The aging of the rural population is one of the important social problems facing China and the world. To provide strategic support for coping with the challenges brought by an aging society, this study examined the impact of aging of the rural population on agricultural green total factor productivity (AGTFP) and the mechanism of transmission between them, based on the panel data of 31 provinces in China from 2000 to 2022. The results showed that, first, the aging of the rural population had a negative inhibitory effect on AGTFP, a conclusion that remained valid after a series of robustness tests. Second, the heterogeneity analysis showed that the aging of the rural population in western China had a significant negative impact on AGTFP, while the effect was less significant in eastern and central regions. The intensity of environmental regulation will increase the negative impact of an aging rural population on AGTFP. Third, the analysis of the mechanism showed that the aging of the rural population had a negative impact on AGTFP by inhibiting labor productivity, scientific research and innovation, and farmland transfer.

Advancing urban–rural integration (URI) is pivotal to addressing the current urban–rural development imbalance in China. The urban agglomeration, as a crucial engine propelling China’s modernization, holds significant importance in accelerating this integration process. Comprehensive quantitative analysis of URI development within the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) urban agglomeration is often lacking in existing research. This study constructs an indicator system for evaluating the level of integration using data from 14 cities in the region from 2010 to 2022, focusing on economic, social, and ecological perspectives. Utilizing the Coupling Coordination Model and the Obstacle Degree Model, this study analyzes the level and evolutionary trends of URI development within the BTH urban agglomeration. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The level of URI in the BTH urban agglomeration exhibits an overall upward trend, increasing from 0.377 in 2010 to 0.543 in 2022. The economic, social, and ecological subsystems all demonstrate positive integration trends. (2) The spatial evolution of the integration level reveals a distinct core–periphery structure. Beijing and Tianjin, as the core areas, continuously foster the collaborative development of surrounding cities through radiation and spillover effects. The core of URI has shifted gradually from the central–east to the central–north, indicating an upward movement of the core area, as revealed by trend surface analysis. Although Shijiazhuang, a central city in the South BTH urban agglomeration, has seen rapid improvement in integration levels, its role in driving development is less significant than that of Beijing and Tianjin. (3) The URI subsystems in the 14 cities of the BTH urban agglomeration show improved coordination. The coordination development between Beijing and Tianjin has yielded significant results, emerging as a key driver in promoting the coordinated development of urban agglomerations. Most regions in the urban agglomeration exhibit mild imbalance or coordination, with the central and northern areas scoring higher in coordination. (4) The obstacles analysis indicates that the economic integration and social integration systems are the primary obstacles to enhancing the ecological integration of urban agglomerations. Urban–rural transportation, investment levels, and economic development are key obstacles for the BTH urban agglomeration integrated development. This study offers key insights for strategic planning in the BTH urban agglomeration region.

Understanding the effects of climate change on agricultural land green use efficiency (AGUE) is vital for shaping adaptive technologies and agricultural policies. Utilizing data from 30 Chinese provinces (2003–2022), this study applies the Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) model to assess how climate change impacts AGUE and its spatial–temporal variations. Studies show that China’s climate demonstrates significant interannual variability and spatial heterogeneity. The regression coefficient of the annual precipitation is positive and gradually decreases from the periphery to the center. AGUE across provinces is declining and exhibits significant spatial clustering characteristics. The spatial–temporal analysis indicates that the annual average temperature has a significant negative impact on AUGE, and the regression coefficient decreases from southeast to northwest. The regression coefficient of the annual precipitation is positive and gradually decreases from the periphery to the center. Extreme weather conditions have negative impacts of varying degrees on inter-provincial climate change. The findings provide a reference for the green transformation and development of agriculture in China.

