IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i12p7239-d837790.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does Agroforestry Correlate with the Sustainability of Agricultural Landscapes? Evidence from China’s Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems

Author

Listed:
  • Menghan Zhang

    (School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China)

  • Jingyi Liu

    (College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China)

Abstract

Compared with industrial monoculture, agroforestry has been perceived as a more sustainable approach to landscape management that provides various landscape-specific benefits. However, little is known about agroforestry’s influence on the comprehensive sustainability of agricultural landscapes. This study focused on the importance of agroforestry and its influence on landscape sustainability, using 118 China National Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (China-NIAHS) as cases. In each China-NIAHS, we evaluated the importance of agroforestry and the landscape’s comprehensive sustainability and explored their correlation. The findings indicate that agroforestry is important in most China-NIAHS. Agroforestry’s importance is strongly correlated with most sustainability indicators, including biodiversity, income diversity, resource utilization, hydrogeological preservation, and water regulation. Based on the findings, we discuss the role of agroforestry in promoting sustainability and provide suggestions for sustainable management and policymaking for agricultural landscapes on a national scale.

Suggested Citation

  • Menghan Zhang & Jingyi Liu, 2022. "Does Agroforestry Correlate with the Sustainability of Agricultural Landscapes? Evidence from China’s Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-19, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:12:p:7239-:d:837790
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/12/7239/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/12/7239/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Antonio Santoro & Martina Venturi & Sihem Ben Maachia & Fadwa Benyahia & Federica Corrieri & Francesco Piras & Mauro Agnoletti, 2020. "Agroforestry Heritage Systems as Agrobiodiversity Hotspots. The Case of the Mountain Oases of Tunisia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-19, May.
    2. Saaty, Thomas L., 1990. "How to make a decision: The analytic hierarchy process," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 9-26, September.
    3. Yang, Lun & Liu, Moucheng & Lun, Fei & Min, Qingwen & Li, Wenhua, 2019. "The impacts of farmers’ livelihood capitals on planting decisions: A case study of Zhagana Agriculture-Forestry-Animal Husbandry Composite System," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 208-217.
    4. Aikaterini Gkoltsiou & Eleni Athanasiadou & Angeliki T. Paraskevopoulou, 2021. "Agricultural Heritage Landscapes of Greece: Three Case Studies and Strategic Steps towards Their Acknowledgement, Conservation and Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-28, May.
    5. Bixia Chen & Zhenmian Qiu & Nisikawa Usio & Koji Nakamura, 2018. "Tourism’s Impacts on Rural Livelihood in the Sustainability of an Aging Community in Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-17, August.
    6. Pollesch, N. & Dale, V.H., 2015. "Applications of aggregation theory to sustainability assessment," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 117-127.
    7. Meine van Noordwijk, 2021. "Agroforestry-Based Ecosystem Services: Reconciling Values of Humans and Nature in Sustainable Development," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-24, July.
    8. Meine van Noordwijk, 2021. "Agroforestry-Based Ecosystem Services," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-8, July.
    9. Hiroyuki Kajihara & Su Zhang & Wonhee You & Qingwen Min, 2018. "Concerns and Opportunities around Cultural Heritage in East Asian Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-16, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Dong Chen & Kangning Xiong & Juan Zhang, 2022. "Progress on the Integrity Protection in the Natural World Heritage Site and Agroforestry Development in the Buffer Zone: An Implications for the World Heritage Karst," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-18, December.
    2. Antonio Santoro & Qingyi Yu & Francesco Piras & Beatrice Fiore & Alessandra Bazzurro & Mauro Agnoletti, 2022. "From Flood Control System to Agroforestry Heritage System: Past, Present and Future of the Mulberry-Dykes and Fishponds System of Huzhou City, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-22, October.
    3. Manrique Anticona, Cintya Elizabeth & Yagüe Blanco, José Luis & Pascual Castaño, Isabel Cristina, 2023. "Characterization of potential Spanish territories for creating a national network associated with the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).

