Interpretation and Comprehensive Evaluation of Regional Water–Land–Energy Coupling System Carrying Capacity

Ligao Yin, Heng Li, Dong Liu (), Liangliang Zhang, Chunqing Wang, Mo Li, Muhammad Abrar Faiz (), Tianxiao Li and Song Cui
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Ligao Yin: School of Water Conservancy & Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Heng Li: School of Water Conservancy & Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Dong Liu: School of Water Conservancy & Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Liangliang Zhang: School of Water Conservancy & Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Chunqing Wang: School of Water Conservancy & Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Mo Li: School of Water Conservancy & Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Muhammad Abrar Faiz: School of Water Conservancy & Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Tianxiao Li: School of Water Conservancy & Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Song Cui: School of Water Conservancy & Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-24

Abstract: Previous studies on carrying capacity have primarily focused on measuring agricultural production conditions while neglecting the coupling effects among production conditions, production materials, and the external environment (the coupling effects of agricultural water, soil, energy, and the external environment). Therefore, this paper introduces the concept of the carrying capacity of a regional agricultural water–land–energy coupling system (WLECS); develops an evaluation framework comprising 27 indicators from the perspectives of stability, collaboration, and resilience and constructs an improved random forest model based on the red-billed blue magpie optimizer (RBMO). Finally, it is applied to the evaluation of WLECS carrying capacity in China’s main grain producing area (Heilongjiang Province). The results demonstrate that the constructed RBMO-RF model exhibits stability and reasonableness with high fitting accuracy. The collaboration weight accounts for the highest proportion (0.438), indicating that the collaboration within the subsystem has the greatest impact on the carrying capacity. In terms of time scale, the WLECS carrying capacity in Heilongjiang Province shows an upward trend, characterized by three stages: a “low-level fluctuation period”, a “growth period”, and a “rapid growth period”. In terms of spatial scale, the overall spatial pattern is low in the West and high in the East, and stable in the North and South. The key driving factors are the effective irrigation index, indirect water footprint, and agricultural water-land matching degree. The research results demonstrate the carrying capacity of the WLE coupling system holds significant implications for formulating regional agricultural resource optimization allocation plans and promoting agricultural sustainable development.

Keywords: carrying capacity; red-billed blue magpie optimizer; random forest; coupling system (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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