Valuation and Sustainable Development Strategies of Traditional Agricultural Heritage Systems from the Perspective of Production–Living–Ecology Coordination: A Case of Xinghua Duotian, China

Traditional agricultural heritage, represented Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems by GIAHS, constitutes a valuable asset of human agricultural wisdom and serves as a paradigm for sustainable development of modern agriculture. However, under the dual pressures of urbanization and rural transformation, their conservation and utilization face severe challenges, including the weakening of productive functions and the decline of community motivation. From the perspective of “Production–Living–Ecology” (PLE) coordinated development, this research aims to construct a scientific value evaluation and sustainable development strategies analysis framework for the living conservation of agricultural heritages. Taking the Xinghua Duotian heritage site in China as the research object, this study addresses the limitations of existing evaluation systems, which tend to emphasize static inventories while neglecting the internal coupling relationships within the system. Utilizing the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation (FCE) method, combined with empirical survey data from multiple stakeholders, this study quantitatively measures the comprehensive values of Xinghua Duotian agricultural heritage system. The results indicate that Xinghua Duotian agricultural heritage system has evolved into a unique, deeply integrated “water–field–human” system, characterized by exceptional ecological resilience and land-use wisdom. In terms of value weighting, the Ecological Function (0.54) serves as the systemic foundation. Through traditional “clean production” practices such as “dredging mud and retting manure,” it supports the uniqueness of the Production Function (0.25), which ultimately translates into the cultural landscape premium of the Living Function (0.21). Regarding specific evaluation scores, indicators such as characteristic agricultural and fishery products, land development and maintenance techniques, transportation modes, flood regulation and storage, and water resource conservation and purification are currently ranked at the “Moderate” level. Based on these quantitative value assessment results, this study proposes strategies including unlocking the potential of the tertiary aspects of Production–Living–Ecology, advancing the integrated development of the three industries, and strengthening ecological conservation. These strategies aim to facilitate the sustainable development of the Xinghua Duotian agricultural heritage system and provide a reference for the conservation and utilization of other agricultural heritage sites.