development of agriculture
and food security.

1. Theories and Methods of Agricultural Sustainable Development

Food supply is one of the important purposes of sustainable agricultural development.
Gilmar et al. [1] used an innovative in vitro technique to increase the cultivation of micro
tubers, improve the yield and quality of seeds and crops, and ensure regional food supply.
Citation: Liu, M.; Chen, X.; Jiao, Y. With the objective to examine how to assess the sustainability of agricultural devel-
Sustainable Agriculture: Theories, opment, Wang et al. [2] constructed a comprehensive system of evaluation indexes for
Methods, Practices and Policies. cropland–livestock systems from three aspects: arable land, animal husbandry, and the
Agriculture 2024, 14, 473. https:// environment. They used a coupling coordination degree model to evaluate the coupling
doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14030473 coordination relationship between cropland and livestock and its influencing factors in
Received: 1 March 2024
31 provinces in China during 2000–2020. Their results clarified that reducing the decou-
Revised: 3 March 2024
pling of cultivated land and animal husbandry can reduce agricultural non-point source
Accepted: 13 March 2024 pollution, and that the combination of cultivated land and animal husbandry can promote
Published: 15 March 2024 agricultural sustainability. Yu et al. [3] proposed that an accurate measurement of agri-
cultural total factor productivity (AGTFP) is crucial to measure the level of sustainable
agricultural development, and that the inclusion of agricultural carbon sink in the AGTFP
is more conducive to improving green total factor productivity, reducing carbon dioxide in
Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. agricultural production and improving the carbon sink capacity of farmland.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
In addition, in terms of research methods, Wang et al. [4] used a novel hybrid model
This article is an open access article
by integrating the Fuzzy set, Delphi, and the Grey theory, among others, to calculate the
distributed under the terms and
relationship between various factors in agricultural green supply chain management so as
conditions of the Creative Commons
to grasp the relationship and key factors between each link, promote the reform of supply
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
chain management, and promote agricultural sustainability. Based on the data gathered
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
in 2016, from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) and from a variety of econometric
4.0/).

Agriculture 2024, 14, 473. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14030473 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/agriculture

Agriculture 2024, 14, 473 2 of 4

models, Wang et al. [5] clarify that digital technology can promote land circulation (land
leasing behavior), integrate fragmented land, reduce land abandonment, and achieve
sustainable livelihoods for farmers.

2. Policies of Agricultural Sustainable Development

Abandonment is a major problem which is faced by the development of modern agri-
culture. Based on the survey data of 12 rural provinces in China, Xue et al. [6] analyzed the
relationship between agricultural machinery harvesting services and abandonment, and
proposed that agricultural machinery harvesting services can reduce cropland abandon-
ment, which provides suggestions for policymakers to reduce cultivated land abandonment
and ensure food security. Xue et al. [7] examined the relationship between financial literacy
and farmland abandonment in Ghana, and found that the financial literacy of rural resi-
dents (especially low-income farm households and female farmers) is low, and pointed
out that the lower the financial literacy, the more serious the phenomenon of cultivated
land abandonment. Hence, the authors proposed that agricultural sustainability can be
promoted by increasing the financial literacy training of rural households.
In addition, the development of circular agriculture is also an important system to
ensure the sustainable development of agriculture. By measuring the efficiency and changes
in the agricultural economy in 31 provinces and cities in China from 2017 to 2020, Guo
et al. [8] pointed out that the implementation of a rural revitalization strategy can improve
the efficiency of agricultural circular economy, promote rural economic development, social
progress and ecological protection, and realize rural modernization. Finally, this Special
Issue also assesses two livestock development policies.
By examining the impact of the implementation of the Converting Food Crops to
Forage Crops Policy (CFFP) in the pilot counties of Hebei Province from 2010 to 2020 on the
development of the herbivorous livestock industry, Zhang et al. [9] clarified that the CFFP
can produce high-quality feed, improve the productivity of animal husbandry, and promote
the sustainable development of agriculture and animal husbandry. Moreover, Li et al. [10]
systematically reviewed the relevant theoretical and practical research of grassland eco-
compensation in China, summarized the five characteristics and shortcomings of grassland
ecological compensation, and point out that future work should focus on the response
mechanism of herdsmen’s families and the improvement of compensation measures.

3. Practical Experience of Agricultural Sustainable Development

Different agricultural production technologies or models have been created around
the world, effectively ensuring the sustainable development of regional agriculture. Marta
M. Moreno et al. [11] analyzed the degradation of biodegradable (BD) plastic mulch with
different compositions in different soil types, and proposed that different compositions of
biodegradable (BD) plastic mulch should be selected for different soils. Taking Limpopo
Province as an example, Tlou E. Mogale et al. [12] evaluated the productivity of different
species of sorghum intercropping at different cowpea densities, and proposed that the
combination of intercropping and no-tillage can improve crop yield and productivity,
thereby promoting agricultural sustainability. Taking the rice–fish coculture system in
Jingning, Qingtian, and Yongjia counties of Zhejiang Province as an example, Ye et al. [13]
compared and evaluated the effects of various aquaculture and rice–fish coculture systems
on the genetic diversity of aquatic animals, and proposed that the implementation of the
rice–fish coculture system can improve the genetic diversity and food security of aquatic
species, thereby promoting agricultural sustainability.
For business entities, it is necessary to pay attention to the capacity building of small-
holder farmers on the one hand, and the synergy between small-scale and large-scale
farming systems on the other. Bader Alhafi Alotaibi et al. [14] analyzed the views and
opinions of 193 rice farmers in Pakistan with regard to the government’s public extension
services and improving rice production efficiency, and concluded that Pakistan’s public
extension services lack attention to small-scale rice farmers. The authors proposed that
Agriculture 2024, 14, 473 3 of 4

small-scale rice farmers are the main body of agricultural production and yet lack mod-
ern agricultural technology and knowledge; therefore, the government should pay more
attention to and train small-scale farmers to ensure national food security and promote agri-
cultural sustainability. From the perspective of system dynamics, Mary Scholes et al. [15]
analyzed and evaluated the small-scale and large-scale farming systems of mangoes and
nuts in the Vhembe district of Limpopo South Africa, and found that small-scale and
large-scale farming systems can work together to achieve food security at all levels. They
also proposed that large-scale and small-scale farming systems work collaboratively rather
than independently.
Lastly, taking Pakistani farmers as an example, Rabia Mazhar et al. [16] investigated
the effects of three contract-farming regimes—long-term, medium-term, and short-term
contracts—on the land-improvement investment, productivity, and technical efficiency of
contract farmers in Punjab, Pakistan. Additionally, the authors clearly proposed that the
implementation of long-term contract-farming regime is important for sustainable land
development and management.
In summary, this Special Issue provides a comprehensive overview of the theories,
methods, policies, and practices of sustainable agricultural development, with the aim at
providing new insights and contributions to sustainable agricultural development, modern
agriculture, and rural revitalization. The papers in this Special Issue represent some of
the latest and most promising research results in this field, and we are confident that
this Special Issue will facilitate further research. Here, the invited editors would like to
express their heartfelt gratitude to all the contributors, authors, and reviewers who have
contributed to the high-level research presented in this Special Issue.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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