Enhancing Agricultural Ecology and Food Sustainability in the Yangtze River Economic Belt: An Integrated Evaluation Approach

Lili Gan, Xiangling Hu () and Jaideep Motwani
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Lili Gan: School of Humanities and Social Science, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang 330013, China
Xiangling Hu: Management Department, Seidman College of Business, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI 49401, USA
Jaideep Motwani: Management Department, Seidman College of Business, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI 49401, USA

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 23, 1-25

Abstract: This research critically examines the relationship between agricultural ecological protection and the sustainability of food production within the Yangtze River Economic Belt, a crucial area for China’s environmental and food sustainability. By developing a comprehensive evaluation framework, this study utilizes various analytical tools, such as entropy weight, comprehensive index models, coupling degree, coupling coordination, and relative development degree, to assess the interaction and degree of correlation influencing these systems. Key findings indicate that while the ecological protection index slightly declined from 2002 to 2022, indicators of food sustainability and overall development trended upwards, albeit with fluctuations. The study reveals an overall positive coupling degree and an increasing trend in coordination between ecological protection and food sustainability. The coordination index plays a crucial role in improving coupling coordination, and at the same time ecological factors play a more important role in this dynamic than factors related to food sustainability. In addition, this study identified stages of maladaptation and uncoordinated levels which further help to understand the complexity of the problem. The results underscore the need for improved strategies to manage the interplay between these critical domains, enhancing both ecological conservation and food sustainability.

Keywords: Yangtze river economic belt; agricultural ecological protection; sustainable food development; coupling coordination (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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