Village Scale Research Articles

Evaluation of Land Ecological Status and Diagnosis of Obstacle Factors in Jiangsu, China

By constructing a land ecological evaluation index system at the village scale and using models such as spatial correlation analysis, hotspot analysis, and obstacle factor diagnosis, the basic characteristics, spatial differentiation, and obstacle factors of land ecological status in Jiangsu Province were studied. This study sought to clarify the foundation, structure, function, and benefit characteristics of land ecosystems and optimize land management and policy regulation. The results showed that： ① The spatial distribution of land ecological status in Jiangsu Province was high in the north and low in the south, with multiple high-value areas radiating outward and decreasing, with low value centers radiating outward and increasing. The distribution area of the highest and lower values was relatively small, whereas the area of the middle value area was the largest. The higher values were mainly distributed in the suburbs and edge areas of each county. ② The spatial autocorrelation of land ecological status in Jiangsu Province was significant, with hot spots mainly concentrated in northern Jiangsu and cold spots concentrated in southern Jiangsu, as well as some areas of Taizhou and Nantong. The spatial distribution of cold and hot spots showed a complementary pattern with the level of regional development. The comprehensive index value of land ecology in developed areas was lower, whereas the index value in underdeveloped areas was higher. ③ The natural background conditions of Class Ⅰ land ecological zone in Jiangsu Province were superior, with good ecological construction and benefits and a high level of ecological status. The obstacle factors mainly included the proportion of water bodies and the average annual degradation rate of forest land. The Class Ⅱ land ecological zone was mostly located in the Huainan region and mainly composed of plain landforms. The Class Ⅲ land ecological zone had the largest area, located in the riverside areas of southern Jiangsu. The obstacle factors mainly included the average annual degradation rate of arable land and the proportion of soil pollution area. By controlling land ecological risks, the early warning level of ecological crisis could be improved.

Delineating Ecological Functional Zones and Grades for Multi-Scale Ecosystem Management

Integrating ecosystem services (ESs) to delineate ecological functional zones (EFZs) is fundamental in terrestrial spatial planning and ecosystem management. However, existing studies have largely overlooked the refinement of EFZs at local scales, which hinders targeted and multi-scale ecosystem management. This study introduced a “two-step refinement zoning method” to address this gap, first using a self-organizing feature mapping method to delineate EFZs at a township scale, and then applying a hotspot overlay analysis to refine the resulting EFZs by designating them with different grades at the village scale. The proposed method was applied in Wuhan City, dividing it into five types of EFZs with different ES combinations and land use compositions. Furthermore, 5.23% of villages were identified as level I areas of EFZs, serving as advantageous areas of dominant ESs in the study area. On this basis, diversified management strategies and conservation priorities were proposed. This study provides a theoretical and methodological reference for terrestrial spatial planning and sustainable ecosystem management.

Breaking the Boundary between Permanent Capital Farmland and Arable Land in China: Understanding State and Drivers of Permanent Capital Farmland Non-Grain Production in a Rapid Urbanizing County

Amid unprecedented challenges to protect arable land, China’s permanent capital farmland (PCF) has played a crucial role in grain production. However, a clear legal and physical boundary between PCF and arable land seems to be unable to stop the spread of non-grain production. To address it, an analysis framework for PCF non-grain production was developed to examine the state and drivers of village-scale PCF non-grain production based on the logical relationship between PCF and arable land in the rapid urbanization of Liyang. The results suggested that PCF comprised approximately 70% arable land and 30% adjustable land. Meanwhile, forest land and aquaculture ponds occupied over 25% of PCF, while nearly 20% of PCF is unsuitable for the resumption of crop cultivation. The transition state (scenario SR) offered a realistic representation of PCF non-grain production, with an average non-grain production of 48.88%. This is 14.00% lower than the current state (scenario SD) and 9.65% higher than the future state (scenario ST). Furthermore, PCF area and agricultural income per capita significantly encouraged PCF non-grain production, with explanatory powers of 51.60% and 42.40%, respectively. In contrast, urbanization rate (with an explanatory power of 35.30%) significantly discouraged it. Therefore, this paper proposed PCF redefinition, flexible PCF, and diversified economic incentives to mitigate PCF non-grain production at the village scale.

