Predicaments in the collaborative management of farmland ecosystem services amid land circulation

Crop pollination and biological pest control services are critical ecosystem services. Their coordinated development is vital for agricultural green transformation. However, it remained unclear whether land circulation, a key pathway for promoting large-scale farming, is associated with their coordination. Against this backdrop, we constructed indices for Crop-Pollination Service Management (CPSM) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to quantify farmers’ adoption levels. Based on survey data from 249 households in Dengkou County, Inner Mongolia, we employed Propensity Score Matching to examine the associations between land circulation and CPSM and IPM adoption. Random Forest Regression explored nonlinear relationships and key factors. K-means clustering classified farmers into ecosystem service management types, and Multinomial Logit models identified influencing type assignment. Results showed that land circulation was differently associated with CPSM and IPM adoption: it was associated with increased CPSM levels but decreased IPM adoption rates, indicating a lower level of CPSM-IPM coordination among land-circulation households. Awareness of importance, pesticide residues, and soil conditions were important predictors associated with both CPSM and IPM. Land circulation was associated with an increased likelihood of farmers being classified as a “pollination-focused management type,” while education and awareness of importance were associated with classification as a “high- coordination management type.” Our findings emphasize the need for long-term land circulation contracts with ecological clauses, performance-based subsidies, tailored technical services, and a support system for risk-sharing and socialized services. This study provides empirical evidence for improving land systems and agricultural green transformation within the study area.