Evaluation and Coupling Coordination Analysis of China’s Sustainable Agricultural Development Level

Agriculture serves as a vital foundation for national development, and its sustainable development holds significant importance for ensuring national food security. This study analyzes the level of agricultural sustainable development and the coupling coordination degree of its subsystems across China’s 31 provincial regions from 2000 to 2022, employing the entropy value method, coupling coordination degree model, and coefficient of variation method. Results show the following: First, the comprehensive index of provincial agricultural sustainable development shows a steady upward trend, though regional variations reveal instability. Second, spatially, sustainable development exhibits a pattern of “high in northeast, low in central and west”, reflecting uneven provincial development. Finally, the coupling coordination degree among agricultural subsystem sustainability capabilities has significantly improved, shifting from a relatively uncoordinated stage to a relatively coordinated stage. Spatially, it generally follows an “high in east, low in west” distribution pattern, revealing variations in provincial agricultural subsystem coordination. Based on these findings, targeted recommendations are proposed to provide theoretical foundations and practical references for China’s sustainable agricultural development.