Sustainable Development of The “Four-in-One” Model in Rural Areas of Northern China: A Village Case Study

Abstract

Based on an investigation of a typical village in northern China, we found that the “Four-in-One” ecological model for homes (sunlight greenhouse, pig house, toilet, and biogas digester) achieved benefits with regard to economy, society, energy use, and a cleaner environment once it was established. However, problems still impede the sustainable expansion of the model. The main problems are a relative lag in the management of biogas digesters, challenges in the production and distribution of farm products, home layout and piggery sanitation, competition for labor between agricultural production and outside work, and problems with land resources, investment and credit expenses, and infrastructure. In the end, some countermeasures are proposed, namely, perfecting the technical service system, strengthening farm training and improving agricultural production skills, establishing a stable distribution channel for marketing farm products and a suitable agriculture management model, selecting appropriate households for the Four-in-One model, and so on.