How is human well-being related to ecosystem services at town and village scales? A case study from the Yangtze River Delta, China

ContextThe relationships between ecosystem services (ES) and human well-being (HWB) have been found to be influenced by geographic locations and socioeconomic development, and vary from local to global scales. However, there is a lack of comparative analyses at fine administrative scales such as town and village scales.ObjectiveThis study took the core region of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) of China as the study area to examine the spatial characteristics of the values of ES and the subjective satisfaction scores of HWB and then compare their relationships at the town and village scales.MethodsThe values of 9 ES indicators were quantified using the ecosystem service equivalent factor method, and the subjective satisfaction scores of 11 HWB indicators were investigated using the questionnaire survey. The ES-HWB relationships between 9 ES and 11 HWB measures in the study area were investigated using Spearman's correlation analysis.ResultsThe value of ES per unit area in the study area in 2020 was about 15,202.90 USD/ha, nearly three times the average level in China, but the per capita value was relatively low, at 322.11 USD/person. The satisfaction score of HWB was relatively high, especially for the dimensions of social relations (4.46), health (4.26), and safety (4.22), based on a 5-point Likert scale. As spatial scales decreased from town to village scales and thematic scales increased from secondary to primary indicators, the strength of the ES-HWB correlations diminished and their direction changed as well. According to secondary indicators, most of the ES-HWB relationships were positive at the town scale but became negative or nonexistent at the village scale (e.g. the Spearman correlation coefficient between the value of raw material supply and the satisfaction score of leisure and entertainment shifted from 0.9 at the town scale to -0.51 at the village scale).ConclusionsThe correlation strength and direction of the ES-HWB relationships still changed with spatial and thematic scales at the town and village scales. Thus, better understanding the relationships requires studies at multiple and broader scales and calls for caution when using the aggregating indicators, because they can also lead to different ES-HWB relationships.

Spatial distribution of Japanese encephalitis cases and correlated geo-environmental factors in southern and northern counties of China

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a mosquito-borne disease with a spatial distribution that is linked to geo-environmental factors. The spatial distribution of JE cases and correlated geo-environmental factors were investigated in two critical counties in southern and northern China. Based on maps, enhanced thematic mapper (ETM) remote sensing datasets from Landsat and spatial datasets of JE cases, spatial distribution and spatial cluster analyses of JE cases at the village scale were performed by using the standard deviational ellipse and Ripleys K-function. Global and regional spatial cluster analyses of JE cases were also performed by using Moran's index. Regression analysis was used to analyze the relationships between geo-environmental characteristics and the risk of JE cases. At the study sites, the JE cases were not spatially clustered at the village or district (global) level, whereas there was a spatial cluster at the district (local) level. Diversity-related features for JE patients at the district and village levels were detected at two sites. In the southern counties, the distance of a village from a road was related to the village-level JE risk (OR: 0.530, 95 CI: 0.297–0.947, P = 0.032), and the number of township-level JE cases was linked to the distance of the district center from the road (R =-0.467, P = 0.025) and road length (R = 0.516, P = 0.012) in the administrative area. In northern China, the modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI) in the 5 km buffer around the village was related to village-level JE risk (OR: 0.702, 95% CI: 0.524–0.940, P = 0.018), and the number of township-level JE cases was related to the MNDWI in the administrative region (R =-0.522, P = 0.038). This study elucidates the spatial distribution patterns of JE cases and risk, as well as correlated geo-environmental features, at various spatial scales. This study will significantly assist the JE control efforts of the local Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is the base-level CDC, particularly concerning the allocation of medicine and medical staff, the development of immunological plans, and the allocation of pesticides and other control measures for the mosquito vectors of JE.

