About the Journal | Agricultural & Rural Studies

1. Our Story

The world of scholarly publishing has been reshaped by a digital revolution, transitioning from print to hybrid models, and now, to a new era of open and accessible knowledge. It was within this shifting landscape that SCC PRESS was founded in early 2023, with a clear purpose: to launch Agricultural & Rural Studies (A&R)—an international Open Access journal dedicated to the interconnected fields of agriculture, rural development, and farmer welfare.

Our name reflects our commitment:

For the Scholar, By the Community, At the Center.

That is what SCC stands for.

Inspired by the words of Socrates— “The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new”—we are committed to creating meaningful connections among researchers, practitioners, and institutions worldwide. Together, we explore pressing issues within the “agriculture-rural-farmer” (sannong) nexus, guided by the principles of ecological civilization—harmonizing productivity, sustainability, and equity in ways that respect and restore our natural world.

By bridging disciplines and fostering global dialogue, A&R seeks to provide actionable knowledge that supports rural revitalization and advances the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This is more than a journal—it is an invitation to join a purposeful and connected scholarly community. Here, ideas converge, local insights inform global perspectives, and research leads to real-world impact.

We welcome you to be part of this journey: to contribute, to collaborate, and to help shape a more sustainable and equitable future—for the land, for rural communities, and for generations to come.

2. Core Journal Information

A&R is an exclusively digital, open-access journal dedicated to advancing interdisciplinary scholarship at the critical nexus of agricultural sustainability, rural revitalization, and farmer well-being. Published quarterly, A&R features a range of content types—including original research, reviews, perspectives, and commentaries—serving as a professional and innovative platform for rigorous academic dialogue and global knowledge dissemination.

(1) Journal title: Agricultural & Rural Studies

Parallel title: Agricultural and Rural Studies

ISO4 Abbreviated Title: Agric. & Rur. Stud.

(2) ISSN (Online): 2959-9784

(3) Editor-in-chief: Prof. Dr. Junbiao Zhang

Editor-in-chief’s Email: editor_in_chief@sccpress.com

(4) Publisher: SCC PRESS

Publisher’s address: Unit 811, Beverley Commercial Centre, 87-105 Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong S.A.R., China.

Publisher's organization number: 76972621-000

Publisher contact: Secretary, Rui Zhang, ruizhang@sccpress.com; Publicist, Dr Manolis E. Pagkalos, manolis@sccpress.com; phone: +852 54399069, fax: +852 54399069, https://www.sccpress3n.com.

(5) Journal sponsor: Rural Revitalization Academy of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A&F University.

Journal sponsor’s address: No. 252, Yijin Street, Lin'an District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, 311300, China.

Contact person for sponsor: Secretary, Associate Prof. Dr. Fuming Zhao

Contact person's email: zhaofuming@zafu.edu.cn, phone: +86(0)571 63732700, fax: +86(0)571 63732700, https://ccfd.zafu.edu.cn.

(6) Publication frequency: 4 issues/year (March, June, September, December).

(7) Article Processing Charge (APC) Policy: Supported by the Rural Revitalization Academy of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A&F University, A&R is APC-free for all articles published from 2023 to 2026 during its initial four-year funding period. Starting in 2027, the Article Publishing Charge (APC) will be set at USD 1,500 (excluding taxes). A&R automatically grants full APC waivers for article if all authors are based in Group A Research4Life status. For authors from Group B Research4Life status, a 50% APC discount is applied. Authors from non-Research4Life countries may request an APC waiver on a case-by-case basis if they can demonstrate significant financial difficulty (e.g., due to absent research funding), provided that they contact the Editorial Office to apply before submission.

3. Aims and Scope

Bridging disciplines such as economics, sociology, and human geography, A&R is a double-blind peer-reviewed international journal that fosters high-impact research connecting theoretical innovation with empirical depth, ultimately supporting evidence-based solutions for sustainable and equitable futures in agriculture and rural communities worldwide.

Aims

A&R seeks to:

Foster critical dialogue on contemporary challenges and opportunities in agriculture and rural contexts, from local to global scales.
Promote methodologically robust research—encompassing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches—that generates actionable insights for academia, policymakers, and practitioners.
Highlight interdisciplinary perspectives to address complex issues at the intersection of agrarian systems, rural societies, and policy frameworks.
Amplify diverse voices, ensuring representation of marginalized regions, communities, and stakeholders in scholarly discourse.