This study aims to reveal the spatial-temporal evolution rule and driving mechanism of cropland multifunctionality in major grain-producing areas. Taking Henan Province as the research case, we establish a comprehensive evaluation index system covering production, living, ecological and cultural functions based on multi-source datasets spanning 2013–2022. It adopts the entropy weight method, spatial analysis and geographical detector (GeoDetector) model to analyze the spatial-temporal differentiation characteristics and influencing mechanism of cropland multifunctionality systematically. The results show that the overall level of cropland multifunctionality in Henan Province rose from 2013 to 2022. Its spatial pattern presents a feature of high in the south and low in the north, with obvious agglomeration in southern Henan. The production function is high in the east and low in the west with a stable pattern. The living, ecological and cultural functions all show a distribution of high in the south and low in the north, with prominent regional differences. Factor detection results indicate that average slope, population density and average annual temperature are the core driving factors. The overall influence of natural factors is stronger than that of socio-economic factors. Interaction detection shows that all factors produce a strengthening effect, mainly in the form of nonlinear enhancement effects. Based on this, the research has proposed targeted and differentiated strategies for the management of cultivated land. Specifically, southern Henan should consolidate its inherent multifunctional advantages and strengthen the coordinated development of production, ecological and cultural functions. Northern and western Henan needs to mitigate terrain and climatic constraints, optimize agricultural infrastructure, and improve overall cropland service capacity. Eastern plain areas should further stabilize grain production function while balancing ecological protection. Central urban agglomerations should coordinate urban expansion and cropland protection to restrain multifunctional degradation.

Population aging is one of the significant social issues currently faced by China and the world at large. The total number of elderly individuals and the pace of aging in rural China are substantially higher than in urban areas, exerting a profound impact on the high-quality development of agriculture. Utilizing panel data from China's 31 provinces from 2011 to 2022, this paper measures the level of high-quality development of agriculture and agricultural technology progress. It further investigates the impact of rural population aging on the high-quality development of agriculture and the transmission mechanism between the two. The findings are as follows: First, the overall level of high-quality development of agriculture in China exhibits a rapid upward trend during the study period, with the central and western regions showing a significant catching-up momentum. Second, rural population aging has a negative inhibitory effect on the level of high-quality development of agriculture, which remains significant after multiple robustness tests. Third, the results of heterogeneity analysis indicate that the inhibitory effect of rural population aging on the level of high-quality development of agriculture is strongest in the central region, relatively weaker in the eastern and western regions; the negative impact in major grain-producing areas is greater than in non-major grain-producing areas. Fourth, the mechanism analysis suggests that agricultural technology progress can mitigate the negative impact of rural population aging on the level of high-quality development of agriculture.

This study is based on time-series land use data of Xinjiang from 2000 to 2022. Using grid tools, bivariate autocorrelation models and other methods, we systematically analyzed the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of land use and ecosystem service value. The results show the following: Firstly, from 2000 to 2022, Xinjiang’s LUCC exhibits differentiated evolution characteristics: cropland, forestland, and built-up land expanded continuously, while the areas of grassland and unused land showed a steady reduction trend, and the area of water bodies showed a fluctuating growth pattern. Secondly, according to the calculation of carbon emissions from LUCC in Xinjiang from 2000 to 2022, the carbon emissions from LUCC have increased significantly, from 27.79 million tons in 2000 to 226.43 million tons in 2022, with built-up land being the main source of carbon emissions, but the continuous reduction in grassland area has led to the weakening of carbon sequestration capacity. Thirdly, from 2000 to 2022, Xinjiang’s ESV shows a fluctuating upward trend, increasing from 1880.528 billion yuan in 2000 to 1894.198 billion yuan in 2022, with grassland and water area being the core contributors to ESV, accounting for over 80% of the total contribution. Fourthly, in terms of spatial distribution, there is an overall negative correlation between the intensity of carbon emissions from LUCC and the intensity of ESV, mainly aggregated as “low–low” and “low–high”, with “high–low” aggregation primarily distributed in the desert areas of the Tarim Basin and Junggar Basin and “low–high” aggregation concentrated in the marginal mountainous areas and oasis regions of Xinjiang. The findings provide a solid scientific basis for the optimization of land use structure, the achievement of carbon emission reduction targets, and the protection of ecosystems in Xinjiang and similar arid regions worldwide.