Multi-function evolution and development path of suburban villages at village scale: A case study of Tongshan District, Xuzhou City

Multi-function evolution and development path of suburban villages at village scale: A case study of Tongshan District, Xuzhou City

A Study on the Characteristics and Driving Factors of Non-Agricultural Use of Farmland at Village Scale Based on Field Investigation

A Study on the Characteristics and Driving Factors of Non-Agricultural Use of Farmland at Village Scale Based on Field Investigation

STRUCTURE ET DISTRIBUTION DE LA POPULATION DE BALANITES AEGYPTIACA (L.) DEL. DANS LA COMMUNE RURALE DE SIMIRI (NIGER)

In the context of the rampant destruction of natural resources, a study on the populations of Balanites aegyptiaca was carried out in Simiri. The objective of the study is to improve the understanding of the natural and anthropogenic ecological processes which are determining the distribution and structure of these populations. The survey device used is systematic with 4 transects of 2 km each arranged radially around the villages. Analysis of vegetation data shows that the floristic diversity of the area is declining. A total of 26 species divided into 19 genera and 12 families are inventoried. The most represented families are Combretaceae and Mimosaceae with 23.08% each. The population is dominated by Combretum glutinosum (30.26%), Balanites aegyptiaca (16.59%), Acacia albida (10.85%), Ziziphus mauritiana (9.35%), Guiera senegalensis (8.29%) and Piliostigma reticulatum (5.84%). The spatial distribution of Balanites aegyptiaca is under the influence of natural dynamic processes and anthropogenic actions with great variability in its density both at the village scale and at the scale of geomorphological and land use units. Furthermore, their specific structure is recurrently approved, which gives them great ecological importance in the municipality. The demographic structure of Balanites aegyptiaca, for its part, showed the population, an appreciable proportion of young individuals, and aging populations and thus confirms the importance of this woody resource. However, renewal (92%) constitutes, at the current state, the structural problem because of the strong competition for the seed.

Unraveling safe boundaries for net anthropogenic nitrogen inputs: A case study focusing on village scale

The estimation of safe nitrogen (N) boundaries at the village scale is a powerful complement to planetary boundaries and can be used to propose more targeted regional measures. In this paper, net anthropogenic N inputs (NANI) of the village scale is assembled with the depiction of the internal flow of N. The village-scale NANI was estimated for the case area, Liyang, Taihu Basin, eastern China. The safe NANI boundary of the village scale was defined with the help of the N use efficiency (NUE) conceptual framework. The results showed that chemical fertilizer N application played a decisive role in NANI of the village unit. The upper limit of NANI in village planting system was more sensitive to the response of NUE, so the safe NANI boundary at the village scale referring to the above upper limit was determined as Noutput = Ninput – 327.24 kg ha−1 yr−1. Additionally, by using scenario analysis, it was found that village units with high NUE could put in more N according to the safe NANI boundary. In turn, higher NANI can be achieved by increasing NUE. The results, which take into account the difference of villages, are informative for village scale diversity N management.

Evaluation of mangrove restoration effectiveness using remote sensing indices - a case study in Guangxi Shankou Mangrove National Natural Reserve, China

