Co-benefits of major land consolidation projects for sustainable agricultural production and ecosystem protection in China

Ensuring food security and conserving terrestrial ecosystems are two critical objectives of the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. China implemented 14 major land consolidation projects (MLCPs) between 2007 and 2013 to support national food security. However, evidence on the socio-economic and ecological impacts of MLCPs remains scarce, especially causal identification based on large-sample sizes. This study develops a nature-based land consolidation (NBLC) analytical framework and evaluates the agricultural and ecological impacts of the MLCPs using a staggered difference-in-differences (DID) model combined with spatial analysis, drawing on high-resolution panel data from Chinese townships spanning 2000–2022. The results reveal that MLCPs foster dual benefits for sustainable agricultural production and ecosystem protection, resulting in a 13.6 % increase in total agricultural output and a 4.2 % rise in per-unit output, along with a 1.6 % increase in NDVI within the project areas. NBLC has alleviated the issues of water scarcity and land degradation in northern regions, fostering sustainable agricultural development there. Through the reclamation of abandoned farmland and the development of high-standard farmland, MLCPs have achieved efficient land resource utilization, resulting in mutually beneficial outcomes for agricultural production and ecological protection. These findings provide evidence-based guidance for sustainable land governance under increasing global farmland pressures.