Agricultural Eco-efficiency Research Articles

Study on eco-efficiency of cultivated land utilization based on the improvement of ecosystem services and emergy analysis

Cultivated land is the result of the cooperation between humans and nature. The utilization of cultivated land hopes to realize a “win-win” situation of food production and ecological protection to promote sustainable development. Previous studies on the eco-efficiency of agro-ecosystem mainly considered material input, agricultural product output and environmental pollution, and did not systematically include the natural input and ecological product output, which had limitations on the study of sustainable development of cultivated land utilization. Therefore, this study initially used emergy analysis and ecosystem service assessment methods to include the natural input and ecosystem service output of cultivated land into the assessment framework of eco-efficiency of cultivated land utilization (ECLU) and used the Super-SBM model to calculate the ECLU in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region in China. In addition, we also discussed the influencing factors of ECLU by the OLS model. Here we show that the ECLU was lower in cities with higher agricultural intensive utilization in the YRD. And in cities with better ecological conditions, the ECLU value obtained based on our adjusted ECLU assessment framework was higher than the traditional agricultural eco-efficiency assessment, indicating that the assessment method in this study paid more attention to ecological protection in the application. In addition, we found that crop diversity, paddy/dry land ratio, cultivated land fragmentation and terrain are the factors affecting the ECLU. This study helps provide a scientific basis for decision-makers to improve the ecological function of cultivated land based on ensuring food security and furthermore promote regional sustainable development.

Kazakhstan Tourism Industry in Promoting Sustainable Agriculture Development

The expansion of such an area of tourism industry as agrotourism is a breakthrough for the development of rural industry. In addition, the integration of agro-tourism with agricultural eco-efficiency is closely related to agro-ecological development, therefore, it is necessary to study the relationship between the two in order to realize quality agro-ecological development. Integration of agriculture with other industries is an important means of expanding the agro-industrial chain and is useful for promoting sustainable agricultural development. The purpose of this study is to analyze the improvement of competitiveness of agricultural enterprises in the Republic of Kazakhstan through diversification of production and its impact on the tourism industry, including tourism enterprises. The degree of effectiveness of implementation of management decisions aimed at the development of tourism and agribusiness depends on the level of development of infrastructure and services in a particular region of the country. In this context, statistical data on the development of tourism and its relationship with agribusiness in the Republic of Kazakhstan are used to analyze some factors affecting their development.

Spatio-Temporal Difference in Agricultural Eco-Efficiency and Its Influencing Factors Based on the SBM-Tobit Models in the Yangtze River Delta, China

In the Yangtze River Delta region, where the agricultural economy is well developed and agricultural pollution and carbon emissions are significant, a regional study of AEE (Agricultural Eco-Efficiency) is crucial to reducing agricultural environmental pollution, improving the rationalization of agricultural production layout, and promoting the realization of low-carbon goals. The SBM-Tobit model and GIS were employed to analyze AEE based on the carbon emission evaluation system in the spatial and temporal characteristics, as well as the influencing factors and the migration path of the center of gravity in the "low carbon" context. A rational plan of agricultural production was proposed according to the results. The following results were obtained: (1) The level of AEE in the Yangtze River Delta region was high, and the region exhibited a U-shaped curve change from 2000 to 2020, with a fluctuating decrease from 2000 to 2003 and a fluctuating increase from 2004 to 2020. The regional spatial development balance was enhanced, while there was a spatial incongruity in the development process of AEE enhancement, high in the southwest and low in the northeast; (2) AEE generally had a high regionalized agglomeration of low-low in the southwest and high-high in the northeast. Nonetheless, temporal heterogeneity was observed in spatial correlation, and the correlation weakened with time variation; (3) Urbanization level, agricultural production structure, crop cultivation structure, and fertilizer application intensity were the main factors influencing AEE in the Yangtze River Delta region; (4) The center of gravity of AEE in the Yangtze River Delta region shifted to the southwest under the influence of "low-carbon" related policies. Therefore, the improvement of AEE in the Yangtze River Delta region should focus on inter-regional coordination and linkages, rational planning of production factors, and the formulation of measures under relevant carbon policies.