As one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the coastal wetlands, mangrove forests have been severely threatened by intensive human activities. Many countries and regions have carried out mangrove restoration projects. The evaluation of mangrove restoration effectiveness is of great significance for scientific decision-making for restoration engineering and wetland management. In this study, we presented a remote-sensing-based Mangrove Restoration Effectiveness Index (MREI) to evaluate mangrove restoration effectiveness. We took the Guangxi Shankou Mangrove National Natural Reserve (GSMNNR) in China, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, as our study area, where four phases of afforestation were implemented during 1990-2022. The MREI was developed based on Landsat-series images by considering the change in mangrove area and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from the start year to the end year of each afforestation phase (evaluation period). We further evaluated the Persistence of Restoration Effectiveness (PRE) based on the MREI change trajectory during the whole evaluation period, and the Process-based Restoration Effectiveness Index (PREI) was developed to evaluate the restoration effectiveness at village scale. The results showed that MREI can effectively represent the trajectory of mangrove restoration and showed consistent pattern with high-spatial-resolution imagery. From 1990 to 2022, the mangrove forest area increased from 235.26 ha in 1990 to 873.27 ha in 2022, and 84.59% of the mangrove forest was converted from tidal flats in the reserve. The average value of MREI in the five evaluation phases were 0.48, 0.24, 0.29, 0.17, and 0.72, respectively. The dynamic change of MREI showed that 5.24% of the zones had poor PRE, 44.17% of the zones had excellent PRE. From the perspective of spatial distribution, the Zones with PREI values ranging from high to low were follows: Zone A, E, J, G, C, H, I (D), F, B. Overall, the high value zones of PREI were mainly distributed in the central of the Dandou Sea and the northern part of the Yingluo Bay. The low value zones were distributed in the northwest of the Dandou Sea. We expect the MREI and PREI have great potential to be applied to other regions to evaluate mangrove restoration effectiveness.

Assessing the Impact of Rural Multifunctionality on Non-Point Source Pollution: A Case Study of Typical Hilly Watershed, China

In the context of rural development and transformation, it is crucial to identify the impact of rural multifunctionality on non-point source (NPS) pollution. This study applies the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), geographical detector, and principal component analysis in Liyang, a typical hilly subbasin in China, in order to assess the rural multifunctional development that influences the spatial differentiation of NPS pollution and detect the interactive effects of rural multifunctionality. The R2 and NSE demonstrated that the calibrated SWAT model successfully simulated NPS pollution in Liyang. The village scale was identified as the optimal research scale for examining the rural multifunctional development on NPS pollution distribution. The rural multifunctional indicators, such as the proportion of vegetable farming, sowing area, and grain farming, would influence NPS distribution. The number of family farming cooperatives, the area of pond farming, and the nature reserves area were also significant. The rural multifunctionality in Liyang could be classified into five categories: grain production, mixed agriculture, ecological conservation, leisure tourism, and industry and business function. The superposition of rural multifunctionality has a strengthening effect on NPS pollution, especially when the ecological conservation function is combined with the grain production or modern agriculture function. The study could provide NPS pollution control strategies for policymaking in rural multifunctional development.

Reconstructing village spatial layout to achieve rural revitalization: a case from a typical township in China

Rural revitalization is a strategy proposed by China to address the imbalance and insufficiency of urban and rural development. The purpose of village system reconstruction is to optimize the rural spatial structure and realize the efficient allocation of resource elements, which is of great significance to the overall revitalization of rural areas. This research adopts the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), the multi-index comprehensive evaluation method, and the GIS spatial analysis, taking Zhiyang Town as a case, reconstructing the index selection of the village-level system, putting forward a set of complete classification systems through the selecting village scale, resource conditions, social economic development level, industry, and other related data index, and building a village-level evaluation system. The 25 villages in Zhiyang Town were divided into four classes. Different development paths are proposed for different levels of villages. The evaluation of the village development level and reconstruction path of the village hierarchy system has certain practical guiding values for rural construction, which are of great significance for realizing rural revitalization.

Building Sustainable Village-Owned Enterprises: The Institutional Change of Microfinance in Banyuwangi Regency

