A resilience-sustainability coupling coordination analysis of the Chinese food production system

Food production systems are faced with increasingly emerging pressures. Worldwide affairs like the Russia-Ukraine war and Covid-19 have raised our concerns about the ability to maintain a steady food supply at a stable price. Food security remains a problem to be addressed, especially taking the growing global population into consideration. This study aims to contribute to global food security by exploring the coupling relationship between resilience and sustainability of China’s food production system. An evaluation system to measure the elasticity and sustainability of China’s food production system was established, and the comprehensive evaluation value, coupling coordination degree, coupling coordination degree and coupling coordinated development type were quantitatively analyzed using entropy evaluation, comprehensive evaluation index model, coupling coordination model and related development level model. The results of our study are as follows. First, the level of resilience and sustainability of China’s food production system fluctuates and is generally on the rise. Second, the coordination level of internal coupling between the resilience and sustainability of China’s food production system is generally on the rise, but the degree of coupling coordination is still at a low level in some years. Third, in terms of comparative development, the resilience of China’s grain production system lagged behind its sustainability, and it only reached a state of synchronous development in 2019. The research findings will provide guidance to the adaptation between the resilience and sustainability of the Chinese food production system and inspire the formulation of related policies.