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.

The renovation of old residential neighbourhoods represents a critical livelihood initiative. In this study, a theoretical framework utilising fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is developed to investigate the complex interplay of factors influencing residential satisfaction and to identify multiple pathways for satisfaction enhancement in old residential neighbourhood renovation projects. Thirty old residential neighbourhoods within Nanchang’s urban core are selected as case studies. Through the systematic evaluation and measurement of five critical dimensions—governmental policy; community environment; community support; housing quality; and resident perception—the research applies fsQCA to analyse potential pathways for enhancing residential satisfaction from a “community” perspective. The research finds that residents’ satisfaction can be enhanced through four pathways: housing quality enhancement, quality and support improvement, community environment improvement, and environment–quality linkage. The research findings yield key policy implications: First, a multifactorial synergistic approach should be implemented to overcome reductionist tendencies toward single-factor solutions. Second, differentiated rehabilitation frameworks should be developed to prevent homogenisation in old residential neighbourhood renovation practices. Third, enhancing the accessibility and comprehensibility of government policies through effective communication strategies is crucial, and cultivating a community ethos centred on co-creation, co-governance, and shared benefits should be prioritised to foster collective responsibility and participatory decision-making.

This study aims to provide a scientific reference for rural reconstruction and revitalization in the areas covered by Eco-Urban Agglomeration Around Poyang Lake. Rural development and restructuring is a comprehensive process involving multiple elements and a long-time sequence. Accordingly, scientific knowledge concerning the evolution and characteristics of the spatial and temporal patterns of rural development and reconstruction is crucial for successively facilitating rural revitalization and ensuring the sustainable development of rural areas. In this study, a framework of rural development and restructuring was constructed for areas around Poyang Lake Eco-Urban Agglomeration based on the data regarding population, land, and industrial elements in the rural regional system, as well as the data of counties covered by Poyang Lake Eco-Urban Agglomeration. For this purpose, the entropy value and other research methods were used to analyze the level of rural development and the degree of rural reconstruction, as well as to identify the characteristics of rural reconstruction types. The study results revealed the following: (1) Rural Comprehensive Development Level has increased from 0.218 to 0.347, and the geographical development gap of the countryside has narrowed; however, the development level of each region and each factor continues to remain uneven. (2) The results demonstrated a wave-like advancement in the Rural Comprehensive Restructuring Degree, with a decreased Rural Population Restructuring Degree, an increased Rural Industry Restructuring Degree, and a decreased Rural Land Restructuring Degree. (3) Rural restructuring in the study area can be divided into six zones according to the level of rural development and the degree of rural restructuring, with Type I and Type III being the main types. Based on the above results, this research proposes optimizations for different rural development and reconstruction type zones.