Objective In the context of globalization, industrialization, informatization, and urbanization, rural areas worldwide are undergoing profound transformations. While developed countries have experienced urbanization and counter-urbanization, rural areas in developing countries face challenges such as population outmigration, inefficient land use, and environmental degradation. In view of this, it is essential to build resilient rural systems that can withstand external shocks. Agricultural landscapes, shaped by human-nature interactions, play a crucial role in supporting ecosystems, food security, and biodiversity. This research aims to develop an integrated framework for optimizing agricultural landscape layouts to enhance rural resilience, focusing on biodiversity conservation, process sustainability, functional integration, and green development. By addressing both environmental and socio-economic factors, the research offers actionable strategies for landscape planners, policymakers, and rural development practitioners.
Methods A system analysis approach is applied. The research adopts a “structure – process – function” analytical framework to examine the temporal and spatial responses of agricultural landscapes to external environmental changes. Multi-dimensional aspects of landscape resilience are explored, including the landscape’s capability to resist, adapt to, and transform external pressures. The research also proposes landscape layout strategies to enhance system resilience.
Results The research finds that agricultural landscapes have undergo significant restructuring under both long-term disturbances and short-term shocks. Long-term pressures such as climate change, globalization, and urbanization result in the fragmentation and homogenization of agricultural landscapes, while short-term shocks, such as natural disasters or market fluctuations, lead to more immediate and sometimes irreversible changes. These structural shifts highlight the intricate connection between agricultural landscapes and the resilience of human – land coupling systems. Agricultural landscapes play a pivotal role in regulating the flow of materials, energy, nutrients, and species, all of which are essential for the long-term functioning of rural ecosystems. Therefore, optimizing agricultural landscape layout is key to improving system resilience. By adopting targeted strategies, landscapes can be better equipped to withstand external pressures while maintaining core functions such as food production, biodiversity conservation, and socio-cultural continuity. The research proposes four key strategies for enhancing resilience. 1) Biodiversity strategy: Prioritizes habitat restoration and protection by creating ecological corridors and promoting diversified farming systems, such as intercropping, crop rotation, and agroforestry. 2) Process sustainability strategy: Focus on improving the sustainability of nutrient flows, soil quality, and hydrological processes. The research suggests optimizing landscape layouts by incorporating elements such as wetlands, ecological islands, and buffer zones, which help regulate water flow and nutrient distribution. 3) Functional integration strategy: Recognize that modern agricultural landscapes must fulfill multiple roles, including food production, recreation, cultural preservation, and ecological conservation. The research advocates for the construction of multifunctional hubs and networks that integrate these functions within a single landscape. 4) Green development strategy: Integrate natural ecological processes with sustainable agricultural practices. This strategy focuses on reducing environmental costs and resource inputs by promoting green agricultural techniques such as organic farming, reduced fertilizer use, and water-saving irrigation methods. The strategy applies at multiple scales, from large-scale ecosystems involving mountains, rivers, forests, and farmlands, to small-scale sustainable intensification of agricultural fields.
Conclusion The research concludes that optimizing agricultural landscape layouts is essential for building resilient rural systems capable of adapting to long-term disturbances and short-term shocks. Structural-functional cascading, patch fragmentation, element homogenization, precise visual perception, and spatiotemporal diversity are key characteristics of agricultural landscapes. Agricultural landscape layout can optimize ecological processes, enhance landscape functionality, and promote the synergy of ecosystem services. It steers the impact of human activities on landscape evolution towards a virtuous cycle, thereby continuously contributing to the improvement of rural resilience. However, the research acknowledges the need for further empirical research to validate the proposed framework across diverse rural contexts, and explore how these strategies can be implemented at different scales and under various environmental and socio-economic conditions.
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