TOWARD SUSTAINABLE MAIZE PRODUCTION FOR SMALLHOLDERS THROUGH OPTIMIZED STRATEGIES IN NORTH CHINA

● County-level sustainability assessment of maize production is presented. ● County-level improvement potential exhibits a large spatial heterogeneity. ● Promoting technical innovations can facilitate China’s agricultural transition. Agricultural production by smallholders is crucial for ensuring food provision in China. However, smallholders face a series of challenges on their farms including high-to-excess resource inputs, low use efficiency, as well as negative environmental impacts, which may be unfavorable for sustainable agriculture production. This study developed a county-level sustainability assessment of maize production in Hebei, China, by applying multiple data sources in combination with emergy, carbon footprint, nitrogen footprint and cost-benefit analyses. Scenario analysis was applied to explore the localized implementation strategies to achieve the sustainable farming system. The results show that the average emergy sustainability index (ESI) of maize at 2.31 is relatively low. The average greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reactive nitrogen (Nr) losses are 0.15 g·kcal^?1 CO₂-eq and 3.75 mg·kcal^?1 N, respectively. The average cost and net income are 12,700 and 4340 CNY·ha^?1, respectively. These results indicate a great potential to improve the environmental-economic sustainability of the maize production system of smallholders. In addition, the environmental and economic indicators calculated from the maize production show a substantial spatial heterogeneity among counties, indicating a requirement for different optimization strategies to improve the environment-economy sustainability at a finer scale. Based on the multiple scenario analysis, optimal strategies targeting each county are proposed. By adopting the optimal strategies, the average ESI and net income could increase by 32% and 83%, respectively, and the average GHG emissions and Nr losses reduce by 33% and 35%, respectively. These findings provide an important reference for adopting different strategies to achieve environment-economy sustainability for smallholders production systems with diverse landscapes in North China and propose a transition pathway toward achieving agriculture sustainability for smallholders worldwide.