Agricultural land-use system management: Research progress and perspectives

The agricultural land-use system (ALUS) is a complex and coupled system centered on land use, which includes all human activities and their outcomes in utilizing agricultural land. With the emergence of issues such as climate change and food security, the land human coupling system has received widespread attention from scholars. Therefore, it is crucial to establish an ALUS management mechanism that sustainably utilizes resources, sequesters carbon, and reduces emissions while steadily improving food production. In this study, progresses are clarified in the theoretical framework and methods of ALUS management, including relevant research about agricultural land-use carbon emissions and management in the context of climate change, evaluation of the resource carrying capacity of a ALUS for food security, and layout optimization of agricultural land to improve land use capacity. It is crucial to fully leverage the role of ALUS in addressing climate change, ensuring nutrition and food security, providing ecosystem services, and promoting sustainable environmental development. However, the theoretical and empirical research on ALUS in China started relatively late. In this context, there is an urgent need to establish a better management system to accelerate the transformation of sustainable use of agricultural land in China, support high-quality development and ecological civilization.