Scope

A&R prioritizes, but is not confined to, research that engages with the following thematic areas:

Agricultural Systems & Sustainability: Studies on sustainable farming practices, agroecology, climate resilience, and the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of agricultural production and food systems.
Rural Development & Livelihoods: Analyses of rural economic transformations, poverty alleviation strategies, rural-urban linkages, and the socio-cultural dynamics of rural communities.
Farmer Well-being & Equity: Investigations into farmer agency, gender and social inclusion, labor dynamics, and the impacts of policies on rural households and vulnerable groups.
AI Innovation & Technology: Research on smart agriculture, precision farming, rural e-commerce, and the socio-institutional implications of AI tools for agricultural and rural development.
Policy & Governance: Evaluations of agricultural and rural policy frameworks, institutional arrangements, and regulatory mechanisms, with attention to their effectiveness, equity, and adaptability across contexts.
Emergent Challenges & Opportunities: Explorations of transformative trends—from biotechnological advancements to climate adaptation—to understand their potential to reshape agricultural and rural futures.

A&R prioritizes empirical research that connects localized insights to broader theoretical or policy debates, as well as critical reviews, case studies, and methodological innovations. All submissions undergo rigorous peer review to ensure scholarly excellence, relevance, and clarity. By bridging discipline boundaries and fostering global dialogue, A&R aims to be a cornerstone of interdisciplinary scholarship in agricultural and rural studies.

4. Metrics & Indexing

All articles are assigned a unique DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and registered with Crossref.

A&R is indexed and searchable in databases including but not limited to , , , , , , , and .

Statistics

Download statistics are available for all users on article landing pages.

5. Copyright & Archiving Policy

A&R aims to help authors achieve a top level of openness with their research and support them in meeting the OA requirements of their research funders and institutions. A&R publishes OA, digital articles under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), of which CC BY 4.0 is the most recent version, was developed to facilitate OA as defined in the founding documents of the movement, such as the 2003 Berlin Declaration. Under this license, authors retain the copyright and full publishing rights without restrictions, and they agree to make their original works completely available and free to use, copy and redistribute in all formats without permission as long as the authors and the original source are properly cited.

A&R openly supports Open Access in academic publications and has aligned itself with the I4OC to facilitate the circulation of scholarly citation data.

In alignment with the spirit of the Open Access license, the A&R's repository policy allows the author(s) to deposit the published version to any repository (institutional, personal or otherwise) they wish, as well as share and upload their work accordingly.

To ensure long-term preservation and accessibility, A&R archives all published issues via LOCKSS and the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN). The PKP PN provides free, decentralized, and secure preservation of Open Access journals, ensuring that A&R’s content remains accessible even in the event of technical failures or discontinuation of the journal website. All articles published in A&R are automatically preserved in the PKP PN through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform.

6. Advertising policy

A&R accepts non-commercial advertisements that align with its focus on agricultural research, rural development, and interdisciplinary scholarship. Permissible ads include, but are not limited to:

Calls for papers, special issues, or conference proceedings.
Announcements of academic conferences, workshops, seminars, or training programs relevant to agriculture or rural studies.
Promotions for scholarly services (e.g., peer-review support, research dissemination platforms).

Exclusion: Commercial advertisements for consumer goods, unrelated industries, or for-profit services not directly tied to academic or rural development goals are not permitted.

To ensure clarity for readers, all advertisements will be:

Clearly Labeled: Marked as “ADVERTISEMENT” or “SPONSORED CONTENT” using consistent, prominent formatting (e.g., bold headers).
Visually Separated: Physically distinct from editorial content (e.g., separated by dividers, placed in dedicated ad sections) to avoid confusion.
Placed Strategically: Distributed across A&R’s website, email newsletters, or digital issues, but never embedded within or adjacent to articles in a way that could imply endorsement of the advertised content by A&R or its authors.

All advertising content is independent of editorial decisions. A&R maintains a strict separation between advertising and peer-reviewed content. Advertisements will not influence editorial processes, manuscript decisions, or the scientific integrity of published articles.

Complaints or concerns about advertising can be submitted to editor_in_chief@sccpress.com. A&R will respond promptly and may revise or remove advertising as necessary to maintain compliance with its policies.

7. Journal Culture

(1) Vision

To Be a Leading Academic Journal at the Nexus of Agricultural Sustainability, Rural Revitalization & Farmer Well-Being.

(2) Mission

To ordain conscience for Heaven and Earth; to secure life and fortune for the people; to continue lost teachings for past sages; to establish peace for all future generations.

— Zai Zhang (Hengqu), Philosopher (1020–1077 CE) | "The Four Principles of Hengqu": 为天地立心, 为生民立命, 为往圣继绝学, 为万世开太平

(3) Core Values | GITO Compass

Global – Fostering inclusive dialogue across cultures, languages, and geographies, enabling knowledge to flow without borders.
Impact-Driven – Focusing on real-world challenges, prioritizing research that delivers tangible societal value.
Trustworthy – Upholding integrity through rigorous standards and transparent practices, safeguarding every trust placed in us.
Open – Democratizing knowledge through CC BY 4.0 licensing, ensuring free dissemination and reuse.