Finer-resolution mapping identifies more effective strategies for recoupling crop-livestock systems in China

Abstract Circular agriculture is essential for sustainable food supply, while substantially hindered by spatially decoupled crop-livestock systems. However, the decoupling extent of crop-livestock systems and effectiveness of recoupling strategies remain uncertain due to diverse-resolution investigations. Here we map China’s manure phosphorus (P) supply-demand balance from provincial to 1-km resolutions to represent multi-resolution crop-livestock linkages, and identify effective recoupling strategies by mathematical programing models. We find that resolution improvement substantially emphasizes the spatial mismatch of manure P supply-demand and high-density manure P surplus, implying coarse-resolution studies would underestimate the extent and intensity of crop-livestock decoupling whereas overestimating the area of manure P surplus regions. Compared to moderate livestock redistribution, manure transport is generally more effective at national scale for mitigating manure P surplus/deficiency; however, it is less effective in regions with severe manure surplus or large spatial extent. This study deepens the understanding of crop-livestock decoupling and the effectiveness of recoupling strategies.