In recent years, escalating global warming and frequent extreme weather events have caused carbon emission reduction to become a pressing issue on a global scale. Land use change significantly impacts ecosystem carbon storage and is a crucial factor to consider. This study aimed to examine the evolutions in land use and their impact on carbon storage in Jiangxi Province, China. Using the coupled PLUS-InVEST model, we analyzed the spatial patterns alterations of both land use and carbon storage from 2000 to 2020 and set four scenarios for 2040. Our findings indicated the following: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the area of cropland, forest, grassland, and unused land declined, whereas the area of water and built-up land increased, with changes mainly occurring in 2010–2020. (2) From 2000 to 2020, due to the land use change, carbon storage in Jiangxi Province demonstrated a decreasing trend, with a total reduction of 2882.99 × 10⁴ t. (3) By 2040, under the dual protection scenario for cropland and ecology, the expansion of built-up land will be most restricted among the four scenarios, and the largest projected carbon storage was foreseen. This suggests that carbon loss can be minimized by focusing on cropland and ecological conservation, especially forests. Our research findings can facilitate policy decisions to balance economic development and environmental protection in Jiangxi Province in the future.

Expedited economic expansion and innovative technological advancement have precipitated considerable environmental predicaments, giving rise to extensive ecological conundrums worldwide. In response to the pressing situation, numerous countries have implemented policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions. One such initiative is the “low-carbon label”, which signifies a commitment to lowering carbon emissions. On one hand, it offers consumers an effective means to identify low-carbon products, thereby enhancing their willingness towards green consumption. On the other hand, it motivates businesses to transition towards greener practices, thereby guiding the market towards more environmentally friendly directions. This transition has had a significantly positive impact on reducing carbon emissions and promoting the development of a low-carbon economy, highlighting its critical value within the broader environmental movement. This study focuses on exploring whether the low-carbon label can influence consumers’ willingness to purchase green agricultural products. The theoretical framework was developed based on the theory of perceived value and SOR theory. The data were gathered through a randomized survey conducted in China. The research findings suggest that the perceived environmental value, functional value, and emotional value have significant impacts on consumers’ willingness to purchase green agricultural products. Trust in low-carbon labels plays a critical role in mediating the relationship between perceived value and consumers’ purchasing intentions for green agricultural products. Our research yielded the following conclusions. (1) Consumers are progressively cultivating an independent pro-environmental persona and increasingly aligning themselves with sustainable development, as indicated by their affinity towards carbon labels. (2) The selection of low-carbon agricultural products by consumers is contingent upon sensory perception, emphasizing environmental spillover value, functional enhancement, and emotional support. (3) Consumer confidence in green low-carbon agricultural products stems from an intuitive perception perspective, suggesting that low-carbon labels should accentuate functional and emotional values. The study suggests proactive measures to enhance the role of low-carbon labels in the consumption of green agricultural products. These measures include three parts: (1) Improving the content system of low-carbon labels and integrating digital technologies to reconstruct trust systems; (2) strengthening promotional efforts focusing on enhancing consumers’ intrinsic value perceptions; and (3) establishing a national-level low-carbon labels certification system, raising standards, and strengthening supervision.

This study had three objectives: (1) to consolidate poverty alleviation achievements and connect them with the current rural vitalization strategy; (2) to inaugurate agricultural modernization development in rural areas of the Poyang Lake Ecological Economic Zone, an important grain production area in China, during the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan in China (2021–2025); and (3) to assess the ecological function area and economic development highland in Jiangxi Province. This study aimed to examine cultivated land multifunctionality (economic, social, and ecological functions) and explore its evolution and coordination in the context of increasingly serious contradiction between man and land in China. This study established an index system based on a mechanical model to evaluate cultivated land multifunctionality, the spatiotemporal pattern of multifunctionally cultivated land, and the coordination among sub-functions in different periods. Its results were as follows: (1) the cultivated land’s multifunctional value generally increased from 2016 to 2020, with spatial characteristics of highland surrounding a lake; (2) the cultivated land functions’ coordination values were generally better in 2020 than in 2016, showing a generally positive development trend; (3) changes in cultivated land function were concentrated in Quadrants Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅵ; and (4) the ecological function had the advantage in the study areas. Study conclusions were as follows: (1) the development of cultivated land multifunctionality has achieved notable successes through the significant benefits of an ecological economy; (2) the coordination of the cultivated land’s economic, social, and ecological functions has increased dramatically; (3) the ecological significance in the Poyang Lake Ecological Economic Zone, whose ecological economy was flourishing, was outstanding; and (4) most importantly, it supports implementing the rural vitalization strategy in the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan in China.

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has increased agricultural productivity, achieved food security, and eased the pressure associated with environmental degradation and population growth. However, consumer sentiment remains unclear. The results show that pressures regarding food safety, production safety, and ecological safety have different degrees of positive impact on perceived benefits but no significant impact on perceived barriers. They strongly influence both perceived benefits to the adoption of UAV plant protection agricultural products. Perceived benefits demonstrated a mediating role between the three safety pressures and the adoption of UAVs. Lay beliefs showed a positive moderating effect on perceived benefits and obstacles to the adoption of UAV-based plant protection products. Based on these findings, this paper concludes that consumers are developing new consumer ethics that integrate concepts of food safety, safe production, and regional environmental protection with their acceptance of new technology, which is directly dependent on the combined effect of environmental and consumer ethics. To promote sustainable development, policies must be further optimized on this original basis.