As the trend of aging in rural China has intensified, research on the factors affecting the health of the elderly in rural areas has become a hot issue. However, the conclusions of existing studies are inconsistent and even contradictory, making it difficult to form constructive policies with practical value. To explore the reasons for the inconsistent conclusions drawn by relevant research, in this paper we constructed a meta-regression database based on 65 pieces of relevant literature published in the past 25 years. For more valid samples to reduce publication bias, we also set the statistical significance of social support to the health of the elderly in rural areas as a dependent variable. Finally, combined with multi-dimensional social support and its implications for the health of the elderly, meta-regression analysis was carried out on the results of 171 empirical studies. The results show that (1) subjective support rather than objective support can have a significant impact on the health of the elderly in rural areas, and there is no significant difference between other dimensions of social support and objective support; (2) the health status of the elderly in rural areas in samples involving western regions is more sensitive to social support than that in samples not involving the western regions; (3) among the elderly in rural areas, social support for the older male elderly is more likely to improve their health than that for the younger female elderly; and (4) besides this, both data sources and econometric models greatly affect the heterogeneity of the effect of social support on the health of the elderly in rural areas, but neither the published year nor the journal is significant. Finally, relevant policies and follow-up studies on the impact of social support on the health of the elderly in rural areas are discussed.

Combining the measurement of urban and rural areas to link water and poverty provides a new insight into the fields of water resources management and poverty alleviation. Owing to rapid urban development, water resource conflicts between urban and rural areas are gettingbecoming more intensified and more complex. This study details the application of a water poverty index (WPI) using 26 indicators to evaluate urban and rural water poverty in northwest China during the period 2000–2017. This study also analyzes temporal variations of urban and rural water poverty by the kernel density estimation (KDE). We found that the level of water poverty is gradually declining over time and the improvements in urban and rural areas are not harmonious. Additionally, it applies the synergic theory to analyze the relationships between urban and rural water poverty. The correspondence analysis between urban and rural water poverty is significant because of the synergic level results. The results show that there are four primary types in northwest China: synchronous areas, urban-priority areas, rural-priority areas, and conflict areas, and their evolution stages. The results suggest the need for location-specific policy interventions. Furthermore, we put forward corresponding countermeasures. The research findings also provide a theoretical foundation for the evaluation of urban and rural water poverty, and a regional strategy to relieve conflict between urban and rural water poverty.

Encouraging farmers to protect their environment is of great significance in improving watershed ecological environments and promoting the sustainable development of the watershed economy. To explore the factors influencing farmers’ ecological protection behaviours in the river basin, we constructed a structural equation model to analyse the survey questionnaire responses of 719 farmers in the Wei River Basin, Shaanxi Province, China. The theoretical framework incorporated farmers’ watershed belonging and social capital into an extended value-belief-norm model. Robustness tests revealed that incorporating these variables was valid. Personality norms, watershed belonging, and social capital all had direct positive effects on farmers’ watershed ecological protection behaviour. Value orientation, environmental concern, consequences awareness, and responsibility attribution influenced the next variable in a causal chain and finally acted on watershed ecological protection behaviour indirectly through personality norms. Farmers’ watershed belonging and social capital positively impacted individual norm; through this, there was an indirect positive impact on their watershed ecological protection behaviour. Moreover, watershed belonging and social capital reinforced each other.

This paper presents an application of a choice experiment measuring public preferences for a farmland retirement project (FRP) in the Gansu environmental degraded region of China. The project helps improve China’s long-term food security, and information on public preferences can be used to cost-effectively design such policies. FRP is conceptualized with four attributes relating to public preferences: Areas enrolled in the program, duration of the contract, priority zone for conservation, and vegetation type for planting. The analysis employs a mixed logit model, allowing for preference heterogeneity, and explores the differences between the willingness to pay of urban and rural residents. Results identify substantial benefits for FRP, and these benefits are closely linked to the program design. Results also show that the willingness to pay for a longer period of the program of urban residents is significantly higher than that of rural residents. Finally, this study proposes policy recommendations that the number of areas and years of the current FRP in the study area can be increased moderately, but not excessively, to further benefit local residents.