of a government-driven program, namely involving the transformation of DBM (Dana Bergulir Masyarakat) into Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDesa). This research will hopefully help in developing the best transformation model to enhance policy effectiveness and empower BUMDesa as the primary pillar in the spirit of partnership, by taking into account BUMDesa policy after the publication of the village law and its derivative regulations in the face of complex policy challenges. The Nawacita agenda, recognition-subsidiarity principle, and granting local autonomy at the village scale were the core principles of the preceding BUMDesa policy shift. BUMDesa’s current job is to change the government-centric agenda into practices that reflect the delegation of local power at the village scale, at both the village and rural area levels. Understanding the Berdesa tradition is essential for the broader policy agenda to promote village economic enterprises so that it is carried out in practice and still recognizes, respects, and elevates communities in Indonesia. Elinor Ostrom (1990) provides a thorough understanding of institutions in the management of common goods to achieve sustainability, and her work complements the conceptual framework developed by Douglass C. North and Bromley to understand the relationship between institutions and policies in the context of resource management. This study is guided by the theory of institutional change, and uses a qualitative approach with a case study design.
 Keywords: institutiional transformation, village credit agency, microfinance institution

The Leveraging of Support by Faith-Based Social Groups in Rural Villages of the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria

Social networks and social groups are often regarded as being important elements of social capital. The research set out in this paper is designed to explore whether social groups in villages located close to the Nigerian capital city of Abuja seek to lever benefits from the connections (networks) they may have with the government and others in that city. Of special interest is whether there is a significant difference between secular and faith-based social groups in terms of the leveraging of such support. The research builds upon a previous study that employed a questionnaire-based survey of 26 social groups spanning two area councils (ACs; Bwari and Kwali) in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria followed by a series of in-depth interviews with leaders of the groups (e.g., chairperson, secretary, and treasurer) to explore the findings. The results were analysed using regression and suggest that most groups (14) had sought to lever support from their connections in Abuja. Those more likely to leverage support were registered with their respective ACls, a requirement for accessing credit from formal lenders, and tended to be smaller in size in terms of membership. There was also some suggestion that leverage was more likely with male social groups than female ones. Registration with an AC was more likely for secular groups than religious ones. Religious-based groups in the villages did not see their activities as being ‘project orientated’ and instead regarded their role as being in community support. Social groups cannot be thought of as static and exclusive and the diversity of such groups at the village scale is a source of strength for their communities. The results have important ramifications for those institutions, especially faith-based ones, wishing to work with social groups to help in the design and implementation of development initiatives.

‘Forest malaria’ in Myanmar? Tracking transmission landscapes in a diversity of environments

BackgroundIn the Greater Mekong Subregion, case–control studies and national-level analyses have shown an association between malaria transmission and forest activities. The term ‘forest malaria’ hides the diversity of ecosystems in the GMS, which likely do not share a uniform malaria risk. To reach malaria elimination goals, it is crucial to document accurately (both spatially and temporally) the influence of environmental factors on malaria to improve resource allocation and policy planning within given areas. The aim of this ecological study is to characterize the association between malaria dynamics and detailed ecological environments determined at village level over a period of several years in Kayin State, Myanmar.MethodsWe characterized malaria incidence profiles at village scale based on intra- and inter-annual variations in amplitude, seasonality, and trend over 4 years (2016–2020). Environment was described independently of village localization by overlaying a 2-km hexagonal grid over the region. Specifically, hierarchical classification on principal components, using remote sensing data of high spatial resolution, was used to assign a landscape and a climate type to each grid cell. We used conditional inference trees and random forests to study the association between the malaria incidence profile of each village, climate and landscape. Finally, we constructed eco-epidemiological zones to stratify and map malaria risk in the region by summarizing incidence and environment association information.ResultsWe identified a high diversity of landscapes (n = 19) corresponding to a gradient from pristine to highly anthropogenically modified landscapes. Within this diversity of landscapes, only three were associated with malaria-affected profiles. These landscapes were composed of a mosaic of dense and sparse forest fragmented by small agricultural patches. A single climate with moderate rainfall and a temperature range suitable for mosquito presence was also associated with malaria-affected profiles. Based on these environmental associations, we identified three eco-epidemiological zones marked by later persistence of Plasmodium falciparum, high Plasmodium vivax incidence after 2018, or a seasonality pattern in the rainy season.ConclusionsThe term forest malaria covers a multitude of contexts of malaria persistence, dynamics and populations at risk. Intervention planning and surveillance could benefit from consideration of the diversity of landscapes to focus on those specifically associated with malaria transmission.Graphical

