Climate Change Adaptation Strategies of Diverse Agricultural Operating Entities: Evidence from the Perspective of Just Transition

China’s agriculture is characterized by “Big Country and Small Farmers”, and different agricultural operating entities face significant climate risks. Exploring climate change adaptation practices centered on agricultural operating entities is crucial for identifying equitable and sustainable climate change response strategies in the agricultural sector. This study conducts a comparative case analysis focusing on traditional small-scale farmers, large-scale agricultural cooperatives, and moderately scaled agricultural enterprises under the framework of just transition. The findings reveal that traditional smallholders actively adapt to climate change by transforming their livelihoods while adhering to the “moral economy” of land. Large-scale agricultural cooperatives can play a leading role in promoting planned adaptation technologies. Moderately scaled agricultural enterprises employ market-oriented approaches to implementing refined and incremental climate adaptation, demonstrating advantages in investing in climate-smart agricultural technologies, albeit at high adaptation costs. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the underlying logic behind the climate adaptation behaviors of different agricultural production and management entities, offering scientific support for enhancing the climate change adaptation capacity of agricultural operators and strengthening agricultural climate resilience from the perspective of just transition.