Based on the Integrated Land–Sea Management, this study established a theoretical framework for the sustainability of coastal regions by combining sustainable development with coupling coordination theory. The improved coupling coordination model was used to analyze the sustainable development of the Bohai Rim and its coastal provinces and cities from 2006 to 2020. Our implications were as follows: (1) The theoretical framework showed an S-shaped spiral trend, and the empirical results on the Bohai Rim were consistent with the trajectory conclusions. (2) The economic subsystem played a crucial role in the system’s evolution toward sustainable development. (3) The region and city models demonstrated consistent coupling and coordination development degrees. However, the consistency was not completely synchronous. Conscious eco-environmental governance activities can promote benign interactions among systems and improve this relationship. (4) The sustainable development of coastal cities is different from that of the provinces in which they are located. It merely demonstrates their relative status among all coastal cities and does not fully represent the wider region in which they are located. The findings suggest that adaptive policies, whether economic, social or environmental, can promote sustainable development. Economic stimulus policies can promote a transition of sustainable development; in the economic downturn, the adaptive environmental policy is realized by adjusting the relationship between subsystems to promote the coordination of regional systems, preparing for the next sustainable system transition. The established theoretical model and improvised mathematical method can be extended to study various coastal regions

In developing countries such as China, commercial fishermen’s occupational health risks are rarely studied despite being extremely critical for the sustainable development of the fisheries sector. In this study, we attempt for the first time to categorize and prioritize multiple types of health risks posed by these fishermen. This was accomplished by conducting a structured questionnaire survey between 9 January 2022 and 24 May 2022. We sought the professional opinion of fishermen that were located in the coastal areas of Zhejiang, China, namely Zhoushan (121 responses, 64%), Taizhou (66 responses, 49%), and Wenzhou (94 responses, 53%). This study used two hundred eighty-one questionnaires with a consistency ratio (CR) below 0.1 and completed in every respect. Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchical Process (Fuzzy AHP) and Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) statistics were employed to perform statistical analysis. Results have revealed that commercial fishermen’s health is affected by five main risk factors, namely natural (0.058), biological (0.088), social (0.152), psychological (0.234), and physical (0.468), which are arranged from the least to the most significant risk factors. As for the performance of the main risk factors, the physical risk was ranked first (4.786), followed by social risk (4.571), psychological risk (4.214), biological risk (4.000), and natural risk (3.429). These research findings can serve as guidelines for managers. Moreover, this study discusses ramifications, constraints, and proposals for future research.

This study applies data envelopment analysis (DEA) to gauge technical efficiency and allocative efficiency in China’s beef cattle-fattening industry using survey data. The Tobit model considers the salient determinants that drive these efficiencies. The results indicate that (1) large-scale farms exhibit robust TE and pure technical efficiencies (PTE), whereas scale efficiencies (SE) diverge significantly between large and medium-sized operations. The cost efficiency (CE) of smaller farms lags behind their larger counterparts, with the latter displaying greater revenue efficiencies (RE) and profit efficiency (PE). (2) The influence of identical factors on the efficiency of beef cattle fattening production can vary, sometimes antithetically, across different scales. Local policy interventions must be differentiated according to farm type and size. (3) The unique context of China’s national conditions and the status quo of livestock farming render the dual implementation of environmental regulations and technological subsidies less viable for Chinese beef cattle farms. These entities should prioritize production over technological innovation and advancement. Policymakers should adopt strategies such as targeted skill/technological training for farm managers at particular scales of operation. This could represent a critical trajectory to augment the efficiency of beef cattle production and increase beef yield in China.

Marine development and eco-environmental management have received increasing attention over the past two decades, however, no effective universal approach has been established to achieve marine development without destroying marine ecosystems. This study discusses the integrated ocean management (IOM) for meeting the sustainable development goal (SDG14) through the following four aspects: the marine eco-environment foundation, market mechanism, management support, and space consideration. Our findings highlight how to enhance the coastal and marine areas management efficiency to achieve ecological and socioeconomic values for sustainable development through the benign interaction of marine ecosystem and socioeconomic systems. The presented case study examines the IOM framework for achieving SDG14 in the Bohai Sea. Furthermore, content analysis and semi-structured interviews were conducted. The framework is theoretically and empirically explored in light of the Bohai Sea’s management, focusing on the role of the government and incentive. Further, issues preventing effective IOM are highlighted and a framework for optimizing the IOM implementation to better balance the interests of various industries is suggested. When implementing the IOM framework, each region should fully play to its own advantages and push forward with some focused aspects first. The long-term effect of the Bohai Sea’s management may need time to be verified, and the role of the market mechanism and multi-interest coordination mechanism need more special attention for the Bohai Sea in the future.

Beef calf production is a source of sustainable development for the beef cattle industry. However, no comparative studies have reported on the technical efficiency of different beef calf production systems and their influencing factors. Based on data from 218 Chinese farmers and 12 governments, in the present study, we constructed data envelopment analysis (DEA) models and conducted a comparative analysis of the technical efficiency of the main three beef calf production systems: the Simmental calf intensive production system (CIPS), Simmental calf semi-intensive production system (SCIPS) and Holstein bull calf intensive production system (BCIPS). Using Tobit models, we analyzed the effects of various factors. The results show that: (1) The technical efficiency of the production system of Simmental calf is higher than that of Holstein bull calf, and the efficiency of SCIPS is higher than that of CIPS. The technical efficiency (TE), pure technical efficiency (PTE) and scale efficiency (SE) of different systems are significantly different. (2) Policy on the environment positively affected (p < 0.01) the TE, TPE and SE of CIPS, but negatively affected the PTE of SCIPS. Therefore, appropriate environmental regulations have a positive effect on production efficiency, which means that measures should be taken according to the reality and characteristics of the production system, and policies applicable to other systems or regions may not be applicable in a given case. (3) The management level and technology training had positive effects on the TE, TPE and SE of the three systems, while the number of years of production had a negative or no significant effect. Producers are not the “perfectly rational economic man”, and the more knowledge they have, the more productive they will be. However, the “knowledge” referred to here is that which is adapted to production, not that which is traditional. The knowledge possessed by the producer should be updated continuously with the changes over time and the development of the industry, while outdated information is not considered as “knowledge” here. Therefore, to achieve sustainability, the government should fully consider the characteristics of the local breeding mode and, more importantly, the expected effects of policies to be implemented.

This study examined the association between county-level urban–rural integration and farmers’ green production capabilities, conceptualizing the county context as a local opportunity structure. It also examined whether this association differed by farm scale. Data were collected from 506 farmers in Shandong and Zhejiang between late 2024 and early 2025; 282 were primarily engaged in vegetable production, while 224 cultivated vegetables alongside other crops. A county-level urban–rural integration index (CURI) was developed covering four dimensions: economic, social, spatial, and ecological and agricultural production integration. The hypotheses were evaluated using ordered logit and city random-intercept models. The baseline CURI was positively associated with self-rated green production capabilities. A one-sample-standard-deviation increase in CURI corresponded to a 6.50 percentage point higher average predicted probability of attaining high green production capability, and the association was stronger among small-scale farmers. The analysis also showed a stable negative association between CURI and pesticide expenditure, while green production capability was positively associated with direct sales to urban end markets. Fertilizer expenditure and order- or contract-based sales showed no stable relationship. Overall, county-level urban–rural integration was a contextual correlate of green production capacity. The findings may inform the design and evaluation of future efforts to improve access to green-production services and market linkages, particularly for small-scale farmers.