IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jagris/v15y2025i3p291-d1579906.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Coupling Coordination Assessment of the Land–Water–Food Nexus in China

Author

Listed:
  • Cong Liu

    (Institute of Agricultural Economics and Information, Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanchang 330200, China)

  • Wenlai Jiang

    (Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China)

  • Jianmei Wei

    (Institute of Agricultural Economics and Information, Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanchang 330200, China)

  • Hui Lu

    (Institute of Agricultural Economics and Information, Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanchang 330200, China)

  • Yang Liu

    (Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China)

  • Qing Li

    (Institute of Agricultural Economics and Information, Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanchang 330200, China)

Abstract

The synergistic relation among land resources, water resources, and food production plays a crucial role in sustainable agricultural development. This research constructs a coupling coordination assessment system of the land–water–food (LWF) nexus from 2005 to 2020 for 31 provinces (municipal cities, autonomous regions) in China, and explores the current development status of land, water, and food systems at multiple scales as well as the coupling coordination characteristics of the LWF nexus. The exploring spatial data analysis and spatial Tobit model are used to explain the spatial correlations and influencing factors of coupling coordination development on the LWF nexus. On that basis, the gray GM (1,1) model is used to forecast the future development of the LWF nexus in China. The results show that the comprehensive development indexes of the land system, water system, food system, and LWF nexus are on the rise, but the land system lags behind the water system and food system. The coupling coordination degree of the LWF nexus in different regions ranges from 0.538 to 0.754, and the coupling coordination development of the LWF nexus in China has reached the preliminary coupled coordination type, with an evolutionary process similar to that of its comprehensive development level. Further empirical research shows that there is a significant positive spatial correlation between coupling coordination development levels for the LWF nexus in China. The level of urbanization and agricultural industry agglomeration have negative effects, while economic development, ecological environment, and scientific and technological progress have positive effects. The prediction results indicate that the coupling coordination degree of the LWF nexus in China will show a stable upward trend from 2024 to 2025, and most provinces will reach the intermediate coupled coordination type in 2025. This study can inform decision-making for policy-makers and practitioners and enrich the knowledge hierarchy of the LWF nexus’ sustainable development on the national and regional scales.

