An integrated accounting system of quantity, quality and value for assessing cultivated land resource assets: A case study in Xinjiang, China

Identifying the Spatial–Temporal Pattern of Cropland’s Non-Grain Production and Its Effects on Food Security in China

Non-grain production of cropland (NGPCL) is a common phenomenon in the process of rapid urbanization in order to meet the diversified food demand and prosperity of the rural economy. However, excessive NGPCL will threaten grain production. How to control the moderate development of NGPCL in order to achieve the balance between food security and rural development has become a salient issue. In this study, we constructed a framework to measure NGPCL, revealed the spatial–temporal pattern of NGPCL, and then analyzed its influencing factors from the perspective of the human–land relationship. The results indicate that, firstly, the overall degree of NGPCL in China experienced an increase from 0.44 to 0.51, while the gap among cities was consistently enlarging, with the range value increasing from 0.74 to 0.91. Secondly, the spatial pattern of NGPCL was high in the northwest and southeast, and low in the northeast and central regions. The southern economic developed area exhibited the highest increase, while the Inner Mongolia, northwest China, and traditional agricultural areas experienced a decreasing trend in NGPCL. Thirdly, the spatial agglomeration of NGPCL has been intensified, with the Gansu–Xinjiang Desert plateau, southeast coastal economic belt, and urban agglomeration areas exhibiting a “high–high” agglomeration, while the traditional agricultural areas exhibited “low–low” agglomeration. Fourthly, NGPCL is positively correlated with the urbanization rate, land fragmentation, landscape diversity, land price, and grain production policy, while it is negatively linked with the agricultural employment rate, agricultural machinery level, and cultivated land per capita. The findings of this research are not only deepen the understanding of NGPCL, but are also of great significance for policy makers in order to propose targeted control measures.

Transformation of farmland use and driving mechanism in Xinjiang since China’s Western Development Policy

Since the implementation of China’s Western Development Policy, Xinjiang has experienced rapid socio-economic development and significant changes in its land use patterns. As an important factor in agricultural production, farmland is of crucial for realizing the rural revitalization strategy. Based the theoretical mechanisms of farmland use transformation, this study selected five periods of land use and socioeconomic data from 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2018 to study the spatial and temporal evolutionary characteristics of farmland use transformation in Xinjiang since China’s Western Development Policy. We then explored the driving mechanisms using an optimal geographic detector model based on parameters. The results showed that (1) Xinjiang’s farmland use transitioned toward large scale and multifunctionality, and the transition characteristics are mainly of fluctuating growth type. The spatial transformation and functional transformation characteristics were generally consistent in spatial distribution. (2) There was a spatial agglomeration in the transformation, which was concentrated in the economic zone of the northern slope of Tianshan Mountain, the Yili River Valley and Kashgar region. The concentration of functional transformation of farmland has increased, but the spatial transformation of farmland has weakened. (3) The role of influencing factors on the transformation of farmland use differed with periods. Finally, the study concluded that the functional transformation of farmland in Xinjiang since China’s Western Development Policy is still at the stage of mainly production function. We suggest that the protection of farmland in Xinjiang in the New Western Development period should be achieved by promoting the transformation of the function of farmland. The findings of this study provide decision-making assistance for the management of farmland use in Xinjiang during the New Western Development period and are an effective tool for achieving the goals of sustainable farmland use and agricultural and rural modernization.

Spatiotemporal Evolution of Non-Grain Production of Cultivated Land and Its Underlying Factors in China

Food security is the foundation of development. We comprehensively characterized the spatiotemporal patterns of non-grain production (NGP) areas in China and elucidated the underlying factors driving NGP. Our objectives were to map NGP on cultivated land (NGPCL) in China, and to quantify its spatiotemporal patterns, to investigate the factors underlying NGP spatial differentiation, and to provide a scientific basis for developing NGP management policies and reference points for protecting cultivated land in other countries. We mapped NGPCL in China from 2000 to 2018 using remote sensing and geographic information system data. The spatiotemporal evolution of the NGP rate (NGPR) was also investigated. The dominant factors driving NGP progression and associated interactions were identified using geographic detectors. From 2000 to 2018, the NGPR gradually decreased from 63.02% to 52.82%. NGPR was high in the west and low in the east, and its spatial differentiation and clustering patterns were statistically significant. Precipitation, temperature, altitude, and soil carbon content were the dominant factors affecting the spatial differentiation in NGPR. The interaction between these factors enhanced the spatial differentiation.

Land Use Change under Population Migration and Its Implications for Human–Land Relationship

With the rural-to-urban population migration under the new era of rapid urbanization, China has experienced dramatic rural land change, especially the change in cultivated land and rural residential land, resulting in the serious uncoordinated human–land relationships in rural areas. The efficient use of these two kinds of land resources becomes one of the paramount challenges for governments to achieve sustainable and balanced rural development. This challenge highlights the need for quantifying the formation mechanism of the relationship between cultivated land and rural residential land (RCR) and exploring the corresponding relation between human–land relationships with RCR to guide the high-efficiency rural land use structure and coordinated development of human–land relationships. This study aims to quantitatively characterize the matching modes of RCR and the underlying formation mechanism via a grid-based, integrated decoupling model and multiclass explainable boosting machine analysis method. The findings are as follows: (1) The variation in cultivated land and rural residential land is characterized by quantity match and spatial mismatch. The six matching modes of RCR are strong decoupling (SD) (33.36%), weak decoupling (9.86%), recessive decoupling (4.15%), expansive negative decoupling (15.05%), weak negative decoupling (4.92%), and strong negative decoupling (SND) (18.65%). (2) Average grain product per cultivated land and population variation have the highest relative importance and play the greatest role in determining the type of matching modes. A concomitant phenomenon is noted in the matching modes; that is, SD occurs with recessive decoupling and weak negative decoupling, and the weak decoupling and expansive negative decoupling occur with SND in the same conditions. (3) A significant corresponding relationship exists between the matching modes and human–land relationship, indicating that the six matching modes correspond to four different stages of the human–land relationship. The study could provide some decision-making guidance for sustainable rural development, so as to improve the differentiated land management and regional response strategies.