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Emerging technologies offer significant opportunities for sustainable rural development; however, their applications have not been systematically mapped across all dimensions of sustainability. This scoping review aims to identify, classify, and synthesize the literature on emerging technologies in rural development, structured around four pillars: economic, social, environmental, and governance. Eligible studies included English-language scientific articles published between 2015 and 2025 that propose solutions based on emerging technologies in rural contexts, identified in the Web of Science Core Collection database, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Data extracted from the 129 eligible articles were synthesized in thematic tables and comparatively analyzed for each pillar. Results indicate an accelerated growth in publications after 2020, with machine learning, deep learning, and the Internet of Things dominating applications such as precision agriculture, telemedicine, and water management. Critical gaps persist in biodiversity monitoring, climate adaptation, elderly care services, and rural circular economy, with the governance pillar remaining the least represented. This study proposes an integrated framework and a knowledge map to guide future research and public policies toward balanced and sustainable rural transformation. Full article

Food security and sustainable agriculture, as components of the Zero Hunger goal (SDG 2) under sustainable development, have garnered significant attention from countries worldwide. Enhancing agricultural green total factor productivity (AGTFP) contributes to the achievement of sustainable development. Agricultural socialized services serve as a key means of boosting AGTFP and realizing sustainable development. Based on data from 1534 counties in China from 2007 to 2023, this study employed methods such as the super-efficiency SBM-GML index, a two-way fixed-effects model, and a moderation model to examine the impact of agricultural socialized services on AGTFP, with a particular focus on the moderating role of land scale management. The findings indicate a nonlinear, inverted U-shaped correlation between agricultural socialized services and AGTFP, driven by both the “quantity” and “quality” aspects of these services. Simultaneously, land scale management significantly moderates this relationship. Specifically, the curve’s inflection point shifts leftward and flattens as land scale management intensifies. Furthermore, agricultural socialized services exhibit greater effectiveness in improving AGTFP in major grain-production areas and low regional fiscal pressure regions. These findings provide valuable insights into sustainable agriculture development in China, offering guidance for other developing nations in similar circumstances. Full article

Spain is the world’s leading producer and exporter of olive oil, with Andalusia being the autonomous community with the largest cultivated area. In recent decades, agricultural practices have followed a trend toward maximizing production without adequately considering ecosystem contamination. Olive groves are, in fact, complex agroecosystems in which thousands of plant species and numerous plant communities have been documented, supporting a rich diversity of vertebrate and invertebrate fauna. Intensive and unsustainable practices have led to a decline in floral diversity and, consequently, in faunal diversity. The aim of this research is to demonstrate the loss of floristic diversity associated with herbicide use. To this end, a comparative analysis of floristic diversity was conducted across 117 plots, contrasting data collected in 2007 with that from the same plots in 2021. From a methodological perspective, an inquiry-based approach was implemented involving students from the Master’s program in Olive Growing, Olive Oil, and Health. Abundance–dominance indices were compared, and the Importance Value Index (IVI) was calculated to assess changes in plant community composition. For instance, Hordeum leporinum exhibited an IVI > 70 in 2007, decreasing in 2021 to values ranging between 11 and 31.58. Similarly, Sinapis alba subsp. mairei showed a decline in IVI from 81.06 to 26.35. A notable result is the greater floristic change observed in plots located on basic substrates where herbicides were applied, compared to plots on siliceous substrates designated for grazing. This issue clearly highlights a lack of knowledge regarding appropriate cultivation techniques that promote sustainable development and social awareness. It underscores the need for educational interventions that foster learning at all levels about agricultural practices, sustainability, and ecosystem services. Full article

