China’s large-scale hog farmers are playing an increasingly important role in promoting the stable development of the hog industry. Taking large-scale hog enterprises as samples, based on hog sales data from January 2019 to July 2022, this paper adopts a two-way fixed-effects model to test the impact, mechanism, and heterogeneity of hog futures on the production stability of large-scale hog farmers. The study found that hog futures help promote stable production of large-scale farmers. This finding still holds after a series of robustness tests. The mechanism analysis found that, first, hog futures help large-scale farmers expand their risk management factor inputs. Second, hog futures help reduce the impact of hog price risk on production. Finally, hog futures help stabilize farmers’ production expectations. The moderating effects analysis found that the stabilizing effect of hog futures will enhance as farmers’ share of hog farming operations increases. Heterogeneity analysis found that when hog prices fluctuate negatively, hog futures help promote the stable production of large-scale farmers. When hog prices fluctuate positively, the production stabilization effect of hog futures is not obvious. Therefore, hog enterprises should be encouraged to participate in hog futures hedging transactions to promote stable hog production.

Assessing rural habitat suitability and its connection to land response is a vital tool for understanding the socio-economic and environmental challenges in rural areas tailored to local contexts. This study fills existing research gaps by examining the suitability of rural habitats in Anhui Province, opening pathways to reveal how rural sustainability may connect to land. Using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model, it analyzes the short- and long-term effects of socio-economic and environmental factors on rural suitability across various counties. Additionally, a descriptive analysis explores the pathways linking rural suitability to land use responses. The findings reveal that rural greening, village planning, and housing area per resident positively influence rural habitat suitability in both the short and long term. However, agricultural income growth shows a negative impact, potentially due to structural issues in the sector. Environmental factors like temperature and rainfall have a limited influence on rural suitability. The study underscores the importance of suitable rural infrastructure, namely enhancing rural greening rate, implementing village plans, and improving housing for sustainable rural development. Regional variations in rural habitat suitability across Anhui Province are also evident. While some cities, such as Huaibei and Anqing, demonstrate success in revitalization, others, like Suzhou and Chizhou, face challenges. The results highlight the need for region-specific strategies that account for local environmental, economic, and infrastructural contexts. Tailored approaches are essential to achieving long-term, effective rural development in the province.