New Digital Infrastructure's Impact on Agricultural Eco-Efficiency Improvement: Influence Mechanism and Empirical Test-Evidence from China.

This paper attempts to explore the overall impact of its rural digitization process on agricultural carbon emissions and non-point source pollution in the context of China. By doing so, we analyze whether digitization has an impact on agricultural pollution reduction, analyze its conductive mechanism, and draw its policy implications. To this end, the paper innovatively incorporates new digital infrastructure and urbanization level into of the concept of agricultural eco-efficiency (AEE) and adopts the SBM-DEA model, entropy weighting method, and mixed regression to analyze, based on the sample data of the 30 provinces of China from 2011 to 2020. The results indicate that: (1) new digital infrastructure has a significant contribution to the improvement of AEE of China; (2) both information infrastructure and integration infrastructure have a significant positive effect on AEE, and the effect of information infrastructure is more effective, but there is an inverted "U"-shaped relationship between innovation infrastructure and AEE level; (3) the moderating effect mechanism suggests that the level of urbanization reinforces the contribution of new digital infrastructure to AEE; and (4) the heterogeneity test shows that the effect of new digital infrastructure on AEE is more significant in regions with well-developed traditional transportation facilities and in periods when the government pays more attention to agricultural ecological issues. The above results also provide rich insights for China and other similar developing countries on how to balance the agriculture digitization and AEE.

Evaluation of Agricultural Eco-Efficiency and Its Spatiotemporal Differentiation in China, Considering Green Water Consumption and Carbon Emissions Based on Undesired Dynamic SBM-DEA

Both agricultural output and environmental pollution in China show certain characteristics of spatiotemporal variation due to the evolution and inter-provincial disparities of resource endowment, economic development level, and production mode. This paper considered the green water consumption, carbon emissions in agricultural production, and the persistent role of fixed asset investment, constructed an undesired dynamic SBM-DEA model, and evaluated the agricultural eco-efficiency (AEE) of 31 provinces in China from 2007 to 2018, analyzing the spatiotemporal differentiation. The results show that, during 2007–2018, the following can be concluded: (1) The AEE of 31 provinces in China showed the characteristics of an overall stable rise from 0.64 to 0.70 but uneven development among regions from 2007 to 2018. (2) The averages of either the agricultural resource consumption efficiency index or pollution emission efficiency index in 31 provinces slightly increased over time, while the average value of the agricultural fixed asset investment efficiency index showed a decline in volatility. The spatial discrepancy of any index mainly stems from the index disparity between groups with a high AEE and groups with a low one, with contribution rates of more than 85%. (3) It is recommended to emphasize strengthening communication and cooperation between provinces with high and low AEE and implement distinct regional strategies to improve AEE.

Analysis of the Spatial Differentiation and Promotion Potential for Agricultural Eco-Efficiency-Evidence of Pollution's Strong Disposability.

Agricultural eco-efficiency is an important indicator used to measure agriculture's high-quality and sustainable development. Therefore, this paper uses the EBM-Super-ML method with strong disposability of undesired output to calculate Chinese agricultural eco-efficiency and uses a geographical detector to measure the driving force of the factor. The research conclusions are mainly reflected in three aspects. Firstly, from the perspective of eco-efficiency changes, the overall mean value of agricultural eco-efficiency increased by 3.5%, and the regional heterogeneity is significant, with the fastest growth in the eastern region. Secondly, the results of driving force analysis show that the main driving factors of agricultural eco-efficiency divergence are capital inputs, total carbon emissions, labor inputs, agricultural film residues, fertilizer use, and pesticide residues, with driving forces of 0.43, 0.37, 0.34, 0.31, 0.28, and 0.20, respectively. Finally, from the perspective of eco-efficiency improvement potential, the mean value of output improvement potential is 5%, and the input factor is 7%. Among the non-desired outputs, the reduction rate of agricultural films can reach 40%. Among the input factors, labor input has the highest potential for intensive use, while agricultural machinery has a negative effect. Therefore, strengthening the development of the agricultural service industry is of great significance to improve the utilization rate of mechanical equipment and reduce the undesired output of agriculture.

Agricultural Eco-Efficiency Response and Its Influencing Factors from the Perspective of Rural Population Outflowing: A Case Study in Qinan County, China.