Against the backdrop of increasingly severe agricultural labor aging (ALA), the aging process not only threatens food security but also poses challenges to green and sustainable agricultural development. Existing studies have paid insufficient attention to how ALA simultaneously affects grain production efficiency (GPE) and grain eco-efficiency (GEE), and there is a particular lack of systematic investigation into the moderating roles of different crop types and social networks. To address this gap, this study utilizes survey data from 1056 farm households across five major grain-producing provinces in China and employs Tobit regression models to empirically examine the dual effects of ALA on GPE and GEE, while also revealing the moderating mechanisms of formal and informal dual-layer social networks. The main findings are as follows: (1) ALA generally inhibits both GPE and GEE across different grain crops, with a more prevalent negative impact on GEE. (2) The impact of ALA on the two types of efficiency exhibits crop-specific nonlinear characteristics: a positive U-shaped relationship for maize, an inverted U-shaped relationship for rice, and no significant nonlinear relationship for wheat. (3) Social networks play significant linear and nonlinear moderating roles in mitigating the negative effects of ALA, though their effects vary depending on network type, crop system, and efficiency dimension. Based on these findings, it is recommended to implement differentiated intervention strategies tailored to crop characteristics and aging stages, build a multi-tiered social network support system, and strengthen the research, extension, and service support for green technologies targeting middle-aged and older farmers, thereby synergistically enhancing grain production capacity and ecological sustainability. Full article

This study examines how the allocation of export expansion across sectors affects economy-wide outcomes in Bangladesh. Using a Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) framework, we combine linkage analysis with simulation to evaluate how sectoral export growth propagates through the production network. The results show that the impact of export diversification depends critically on sectoral allocation rather than export intensity alone. While aggregate differences between scenarios are modest, reallocating export growth toward sectors with stronger intersectoral linkages generates larger economy-wide gains in GDP and labor income. In particular, sectors with low initial export shares but high network connectivity—such as agriculture, hunting, forestry, and fishing; retail trade; other community, social and personal services; and inland transport—produce stronger multiplier effects than most export-intensive sectors. These findings highlight a key distinction between export intensity and network centrality, demonstrating that sectors with limited direct export participation can play a central role in transmitting economic gains. The results provide a network-based perspective on export diversification and offer policy-relevant insights for designing strategies that promote more inclusive and efficient economic growth. Full article

Under the coordinated implementation of the “dual carbon” goals and digital rural development strategy, digital technology has become a critical support for solving key problems in agricultural carbon reduction and advancing the green and low-carbon transformation of agriculture. Based on panel data from 31 provincial-level regions in China from 2010 to 2023, this study uses the fixed-effect model, mediating the effect model and threshold effect model to systematically examine the impact and transmission mechanism of digital technology on agricultural carbon emission intensity. The results show that: (1) Digital technology markedly lowers agricultural carbon emission intensity, and this conclusion remains steady after endogeneity correction and robustness checks. (2) Digital technology reduces emissions through two core channels: enhancing environmental regulation to constrain high-carbon behaviors via precise monitoring, and improving agricultural socialized services to promote intensive production and lower the adoption threshold of low-carbon technologies. (3) The emission reduction effect of digital technology exhibits a threshold characteristic related to agricultural industrial agglomeration, with the marginal effect of emission reduction showing an increasing trend as the agglomeration level rises. (4) The carbon reduction effect of digital technology shows obvious heterogeneity across grain production functional zones. The inhibitory effect is significant in major grain-producing areas and grain production–consumption balance areas, but not significant in major grain-consuming areas. (5) The carbon reduction effect also presents heterogeneity under different topographic relief conditions. The effect is significant in low-relief areas but not significant in high-relief areas, because complex terrain restricts the construction of digital infrastructure and large-scale application of digital technologies, which further reflects the regulatory role of natural geographical conditions. Accordingly, this paper proposes to strengthen the empowering role of digital technology in the green transformation of agriculture, attach importance to regional coordination and differentiated policy design, and comprehensively improve the capacity of agricultural carbon emission reduction and sequestration. Therefore, it is imperative to strengthen the enabling role of digital technology in the green transformation of agriculture, attach importance to regional coordination and differentiated policy design, and comprehensively enhance the capacity of agriculture for carbon emission reduction, sequestration and sustainable development. Full article

