Measurement Indicators and an Evaluation Approach for Assessing the Sustainable Development Capacity of Tropical Agriculture: A Case Study for Hainan Province, China

Abstract

Agriculture is increasingly facing major challenges, such as climate change, the scarcity of natural resources, environmental degradation, labor shortages, and changing societal demands. To meet these challenges, there is an urgent need to move towards more sustainable agricultural practices. The aim of this research was to construct the evaluation index system for the sustainable development of tropical agriculture and evaluate the sustainable development level of tropical agriculture in China’s Hainan Province from 1988 to 2020. Eighteen indicators were selected from the four aspects of agricultural resources, the ecological environment, economic conditions, and social conditions to establish an evaluation index system for the sustainable development of tropical agriculture. A combination of the Coefficient of Variation Method (CVM) and the Index Weighted Method (IWM) was applied to evaluate the comprehensive index of the sustainable development of tropical agriculture. The results of our research indicate that there were significant differences in the level of sustainable agricultural development in Hainan in 2020 across counties and cities, with a downward trend from the central mountainous areas to the surrounding coastal areas. The cities and counties of Wuzhishan, Lingshui, and Qiongzhong had a high level of sustainable development, while Sanya, Dongfang, Wenchang, Qionghai, Ding’an, Danzhou, and Haikou had a low level. From 1988 to 2020, the sustainable development level of tropical agriculture in the province gradually improved, with the highest improvement value of the sustainability index (SI) in Wuzhishan, Wanning, Chengmai, Linggao, and Lingshui and the lowest improvement value of the SI in Baisha, Haikou, and Sanya. Indicators such as the use of agricultural mechanization, construction of farmland infrastructure, improvement of crop productivity, investment in science and technology, and investment in agricultural insurance played a positive role in promoting sustainable development. However, the high use of fertilizers, pesticides, and agricultural films per unit area and the increase in agricultural input prices were not conducive to the sustainable development of tropical agriculture. It is suggested to strengthen the construction and protection of farmland quality, improve the farmland ecological environment, promote agricultural scientific and technological innovation, and formulate feasible policies for the sustainable development of tropical agriculture. The results provide a basic theoretical and methodological reference for achieving Hainan’s sustainable development goals and for assessing the sustainable development capacity of tropical agriculture in similar regions.