A synergistic approach towards understanding flood risks over coastal multi-hazard environments: Appraisal of bivariate flood risk mapping through flood hazard, and socio-economic-cum-physical vulnerability dimensions

The dynamics of flood risk over Coastal Multi-hazard Catchments (CMC) exhibit bizarre characteristics. In these regions, flood hazards are governed by a complex interaction of multiple flood-inducing sources; varying in magnitudes, origin, and direction of propagation. Our conventional understanding of vulnerability may be obscure within these catchments. This can be attributable to the heterogeneous nature of various physical and socio-economic entities. The study proposes a comprehensive framework to quantify bivariate flood risks over a severely flood-prone region in India. The study considers flood hazards, along with vulnerabilities transpiring from (a) physical, (b) socio-economic, and (c) composite (combination of both) groups of indicators. To overcome data scarcity prevalent in CMCs, CHIRPS v2.0, a high-resolution Satellite Precipitation Product, along with other ancillary datasets, are forced to 1D2D coupled MIKE+ hydrodynamic model to simulate flood hazards. A set of 24 indicators are considered within the Shannon Entropy-cum-TOPSIS framework to derive three types of vulnerability. The marginal and compound contributions of hazard and each vulnerability type are represented through a novel concept of bivariate flood risk classifier at the village scale. We notice high and very-high flood hazards over the coastline and floodplains. An equitable influence of socio-economic vulnerability and hazards is reflected, as they cover 41 % of villages together under varied degrees of flood risks. The impacts of hazards are underscored in the presence of physical vulnerability, as the latter contributes to risks in about 72 % of villages. Composite vulnerability prevails its impact over 53 % of villages, dominating its influence on flood risks over hazards. The study delivers vital information to the global flood management community on the prudent selection of indicators, as their influence is markedly noticed on the overall flood risks. The diversified characteristics of flood risk inspire a rationalized implementation of structural and non-structural options in resource-constrained conditions.

Assessing resilience, equity, and sustainability of future visions across two urban scales

AbstractCities need to take swift action to deal with the impacts of extreme climate events. The co-production of positive visions offers the potential to not only imagine but also intervene in guiding change toward more desirable urban futures. While participatory visioning continues to be used as a tool for urban planning, there needs to be a way of comparing and evaluating future visions so that they can inform decision-making. Traditional tools for comparison tend to favor quantitative modeling, which is limited in its ability to capture nuances or normative elements of visions. In this paper, we offer a qualitative method to assess the resilience, equity, and sustainability of future urban visions and demonstrate its use by applying it to 11 visions from Phoenix, AZ. The visions were co-produced at two different governance scales: five visions were created at the village (or borough) scale, and six visions were created at the regional (or metropolitan) scale. Our analysis reveals different emphases in the mechanisms present in the visions to advance resilience, sustainability, and equity. In particular, we note that regional future visions align with a green sustainability agenda, whereas village visions focus on social issues and emphasize equity-driven approaches. The visions have implications for future trajectories, and the priorities that manifest at the two scales speak of the political nature of visioning and the need to explore how these processes may interact in complementary, synergistic, or antagonistic ways.

Non-Grain Production of Cultivated Land in Hilly and Mountainous Areas at the Village Scale: A Case Study in Le’an Country, China