Agriculture is the source of human clothing and food, but it also brings negative externalities to the environment. The outflow of the rural population is one of the factors for changes in the characteristics of the rural population. Farmers' decisions on agricultural production can affect agricultural ecological efficiency. Therefore, it is necessary to study the relationship between the two in rural development. Taking Qin'an County in the Loess Hilly Region of central Gansu, China, as an example, this paper analyzed the demographic characteristics and the evolution characteristics of agricultural eco-efficiency under the background of rural population outflowing, and the impact of the former on the latter, based on the panel statistical data of 17 villages and towns from 2001 to 2020. The results show that (1) From 2001 to 2020, the non-agricultural level of Qin'an County's labor force showed an upward fluctuation trend. The level of aging was relatively stable, and the per capita disposable income was significantly increased. (2) From 2001 to 2020, the agricultural eco-efficiency of Qin'an County showed a wavy change, but there were some towns and villages that have not been effectively developed. The regional differences are significantly different. (3) The non-agriculturalization level of the labor force promotes agricultural eco-efficiency through the direct effect rather than the space spillover effect. The positive effect of aging on agricultural eco-efficiency was mainly reflected through direct effect rather than spatial spillover effect. Per capita, disposable income has a significant positive spatial spillover effect on agricultural eco-efficiency. Finally, this paper provides a scientific reference for promoting the improvement of agricultural eco-efficiency and sustainable development. This is of great theoretical and practical significance for the realization of rural revitalization.

Study on the Measurement of Agricultural Eco-Efficiency and the Influencing Factors in the Yellow River Basin

Based on the background of getting the “Double Carbon” target and the high-quality advancement of the Yellow River basin, the agricultural carbon emissions and agricultural eco-efficiency of the nine provinces in the Yellow River basin from 2011 to 2021 were quantified using a carbon emissions computation model and an Super-SBM Model. ArcGIS was utilized to clarify the spatiotemporal evolution features of both variables, and a panel Tobit model was utilized to conduct empirical assessment of the contributing factors of agricultural eco-efficiency. The results demonstrated that since 2016, the carbon emissions of the Yellow River basin have shown the “high output-low emissions” of characteristics. The agricultural eco-efficiency is overall at a medium to high level and has constantly improved environmentally, but there are significant inter-provincial differences. Empirical examination analysis indicated that the economic development level of the Yellow River basin is positively U-shaped with regard to agricultural eco-efficiency, and rural per capita disposable income, machine tool density, industrialization level, and the regard of field planting of food crops have a substantial effect on agricultural ecological efficiency. Among them, machine tool density shows a negative effect, while other factors show a positive effect. Based on this, a proposal is designed to improve the structure of agricultural input determinants] by pooling determinant endowments, promote the reasonable assignment of agricultural factor resources among provinces, and enhance agricultural ecological efficiency to support the high-quality promote of the Yellow River basin.

Role of Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex to Create Areas of Agritourism

Agritourism is rapidly developing in many countries, but despite this, little is known about the specific implementation, the actual scope and effectiveness of public and private measures to support the development of agriculture and agritourism, especially in recent times. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the development of agro-industrial complex for the creation of agrotourism zones on the materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The integration of agrotourism is a breakthrough for the prosperity of rural industry and the revitalization of rural areas. In addition, agricultural eco-efficiency and the integration of agro-tourism are closely related, so studying the relationship between them is of great importance for realizing high-quality agro-ecological development.

Evaluation Model of Rural Environmental Sustainable Development Capability Under the Background of Rural Revitalization

