Balancing Livelihoods and Sustainable Development: How Does Off-Farm Employment Affect Agricultural Green Total Factor Productivity in China?

To contribute to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this study focuses on improving two specific goals—SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)—by examining how off-farm employment affects agricultural green total factor productivity (GTFP) in China, a key link between rural socio-economic transformation and agricultural sustainability. The results show that: First, the part-time operation of farmers significantly reduces the green total factor productivity, and the negative impact is more pronounced for off-farm employment households with higher non-agricultural income shares. It mainly stems from the redundant input of land and machinery elements. Second, the effect showed obvious heterogeneous effects at different stages of family development and land management scale. In addition, the scale effect of continuous agricultural production services and the technological synergy effect driven by the deepening of agricultural division of labor are the key to improving green total factor productivity and alleviating the negative effects of part-time operations. In summary, promoting sustainable agricultural practices requires the government to further deepen the reform of the land property rights system and optimize the agricultural socialization service system to ensure both food security and environmental sustainability.