Suggested Citation

  • Cong Liu & Wenlai Jiang & Jianmei Wei & Hui Lu & Yang Liu & Qing Li, 2025. "A Coupling Coordination Assessment of the Land–Water–Food Nexus in China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-24, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:3:p:291-:d:1579906
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/3/291/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/3/291/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pang, Jihong & Liu, Xiaojing & Huang, Qinghua, 2020. "A new quality evaluation system of soil and water conservation for sustainable agricultural development," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    2. Feng, Ting & Xiong, Ruoyu & Huan, Peng, 2023. "Productive use of natural resources in agriculture: The main policy lessons," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(PA).
    3. Zhao, Jiongchao & Han, Tong & Wang, Chong & Shi, Xiaoyu & Wang, Kaicheng & Zhao, Mingyu & Chen, Fu & Chu, Qingquan, 2022. "Assessing variation and driving factors of the county-scale water footprint for soybean production in China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 263(C).
    4. Hanjra, Munir A. & Qureshi, M. Ejaz, 2010. "Global water crisis and future food security in an era of climate change," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 365-377, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xu, Xianghui & Chen, Yingshan & Zhou, Yan & Liu, Wuyuan & Zhang, Xinrui & Li, Mo, 2023. "Sustainable management of agricultural water rights trading under uncertainty: An optimization-evaluation framework," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    2. Pelai, Ricardo & Hagerman, Shannon M. & Kozak, Robert, 2020. "Biotechnologies in agriculture and forestry: Governance insights from a comparative systematic review of barriers and recommendations," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    3. Rahmani, Javad & Danesh-Yazdi, Mohammad, 2022. "Quantifying the impacts of agricultural alteration and climate change on the water cycle dynamics in a headwater catchment of Lake Urmia Basin," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    4. Yogeeswari Subramaniam & Tajul Ariffin Masron & Niaz Ahmad Mohd Naseem, 2023. "The Impact of Logistics on Four Dimensions of Food Security in Developing Countries," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 14(3), pages 3431-3452, September.
    5. Liu, Jing & Hertel, Thomas & Lammers, Richard & Prusevich, Alexander & Baldos, Uris Lantz & Grogan, Danielle & Frolking, Steve, 2016. "Achieving Sustainable Irrigation Water Withdrawals: Global Impacts on Food Production and Land Use," Conference papers 332691, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    6. Kang, Shaozhong & Hao, Xinmei & Du, Taisheng & Tong, Ling & Su, Xiaoling & Lu, Hongna & Li, Xiaolin & Huo, Zailin & Li, Sien & Ding, Risheng, 2017. "Improving agricultural water productivity to ensure food security in China under changing environment: From research to practice," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 5-17.
    7. Ozgul Calicioglu & Alessandro Flammini & Stefania Bracco & Lorenzo Bellù & Ralph Sims, 2019. "The Future Challenges of Food and Agriculture: An Integrated Analysis of Trends and Solutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-21, January.
    8. Jiang, Qiang & Grafton, R. Quentin, 2012. "Economic effects of climate change in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 10-16.
    9. Ramesh P. Rudra & Balew A. Mekonnen & Rituraj Shukla & Narayan Kumar Shrestha & Pradeep K. Goel & Prasad Daggupati & Asim Biswas, 2020. "Currents Status, Challenges, and Future Directions in Identifying Critical Source Areas for Non-Point Source Pollution in Canadian Conditions," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-25, October.
    10. Kübra Akyol Özcan, 2023. "Food Price Bubbles: Food Price Indices of Turkey, the FAO, the OECD, and the IMF," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-21, June.
    11. Luis Santos Pereira, 2017. "Water, Agriculture and Food: Challenges and Issues," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 31(10), pages 2985-2999, August.
    12. Kurup, Suresh A. & Reddy, A. Amarender & Singh, Dharm Raj & Praveen, K.V, 2021. "Risks in Rainfed Agriculture and Adaptation Strategies in India: Profile and Socio-Economic Correlates," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315127, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    13. Mu, Qing & Cai, Huanjie & Sun, Shikun & Wen, Shanshan & Xu, Jiatun & Dong, Mengqi & Saddique, Qaisar, 2021. "The physiological response of winter wheat under short-term drought conditions and the sensitivity of different indices to soil water changes," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    14. Andrew J. Wiltshire & Gillian Kay & Jemma L. Gornall & Richard A. Betts, 2013. "The Impact of Climate, CO 2 and Population on Regional Food and Water Resources in the 2050s," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(5), pages 1-23, May.
    15. Maraseni, Tek Narayan & Cockfield, Geoff, 2015. "The financial implications of converting farmland to state-supported environmental plantings in the Darling Downs region, Queensland," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 57-65.
    16. Mercedes Campi & Marco Duenas & Giorgio Fagiolo, 2019. "How do countries specialize in food production? A complex-network analysis of the global agricultural product space," LEM Papers Series 2019/37, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    17. Daniel Otero Peña & Daniela Perrotti & Eugene Mohareb, 2022. "Advancing urban metabolism studies through GIS data: Resource flows, open space networks, and vulnerable communities in Mexico City," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(4), pages 1333-1349, August.
    18. Distefano, Tiziano & Chiarotti, Guido & Laio, Francesco & Ridolfi, Luca, 2019. "Spatial Distribution of the International Food Prices: Unexpected Heterogeneity and Randomness," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 122-132.
    19. Rouzaneh, Davoud & Yazdanpanah, Masoud & Jahromi, Arman Bakhshi, 2021. "Evaluating micro-irrigation system performance through assessment of farmers' satisfaction: implications for adoption, longevity, and water use efficiency," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    20. Wen Liu & Long Ma & Jilili Abuduwaili, 2021. "Potentially Toxic Elements in Oasis Agricultural Soils Caused by High-Intensity Exploitation in the Piedmont Zone of the Tianshan Mountains, China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-18, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:3:p:291-:d:1579906. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.