Sustainable development cannot be achieved in a society with substantial inequalities in development between rural and urban regions. Sustainability in terms of environmental and human well-being can be attained by applying ecological livability. Agriculture, rural areas, and farmers are crucial for developing countries and their populations. Literature on rural innovation is becoming more neglected as the need for rural regeneration develops. This paper suggests structural equation modeling based on sustainable rural development (SEM-SRD) to build an SRD index system with a universal value based on the interplay between ecological livability and SRD. There are two aspects to sustainable rural development (SRD): ecological sustainability and living sustainability in rural areas. Any country can use a comprehensive quantitative tool to assess its SRD status using the SRD index method. When it comes to environmental sustainability and garbage disposal, the former is green, and the latter is social. With the SRD index method, any nation can utilize a comprehensive quantitative tool to evaluate its SRD status. New perspectives for achieving rural revitalization, antipoverty, and global sustainable development can be gained through the rural innovation system suggested in this paper, which directly adds to the literature in this field. Research shows that agricultural eco-efficiency is substantially greater than rural economic growth, which has a considerable impact on overall rural development, as shown by the findings. For a long time, there has been a huge disparity in the economic growth of different regions of the country. The efficiency of rural development continues to increase with time. The experimental result of the suggested method enhances the inadequate management of RES development, rural development ratio, stability ratio, productivity ratio, and loss of growth in the rural area. Rural areas play an important role in the sustainable development of global society, and therefore, their preservation is necessary.

Coupling and Coordinating Relationship between Agricultural Eco-Efficiency and Food Security System in China.

Carbon peaking, carbon neutrality goals and food security are the basis of sustainable development, and exploring the coordination relationship between China's agricultural eco-efficiency and food security system has a major significance for the implementation of relevant strategies. This paper is based on collaboration research on the synergistic relationship between agricultural eco-efficiency and food security systems using methods such as entropy weight method, coupling coordination model, spatial autocorrelation model, etc., revealing the evolution-driven mechanism of the coupling coordination degree. This study found that a higher level of coupling coordination always occurs in those areas with high standard farmland construction and large grain production scale, while economically developed areas appear to have a lower overall coordination level limited by endowment constraints and division of labor in development planning. It shows a positive spatial correlation in terms of geographical distance between agricultural eco-efficiency and food security, and the positive spillover effect gradually increases but is not strong overall. China should combine regional resource endowment and development planning, pay attention to the improvement of large-scale and standardized agricultural production, continue to strengthen the development of clean agricultural production, and achieve food security under the constraints of the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.

Impacts of the integral development of agriculture and tourism on agricultural eco-efficiency: a case study of two river basins in China

The integral development of agriculture and tourism heavily depends on natural resources, especially agricultural resources, and it also may contribute to the sustainability of agriculture. The sustainability of agriculture is usually measured by the agricultural eco-efficiency. The main objective of this paper is to demonstrate the impact of the agriculture and tourism integration on agricultural eco-efficiency, so as to reflect the role of the agriculture and tourism integration on promoting agricultural sustainability. Applying panel data of 19 provinces in Yangtze River Basin and Yellow River Basin in China from 2008 to 2019, this paper uses a PSTR model to demonstrate the impact of agriculture and tourism integration on agricultural eco-efficiency and its mechanisms. It is found that in the study area, the integration of agriculture and tourism can contribute to improvements in agricultural eco-efficiency, and when levels of integration are high, the promotional effect is enhanced. However, impacts vary among different regions to some extent. In terms of influencing mechanisms, inputs of agricultural labor, sown crop area, effective irrigation area and other factors decrease with continuous improvements of integration. The input of pesticides, fertilizers and other factors does not decrease in the initial stage of integration but undergoes a rapid decrease after crossing a threshold value. And it demonstrates that the integration of agriculture and tourism is beneficial for improving the agricultural eco-efficiency, so that it will contribute to agricultural sustainability. Meanwhile, this paper offers a new research perspective for discovering effects of agriculture and tourism integration, providing implications for formulating regional policies for the integration.

Spatial-Temporal Evolution and Convergence Characteristics of Agricultural Eco-Efficiency in China from a Low-Carbon Perspective

While agriculture plays an essential role in food security, it is also one of the largest emitters of carbon emissions. China’s carbon neutrality and carbon peaking goals mean that China’s agriculture is also going through a low-carbon transition. To analyze the spatiotemporal heterogeneity and convergence of China’s agricultural eco-efficiency (AEE), this study used a combined super-efficient slacks-based measure (SBM), global Malmquist–Luenberger index (GML), kernel density estimation, Moran index, and convergence model on panel data from 2005 to 2020 and from 31 Chinese provinces. An innovative eco-efficiency index evaluation system was constructed from a low-carbon perspective that integrated agricultural carbon sinks and carbon emissions. The results revealed that the average AEE movement was U-shaped, but there were significant differences across regions and periods. The AEE demonstrated a gradual decreasing pattern of “northeast > eastern > western > central”, a declining trend during 2005–2010 and increasing trends during 2011–2020. The main reason for AEE growth was technological progress; however, technical efficiency only played a role in several provinces. The AEE in Chinese provinces was also found to have spatial autocorrelation characteristics dominated by high-high, low-low, and high-low clustering. A “catching-up effect” existed in the lagging AEE regions. Therefore, it is recommended to promote the integration of regional strategies and low-carbon development, build a low-carbon technology support system, and construct a national agricultural carbon trading center to facilitate agricultural low-carbon transformation.