    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. Guilin Liu & Domenico M. Doronzo, 2020. "A Novel Approach to Bridging Physical, Cultural, and Socioeconomic Indicators with Spatial Distributions of Agricultural Heritage Systems (AHS) in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-22, August.
    2. Enrico Pomatto & Marco Devecchi & Federica Larcher, 2022. "Assessment of the Terraced Landscapes’ Integrity: A GIS-Based Approach in a Potential GIAHS-FAO Site (Northwest Piedmont, Italy)," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-21, December.
    3. Huiqi Song & Pengwei Chen & Yongxun Zhang & Youcheng Chen, 2021. "Study Progress of Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (IAHS): A Literature Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-22, September.
    4. Dona Octavia & Sri Suharti & Murniati & I Wayan Susi Dharmawan & Hunggul Yudono Setio Hadi Nugroho & Bambang Supriyanto & Dede Rohadi & Gerson Ndawa Njurumana & Irma Yeny & Aditya Hani & Nina Mindawat, 2022. "Mainstreaming Smart Agroforestry for Social Forestry Implementation to Support Sustainable Development Goals in Indonesia: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-29, July.
    5. Yosefin Ari Silvianingsih & Kurniatun Hairiah & Didik Suprayogo & Meine van Noordwijk, 2021. "Kaleka Agroforest in Central Kalimantan (Indonesia): Soil Quality, Hydrological Protection of Adjacent Peatlands, and Sustainability," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-20, August.
    6. Ntawuruhunga, Donatien & Ngowi, Edwin Estomii & Mangi, Halima Omari & Salanga, Raymond John & Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia, 2023. "Climate-smart agroforestry systems and practices: A systematic review of what works, what doesn't work, and why," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    7. Flavio Martins & Maria Fatima Almeida & Rodrigo Calili & Agatha Oliveira, 2020. "Design Thinking Applied to Smart Home Projects: A User-Centric and Sustainable Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-27, December.
    8. Han-Shen Chen, 2020. "The Construction and Validation of a Sustainable Tourism Development Evaluation Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-20, October.
    9. Jochen Wulf, 2020. "Development of an AHP hierarchy for managing omnichannel capabilities: a design science research approach," Business Research, Springer;German Academic Association for Business Research, vol. 13(1), pages 39-68, April.
    10. Wu, Zhangsheng & Li, Yue & Wang, Rong & Xu, Xu & Ren, Dongyang & Huang, Quanzhong & Xiong, Yunwu & Huang, Guanhua, 2023. "Evaluation of irrigation water saving and salinity control practices of maize and sunflower in the upper Yellow River basin with an agro-hydrological model based method," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    11. D’Inverno, Giovanna & Carosi, Laura & Romano, Giulia & Guerrini, Andrea, 2018. "Water pollution in wastewater treatment plants: An efficiency analysis with undesirable output," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 269(1), pages 24-34.
    12. Nermin Kişi, 2019. "A Strategic Approach to Sustainable Tourism Development Using the A’WOT Hybrid Method: A Case Study of Zonguldak, Turkey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-19, February.
    13. Weiwen Wang & Jian Gong & Ying Wang & Yang Shen, 2022. "The Causal Pathway of Rural Human Settlement, Livelihood Capital, and Agricultural Land Transfer Decision-Making: Is It Regional Consistency?," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-24, July.
    14. Ayodele, T.R. & Ogunjuyigbe, A.S.O. & Odigie, O. & Munda, J.L., 2018. "A multi-criteria GIS based model for wind farm site selection using interval type-2 fuzzy analytic hierarchy process: The case study of Nigeria," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 1853-1869.
    15. V. Srinivasan & G. Shainesh & Anand K. Sharma, 2015. "An approach to prioritize customer-based, cost-effective service enhancements," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(14), pages 747-762, October.
    16. Sittichok Plaiphum & Roengchai Tansuchat, 2023. "Cultural Capital of Sea Salt Farming in Ban Laem District of Phetchaburi Province as per the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-27, August.
    17. Patricija Bajec & Danijela Tuljak-Suban, 2019. "An Integrated Analytic Hierarchy Process—Slack Based Measure-Data Envelopment Analysis Model for Evaluating the Efficiency of Logistics Service Providers Considering Undesirable Performance Criteria," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-18, April.
    18. Abareshi, Maryam & Zaferanieh, Mehdi, 2019. "A bi-level capacitated P-median facility location problem with the most likely allocation solution," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 1-20.
    19. Qi Mu & Fabrizio Aimar, 2022. "How Are Historical Villages Changed? A Systematic Literature Review on European and Chinese Cultural Heritage Preservation Practices in Rural Areas," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-20, June.
    20. Datu Buyung Agusdinata & Wenjuan Liu & Sinta Sulistyo & Philippe LeBillon & Je'anne Wegner, 2023. "Evaluating sustainability impacts of critical mineral extractions: Integration of life cycle sustainability assessment and SDGs frameworks," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(3), pages 746-759, June.

    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:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:12:p:7239-:d:837790. 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.