The rapid growth of China’s economy since the reform in 1978 should be largely attributed to urbanization. Nonetheless, in terms of farmland productivity, urbanization may lead to perverse incentives and thus threaten food security. On the one hand, the requisition–compensation balance of farmland (RCBF) policy could reduce farmland productivity because of a “superior occupation and inferior compensation”; on the other hand, urbanization promotes the transfer of the younger labor force and thus reduces the productivity of the agricultural labor force. To investigate the undesirable effects, based on some stylized facts, this study selects 29,415 county-level samples in a Chinese county from 2000–2014 to construct an empirical model. With a new stochastic frontier analysis method that eliminates the classical econometric issues of endogeneity and heterogeneity, the empirical results show that there is a U-shaped relationship between the farmland use efficiency (productivity) and urbanization rate, indicating that only when the urbanization rate is relatively low would urbanization decrease the farmland use efficiency; in contrast, when the urbanization rate is relatively high, technical progress would obviously be accompanied by urbanization, and thus, the undesirable effects are fully offset. Furthermore, the U-shaped relationship is robust after considering the endogeneity of the urbanization rate and total-factor farmland use efficiency. With these findings, recommendations to implement sustainable management and conservation policies regarding farmland resources are made.

Land, as an essential resource for social, economic and ecological activities, is regarded as a key factor in material production. Against the background of rapid social and economic transition, land-use carbon emissions have gradually drawn due attention. However, few studies have been conducted to explore the spatial relationship of land-use carbon emissions at the sub-regional level, especially within Sichuan Province, China. This study is aimed at unpacking the spatial network of land-use carbon emissions in Sichuan Province by employing the panel data from 2006 to 2021 and using the method of Social Network Analysis. The results indicate that the net land-use carbon emissions of various prefecture-level divisions in Sichuan generally showed an inverse and asymmetrical “V-shaped” trend. The network correlation was improved and the stability was enhanced, gradually developing into a multi-centric structure. In addition, the spatial relationship among different clusters in the network undergoes a transition from intra-regional to inter-regional spillover. Based on these findings, the carbon balance zoning policy was discussed to provide references for how to coordinate roles and positions in the network when optimizing land-use carbon emission management policies in sub-regional areas with rapid social and economic development.

Promoting the intensive utilization of arable land is a critical strategy for addressing the scarcity problem of arable land resources and thus ensuring food security. However, public emergencies pose significant challenges to the intensive utilization of arable land. Based on the pressure-state response (PSR) model and taking Sichuan Province, known as China’s “Heavenly Granary”, as an example, this study constructs a suitable evaluation system and analyzes the variation trend of the intensive utilization of arable land from the perspective of public emergencies. Key factors constraining the intensive utilization of arable land are further analyzed using the obstacle diagnostic model. The findings of this study are as follows: (1) Despite the shocks of public emergencies, the intensive utilization level of arable land in Sichuan Province in China shows an overall upward trend, indicating a high level of resilience and adaptability. (2) The pressure to utilize arable land intensively in Sichuan exhibits periodic fluctuations, yet the state remains generally stable. The whole system shows positive adaptive responses to external pressures and contemporary conditions during the mid-to-late stages of the research period. Nevertheless, coordination among subsystems within the PSR framework remains suboptimal, and a dynamic equilibrium across the subsystems has not yet been achieved. (3) Obstacle factors constraining the intensive arable land utilization in Sichuan exhibit notable temporal variations. Early-period constraints centered on multiple cropping indexes, grain yield per unit area, and irrigation index, reflecting limitations of traditional agricultural production modes. In the later stages, key obstacles shifted to factors including per capita cultivated land, population density, and pesticide/fertilizer input index, highlighting the impediment effects caused by evolving socio-demographic dynamics influenced by public emergencies. The findings of this study reveal critical pathways for local governments to achieve sustainable arable land management amidst global uncertainties.