Promotion Path of Agricultural Eco-Efficiency Under the Background of Low Carbon Pilot Policy

Promotion Path of Agricultural Eco-Efficiency Under the Background of Low Carbon Pilot Policy

Evaluating the Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Agricultural Eco-Efficiency Alongside China's Carbon Neutrality Targets.

Agriculture has the dual effect of contributing to both carbon emissions and sequestration, and thus plays a critical role in mitigating global climate change and achieving carbon neutrality. Agricultural eco-efficiency (AEE) is an important measurement through which we can assess the efforts toward reduced emissions and increased sequestration. The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between China's target of carbon neutrality and AEE through an evaluative model, so as to improve AEE and ultimately achieve sustainable agricultural development. The Super-SBM model scientifically measures the AEE based on provincial panel data collected between 2000 and 2020. We selected kernel density function and spatial distribution to explore the spatial and temporal evolutionary trends, and used a Tobit model to identify the drivers of AEE. The research shows that (1) China's agricultural system functions as a net carbon sink, with all provinces' agricultural carbon sequestration levels recorded as higher than their carbon emissions from 2000 to 2020. (2) Despite sequestration levels, the level of AEE in China is not high enough, and the average efficiency level from 2000 to 2020 is 0.7726, showing an overall trend where AEE decreased at first and then increased. (3) The AEE of each province is clearly polarized; there are obvious core-periphery characteristics and spatial distribution of clustered contiguous areas. Central provinces generally have lower efficiency, eastern and northeastern provinces have higher efficiency, and northeastern provinces always remain in the high-efficiency group. (4) Influencing factors show that urbanization, upgrading of industrial structure, financial support for agriculture, and mechanization have a significant positive impact on AEE. These findings have important implications for the promotion of the low-carbon green development of Chinese agriculture.

Agricultural eco-efficiency and climate determinants: application of dea with bootstrap methods in the tropical montane cloud forests of Puebla, Mexico

Agricultural eco-efficiency and climate determinants: application of dea with bootstrap methods in the tropical montane cloud forests of Puebla, Mexico

Temporal and Spatial Differentiation and Driving Factors of China’s Agricultural Eco-Efficiency Considering Agricultural Carbon Sinks

Climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, and food security have put forward higher requirements for sustainable agricultural development. Agricultural ecological efficiency (AEE) is an important indicator to evaluate the sustainable development of agriculture. Low carbon agriculture promotes sustainable agricultural development. Agricultural carbon sinks are an important output of agricultural production, but they have not been fully reflected in the current research on agricultural ecological efficiency. In this study, agricultural carbon sinks are considered as one of the expected outputs of AEE. The data envelopment method was used to measure the AEE of 31 provincial-level administrative regions in China from 2000 to 2019, and the AEE of China was compared with and without carbon sinks. The Gaussian kernel function was used to estimate the time evolution of regional differences in AEE. A geodetector model was used to detect the drivers of spatial differentiation of AEE in China. The results showed that considering agricultural carbon sinks as one of the expected measurement outputs brings the estimated AEE closer to reality. From 2000 to 2019, China’s AEE showed an upward trend, and the efficiency value increased from 0.48 to 0.95, an increase of 97.92%. The spatial distribution pattern of AEE in China was Northeast > West > Central > East, with obvious differences among provinces. The industrialization level, urban–rural gap, agricultural economic level, agricultural disaster rate, and urbanization level were the leading driving forces for the spatial differentiation of AEE in China. The research will help to reveal the dynamic characteristics, spatial differentiation characteristics, and driving factors of China’s agricultural ecological efficiency, and provide a scientific reference for the realization of sustainable agricultural development and high-quality development.