Climate change poses a significant threat to the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in South Africa, particularly in rural areas where dependence on rain-fed agriculture and limited institutional support heighten vulnerability. This study investigates how different forms of social capital (bonding, bridging, and linking) influence climate change adaptation strategies among smallholder farmers in Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal. A mixed-methods design was employed, combining a household survey (n = 150), focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. Households engaged in smallholder farming were purposively identified and randomly selected within the study ward. To accommodate varying literacy levels, structured questionnaires were administered through interviewer-led surveys. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and a probit regression model, while qualitative data were thematically analysed to contextualise adaptation decisions and social dynamics. The findings show that trust in peer information, farmer group membership, collective action, and access to extension services significantly increase the likelihood of adopting climate adaptation practices (p < 0.05). While bonding social capital supports short-term coping, limited bridging and linking social capital constrain access to institutional resources and climate information. By explicitly operationalising and empirically distinguishing these dimensions of social capital, the study provides context-specific evidence on how uneven social networks shape adaptation outcomes. Strengthening inclusive institutional linkages and extension services is essential for promoting long-term climate resilience among smallholder farmers in rural South Africa. This study contributes to the international literature by providing empirical evidence on the differentiated roles of social capital dimensions in shaping adaptation outcomes in resource-constrained rural contexts. The findings highlight the need for policy interventions that strengthen institutional linkages, improve extension service delivery, and promote inclusive access to adaptation resources to enhance long-term climate resilience. Full article

Olive cultivation represents a key pillar of rural economies and cultural heritage in Mediterranean regions, including western Greece. Despite its socio-economic importance, the sector faces increasing pressures from climate change, market volatility, and technological transformation, while progress toward environmentally sustainable production remains uneven. This study investigates how olive farmers’ perceptions of carbon footprint and climate risks are influenced by their demographic characteristics. Primary data were collected through 402 structured questionnaires distributed to olive producers in the Aetolia–Acarnania region. The sample was designed to represent farmers directly engaged in olive production, ensuring the relevance and reliability of the collected data. The findings, based on descriptive statistics, reveal significant heterogeneity in producers’ perceptions of climate risks and their capacity to respond through sustainable practices. Demographic characteristics appear to play an important role in shaping awareness of carbon footprint and the potential adoption of environmentally responsible farming strategies. These results suggest that sustainability transitions in perennial cropping systems depend not only on technological availability but also on social, informational, and institutional capacities. Strengthening agricultural advisory services, farmer training, and climate adaptation strategies may therefore support the adoption of climate-smart practices in olive cultivation. Furthermore, cooperation and value-chain integration are identified as potentially important mechanisms for facilitating knowledge transfer and supporting the adoption of sustainable practices (e.g., efficient irrigation and optimized input use). However, their contribution to environmental performance and greenhouse gas mitigation cannot be directly inferred from the present perception-based analysis and should be examined in future research using appropriate quantitative or environmental assessment frameworks. Full article

This article critically examines the evolving integration of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) into green infrastructure (GI) concepts, a discussion gaining relevance amid geopolitical instability and global disruptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. These events have exposed food systems’ vulnerability and reinforced the importance of preserving fertile urban and peri-urban land to enhance food security and sovereignty. UPA’s capacity to deliver several ecosystem services further reinforces its significance for socio-environmental policies. Based on a cross-disciplinary literature review, the study traces the conceptual evolution of GI from early models that separated agricultural and urban landscapes to contemporary frameworks that position agriculture as a central dimension of urban systems. It then analyses concepts such as Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes (CPUL), Edible GI, and Agroecological Urbanism, evaluating how they intersect with the core landscape ecology principles underpinning GI: multifunctionality, connectivity and spatial heterogeneity. Focusing on the European context, the discussion highlights key factors influencing GI-UPA integration: the definition of production model, the planning approaches guiding its development, and the policy frameworks required to support it. The paper concludes that embedding UPA within GI planning is pivotal to advancing integrative, resilient, and socially just urban greening strategies. Full article

