[Objective]In order to explore the sustainable food security level in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, ensure food security and sustainable development of agricultural modernization, it is necessary to establish a scientific food security evaluation system to safeguard local food security.[Methods]This paper takes the food system of the Yangtze River Economic Belt in China as the research object, based on the food security research results at home and abroad, based on sustainable development thinking, combined with a new perspective of dynamic equilibrium research: Beginning with food normalcy, a comprehensive analysis of food production, food economy, social development, ecological security, and technical support for sustainable development is presented using the entropy-weighted TOPSIS model to build a food security evaluation system for sustainable development. [Conclusion]After systematic analysis, it is concluded that (1) the average value of food security score of the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2008 to 2021 is 0.429, and the overall food in the Yangtze River Economic Belt is in general security level (0.400 ≤ Q1 ≤ 0.600), and the overall situation of food security is not optimistic, (2) from the segmentation of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the high and low level of food security are divided into sections: midstream > downstream > upstream, and each province and city is slowly rising to different degrees. In this way, we propose general countermeasures to ensure local food security from the perspective of sustainable development.

The following paper assesses the relationship between electricity consumption, economic growth, environmental pollution, and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) development in Kazakhstan. Using the structural equation method, the study analyzes panel data gathered across various regions of Kazakhstan between 2014 and 2022. The data were sourced from official records of the Bureau of National Statistics of Kazakhstan and include all regions of Kazakhstan. The chosen timeframe includes the period from 2014, which marked a significant drop in oil prices that impacted the overall economic situation in the country, to 2022. The main hypotheses of the study relate to the impact of electricity consumption on economic growth, ICT, and environmental sustainability, as well as ICT’s role in economic development and environmental impact. The results show electricity consumption’s positive effect on economic growth and ICT development while also revealing an increase in pollutant emissions (emissions of liquid and gaseous pollutants) with economic growth and electricity consumption. The development of ICT in Kazakhstan has been revealed to not have a direct effect on reducing pollutant emissions into the environment, raising important questions about how technology can be leveraged to mitigate environmental impact, whether current technological advancements are sufficient to address environmental challenges, and what specific measures are needed to enhance the environmental benefits of ICT. There is a clear necessity to integrate sustainable practices and technologies to achieve balanced development. These results offer important insights into the relationships among electricity consumption, technology, economic development, and environmental issues. They underscore the complexity and multidimensionality of these interactions and suggest directions for future research, especially in the context of finding sustainable solutions for balanced development.

The linkages between adequate service delivery and sustainable development have been given a little academic attention in the South Africa’s local municipalities. For this reason, the achievement of sustainable development has been difficult which has culminated in the occurrence of service delivery protests. These service delivery protests have posed critical threats to social security thus affecting the possibility to achieve sustainable development in South Africa. the paper findings showed that the delivery of inadequate services to the citizens is triggered by the failure to equally include citizens in the process. One of the threats that the paper found is the fact that these service delivery protests have become a major issue and any move to solve them without citizen participation has been unsuccessful. The paper findings also showed that that the lack of adequate service delivery to the citizens causes human insecurities which in turn affect the achievement of sustainable development. This is because the occurrence of the service delivery protests deteriorates national economic growth and human growth. They affect foreign investors and international tourists by instilling fear in them and yet they are contributors to sustainable economic growth that leads to sustainable development. The findings of this paper also presented that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies can increase citizen participation during service delivery. It is through the use of citizen participation that openness, transparency, accountability, and representation principles that promote the delivery of adequate services are possible. The paper found that using AI technologies would also foster trust between the service provider and service receiver needed for delivering adequate services, thus achieve sustainable development in South Africa.

This article is devoted to studying the principles of the relationship between democracy and demoethics as tools for transforming the sustainable development of society. The study is based on the assumption that the effective functioning of democracy is associated with such social phenomena as elections and electoral behavior. The study examined electoral behavior and surveyed members of society about the qualities of candidates to which they pay special attention. An analysis of qualitative and quantitative data demonstrating the democratic foundations of elections of members of society was conducted, and an analysis of the choice of voters in the extraordinary elections of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan by region was conducted. In this study, Bayesian network modeling is experimentally applied to formalize the problem of identifying and analyzing the behavior of virtuous personality traits. A sociological survey of public opinion was conducted using the questionnaire method with the participation of 826 people from all regions of Kazakhstan from May to June 2023. A questionnaire was used to collect data, the main purpose of which was to compare attitudes and find out what values are considered important for people, what norms of behavior are considered acceptable, and to understand what values and norms prevail in society. It is concluded that the concept of demoethics promotes a positive transformation of humanity and helps to form a new leader of virtue, a ruler of the city, capable of making ethical rational decisions that can ensure a balance between the economic, social, and environmental needs of humanity.

This study delves into the role of pig farming in advancing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8—Decent work and economic growth in Buffalo City, Eastern Cape. The absence of meaningful employment opportunities and genuine economic progress has remained a significant economic obstacle in South Africa for an extended period. Through a mixed-method approach, the study examines the transformative impact of pig farming as an economic avenue in achieving SDG 8. Through interviews and questionnaires with employed individuals engaged in pig farming in Buffalo City, the study further examines pig farming’s vital role as a source of decent work and economic growth. The study reveals inadequate government support and empowerment for pig farming in Buffalo City despite pig farming’s resilience and potential in mitigating socio-economic vulnerabilities and supporting community’s livelihoods. To enhance pig farming initiatives, this study recommends government’s prioritization of an enabling environment and empowerment measures for the thriving of pig farming in Buffalo City. By facilitating supportive policies and infrastructures, the government can empower locals in Buffalo City to leverage pig farming’s potential in achieving SDG 8.

The challenge of developing cadastral infrastructure in Africa is inextricably linked to the global issues of sustainable development. Indeed, in light of the constraints inherent to conventional cadastral systems, alternative systems developed through land regulation programmes (LRPs) are compelled to align with the tenets of sustainable development. A discursive study, conducted through a semisystematic literature review, enabled the selection of 53 documents on cadastral systems deployed in multiple countries across the African continent. A number of systems were identified and grouped into four categories: urban, rural, participatory and hybrid cadastral systems. These systems are developed on the basis of standards and sociotechnical approaches, including the LADM, STDM, and FFP, as well as innovative technologies such as blockchain. However, their sustainability is limited by the fact that they are not multipurpose cadastral systems. Consequently, there is an urgent need for studies to develop a global framework that will produce truly significant and sustainable results for all sections of society.