Study on the Influence of Population Urbanization on Agricultural Eco-Efficiency and on Agricultural Eco-Efficiency Remeasuring in China

China is still in the growth period of population urbanization; meanwhile, it is a large agricultural country where high-quality agricultural development requires a high agro-ecological efficiency level. Based on panel data from 31 provinces and cities in China from 2001 to 2020, the paper constructs an agricultural eco-efficiency evaluation index system that is more in line with China’s current agricultural production situation. Meanwhile, the undesired output super-efficiency SBM model is used to measure it. Combining the PVAR and panel Tobit models, the paper explores the effect of population urbanization on agro-ecological efficiency and the interaction mechanism in China. The results show that: (1) In the whole of China, and the western region of China in particular, agro-ecological efficiency tended to decrease during the research time, and ended up at an inefficient level. In the eastern and northeastern regions, agro-ecological efficiency has been at a moderate level for a long time, while in the central region it has fluctuated more and is now at a low level of efficiency. (2) Increases and decreases in population urbanization have both had a significant negative impact on agro-ecological efficiency, but the economic development and improved transportation infrastructure brought by population urbanization have had a positive impact on agro-ecological efficiency. (3) The paper’s results provide the current agro-ecological efficiency situation in each province of China, and clarify the causal effect of population urbanization on agro-ecological efficiency, which can provide a reference basis for subsequent policy formulation and for further research to be carried out.

Detection and attribution of changes in agricultural eco-efficiency within rapid urbanized areas: A case study in the Urban agglomeration in the middle Reaches of Yangtze River, China

The rapid urbanization and industrialization have caused excessive utilization of natural resources, which seriously threatened food security and ecological security in the world. Improving agricultural eco-efficiency (AEE) to obtain greater agricultural output at a lower environmental consume, is an significant part of agricultural sustainable development. However, the existing studies ignore agricultural carbon absorption when measuring the AEE, which leads to evaluating results distortive to some extent. Additionally, few research focuses on this topic within the rapid urbanized areas where the population, land and agricultural industry have undergone great changes. Thus, this study attempts to take the Urban Agglomeration in the Middle Reaches of Yangtze River (UAMRYR) in China as a case study and customize a new measurement system of AEE. The super slack-based measure (Super-SBM) model and Tobit model were applied to evaluate AEE and analyze the attribution of its spatiotemporal changes at the county level during 2000–2018. The results show that the average AEE value of the UAMRYR decreased from 0.534 in 2000 to 0.490 in 2005, and then showed an increasing trend to 0.677 in 2018. The spatiotemporal pattern revealed that the number of counties with high and medium–high AEE was increasing, while the number of counties with medium–low and low AEE continued to decrease from 2000 to 2018. Furthermore, there was a positive spatial correlation of AEE during the study period. The magnitude and direction of attribution in changes of AEE indicates that socioeconomic development, undesirable inputs reducing, the tolerance of crops to harsh environment improving, and investment in agricultural science and technology increasing could effectively improve the AEE. These findings have important implications for promoting agriculture highly-efficient utilization and sustainable development in China as well as other regions or countries with rapid urbanization in the world.

Eco-Efficiency of Agriculture in the Amazon Biome: Robust Indices and Determinants

This study analyzes the municipal agriculture eco-efficiency in the Amazon biome and the influence of exogenous factors. We use a two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) method with bootstrap. The results indicate that: (i) the density curve of the corrected eco-efficiency indices is statistically different from the deterministic score curves, suggesting the presence of bias in the latter; (ii) there is evidence of constant returns, demonstrating that small, medium and large municipalities can be equally eco-efficient; (iii) there are relevant eco-inefficient behaviors, showing that it is possible to increase the products (gross revenue and preserved area) and simultaneously reduce environmental damage (impact on biodiversity and greenhouse gas emission indices) with the same inputs, by replicating the best practices; and (iv) eco-efficiency scores are also substantially affected by exogenous factors. Based on the results, strategies can be defined by decision-makers to harmonize economic growth and environmental preservation; in addition, adaptive policies and actions can be adopted to optimize the sustainability of regional agriculture.