Excessive fertilizer use not only harms agricultural sustainability but also leads to massive energy waste and carbon emissions. Under China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, using social networks to spread better fertilization practices and reduce excessive application can deliver real wins for both energy savings and emission cuts. This paper examines whether farmers’ social network positions affect their fertilizer use. We analyze 14 years of data from 206 farm households in Gansu, China, using fixed effects models that incorporate degree, betweenness, and closeness centrality. Our results reveal that centrally positioned farmers substantially reduce fertilizer application: each 0.1 unit rise in standardized degree, betweenness, and closeness centrality corresponds to reductions of 1.26%, 0.84%, and 0.78%, which translate to actual reductions and carbon emission reduction of 1.06, 0.71, and 0.66 kg/mu; 9.52, 6.38, and 5.93 kg CO₂e/mu. The effects are stronger for farmers with more education, higher off-farm income, and tighter network connections. The effect of degree centrality on fertilizer reduction increased by 7.2 percentage points after 2018. Extension services should build on existing social networks and use key node farmers to drive other farmers in the village to reduce fertilizer use. It helps reduce carbon emissions from fertilizer production and promote sustainable agricultural development. Full article

Sewage sludge management remains a critical challenge in Greece, where increasing regulatory pressure, environmental constraints, and limited stakeholder participation complicate regional decision-making. In particular, the revision of regional Waste Management Plans requires decision-support approaches that are both technically robust and socially legitimate. This study develops and applies a participatory, data-driven multi-criteria decision analysis framework to evaluate sustainable sewage sludge management strategies in the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. The framework combines structured stakeholder participation with quantitative performance assessment, enabling transparent, reproducible, and systematic comparison of alternative sewage sludge management options. Four realistic sludge management alternatives—composting fr agriculture, forestry use, land restoration, and thermal drying with energy recovery were assessed against fifteen economic, environmental, and social sub-criteria. Data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to forty-four representatives from five stakeholder groups: utilities (water and sewerage service providers), local authorities, scientists/experts, end-users, and citizens. Group preferences were aggregated using equal group weighting to ensure balanced representation. The results show that environmental and economic criteria outweigh social aspects. The highest mean weights were assigned to compliance with environmental requirements for products derived from the disposal method (0.105) and compliance with stricter national environmental legislation (0.104), followed by energy intensity (0.097), installation cost (0.065), and operation and maintenance (O&M) cost (0.061). Overall rankings identified composting and thermal drying as the most preferred options, followed by land restoration and forestry use; sensitivity analysis (±10% variation in sub-criterion weights) confirmed ranking stability. The proposed framework enhances decision transparency by embedding measurable criteria and stakeholder inputs within a structured analytical process. From a policy perspective, it addresses participation gaps in Greek waste planning and offers a transferable decision-support tool for future regional planning. Further extensions may include integration with life cycle assessment and cost–benefit analysis to support adaptive updates under circular economy objectives. Full article

The plain river network region is faced with ecological and environmental challenges such as insufficient hydrological connectivity and degradation of ecosystem services under the influence of urbanization and human activities, and therefore attention needs to be paid to river network changes in this region and the synergistic benefits of natural–social–economic multidimensional factors. This study took the Lixiahe region, a typical plain river network region, as the research object, using Mann–Kendall, spatial autocorrelation analysis, random forest, multiple validation and Granger causality test of key drivers to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of its river network from 2013 to 2025 and quantify driving mechanisms from natural, social and economic factors. The results showed that: (1) From 2013 to 2025, the Lixiahe Plain river network region tended to be trunk and artificial, with the number and connectivity of river networks showing an upward trend while the curvature of river network decreased significantly. (2) The Global Moran’s I index of the Lixiahe Plain river network decreased from 0.612 to 0.534, indicating a continued weakening of spatial agglomeration in the water area and exhibiting characteristics of edge fragmentation. (3) Random forest analysis showed that socioeconomic factors dominated recent river network change in the Lixiahe Plain. Economic factors mainly influenced quantity-related indicators, while social factors were more important for meander degree and connectivity in several ecologically sensitive counties. Multilevel validation demonstrated the robustness and generalization ability of the model. Granger causality analysis further indicated that GDP, road network density, freshwater aquaculture area, and agricultural output statistically preceded changes in key hydrological indicators. These findings suggest that river network management in plain river network regions should move beyond quantity-based engineering expansion and adopt a multi-indicator, spatially differentiated approach. Integrating river quantity, morphology, and connectivity into management can better support the balance between socioeconomic development and ecological protection and promote the sustainable optimization of river network. Full article