Non-grain production of cultivated land (NGPCL) is an essential factor that affects food security and sustainable agricultural development. Due to the large population and limited land area present in China, cultivated land resources are more extensive and valuable in hilly and mountainous areas, though the expansion of NGPCL threatens food security and is detrimental to the sustainable use of cultivated land resources. To better understand the problem of NGPCL in hilly and mountainous areas, this paper initially classifies NGPCL into four distinct types, namely unplanted cultivated land (UCL), planted non-grain crops (PNGC), engineering recoverable (ENR), and immediately recoverable (IMR), based on their planting types and attributes. Subsequently, we analyzed the spatial patterns and differentiation characteristics of these NGPCL types in Le’an County at the village scale through exploratory spatial data analysis and studied their driving factors using the geographical detector model. The findings show that the NGPCL rate in Le’an County was 18.53%, with ENR occupying the largest area, followed by PNGC and UCL, while IMR had the smallest area. The spatial distribution of NGPCL in Le’an County suggests that there are correlations with all four types of NGPCL, which exhibit spatial clustering, except for IMR, which displays spatial heterogeneity. We attribute the phenomenon of NGPCL in Le’an County to natural, social, and economic factors, with the driving forces having varying degrees of influence. Specifically, slope, altitude, and cultivated land protection intensity play significant roles in the overall NGPCL. This paper is of crucial significance to the local agricultural management department’s efforts to prevent and control the non-grain production of cultivated land and the Chinese Government’s efforts to ensure food security.

Resource scheduling and performance analysis of hybrid renewable energy systems with carbon neutrality consideration: A scenario-based multi-agent approach

Given the increasing global consensus on carbon neutrality for sustainable development, a key related challenge is to build a hybrid renewable energy system that simultaneously ensures stable power supply and carbon neutrality. This paper proposes a complete framework for designing, scheduling optimization, evaluation and analysis of hybrid renewable energy systems at the village scale. The framework integrates zero-carbon system design based on agent-based modeling, comprehensive evaluation of scheduling schemes under a multi-index system, and analysis of the impact of policy parameters, implemented through programming on the AnyLogic platform. The proposed framework was applied to a simulated region in Zhoushan, China. The results show that among the seven scheduling schemes, the photovoltaic/wind turbine/battery/diesel system is the best resource scheduling scheme in the region, with renewable energy power supply accounting for 98.5% of the total supply, the net present cost of $42,108.174, the cost of energy of $0.072/kWh, and the annual carbon dioxide emission of 5,064.346 kg. Installing carbon capture, utilization, and storage equipment can achieve carbon neutrality without significantly affecting system costs, with only an additional net present cost of $1,200. Among all meteorological factors, wind speed has the greatest impact on system performance and should be given priority in wind power generation. In terms of micro-behavioral management, discrete gear setting for diesel engines is better than continuous gear setting and more helpful in reducing system economic costs.

Towards circular nitrogen use in the agri-food system at village and county level in China

CONTEXTIncreased nitrogen (N) losses from linear agri-food systems result in severe environmental issues. These problems can be mitigated by circular N use. Yet, circularity is a scale-specific problem, and the feasibility of pathways towards N circularity at different scales is unclear. OBJECTIVEThis study aimed to 1) evaluate N circularity of a complete agri-food system, including household compartment, at both the village and county scale; and 2) assess potential pathways towards N circularity. METHODSWe used the county of Quzhou (China) with 342 villages as a case study and applied the modified version of a nutrient flow model (NUFER) to calculate N flows, using national statistical data and own survey data collected from farms and households. To evaluate N circularity, we selected four key performance indicators: N import, N loss, N use efficiency and N recycling rate. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSOur analysis showed significant variation at the village scale, depending on local production and consumption patterns. At county level, total N import was 546 kg ha−1 yr−1, of which 54% was lost to the environment. The N use efficiency of the agri-food system and N recycling rate of excreta were both <30%. We investigated scenarios to increase N circularity, including application of good management practices in crop and animal production; household dietary change to more plant protein; recycling of organic waste; growing legumes instead of cotton; and reducing livestock breeding. All measures combined increased the system's N use efficiency by 172% and N recycling rate by 87%, while reducing N import by 68% and N loss by 77%. Recycling of organic waste was the most effective and most feasible strategy to promote circularity. SIGNIFICANCEOur study bridges the gap between village and county level N cycles, illustrates possibilities to transition towards circular N use, and can help policymakers worldwide to achieve more sustainable agri-food systems.