Spatiotemporal heterogeneity of land-use multifunction (LUMF) is crucial for the preservation and management of large-scale national cultural parks in alleviating potential human-land conflicts. Using 28 multidimensional indicators across economic, social, and environmental dimensions, this study established an LUMF index system for the Long March National Cultural Park of China (CLMNCP). LUMF values for 77 prefecture-level cities were quantified from 2008 to 2023, and their spatiotemporal heterogeneity was examined using a spatial autocorrelation model. Subsequently, the Optimal Parameters-based GeoDetector (OPGD) model was applied to identify key driving factors. The main findings are as follows: (1) From 2008 to 2023, the total, economic (EF), social (SF), and environmental (EnF) functions in the CLMNCP exhibited a consistent upward trend. (2) Significant spatial heterogeneity characterized the trade-offs and synergies among these functions. The EF-EnF interaction displayed a concave synergistic relationship, while the EF-SF and SF-EnF interactions showed convex, fluctuating patterns during their transitions between trade-off and synergy. (3) The primary drivers varied across function pairs. The EF-SF synergy was predominantly influenced by agricultural production, resource supply, and cultural service factors. The EF-EnF interaction was mainly shaped by natural conditions and environmental improvement factors. In contrast, the SF-EnF interaction was primarily driven by economic development, cultural services, and resource supply. These findings support functional zoning and targeted management of large-scale national cultural park to balance development and conservation while reducing human-land conflicts. Full article

Rural communities in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain isolated from reliable access to critical sites and social services due to inadequate transport connectivity. Formal planning approaches to improve rural networked transport infrastructure (RNTI) remain limited, underfunded and deprioritized relative to urban systems. Where resources do exist, they largely emphasize roads, despite the fact that nearly one-third of the global rural population lives more than two kilometers from an all-weather road and relies primarily on walking and intermediate modes of transport (IMTs), such as bicycles, motorcycles, and animal-powered vehicles. This review examines planning approaches for RNTI with a focus on non-car-centric, multimodal mobility. It assesses prioritization frameworks, including multi-criteria analysis, that incorporate social, environmental, accessibility, and economic considerations. Long-term outcomes are strengthened by participatory methods, multimodal planning and cross-sectoral integration that align transport investments with health, education, agriculture, and renewable resource goals. Addressing persistent barriers such as funding constraints, data gaps, and maintenance challenges requires improved spatial mapping and travel-time analysis to better identify mobility needs and guide investment decisions. The limited body of formal literature on the topic of RNTI necessitates the inclusion of grey literature and practitioner sources and underscores the call for additional research. Full article

Urban Food Forests (UFFs) are perennial, polyculture systems that integrate urban agriculture, forestry, and agroforestry. Like other urban green spaces, UFFs contribute to ecosystem services (i.e., enhancement of the urban resilience, biodiversity, social and health benefits) and additionally support the provision of food. Historically common in cities, urban food production is now reemerging as a public good and strategic green infrastructure. However, despite the growing interest, inconsistent definitions, limited design guidelines, and the scarcity of applied research hinder their implementation. Only by addressing these challenges can UFFs be better integrated into urban planning, enhancing their ecological and socio-economic contributions to sustainable and resilient cities. Full article