Analysis on the Change of Arable Land Area and its Driving Force in Hefei City

Abstract

In recent years, the decrease of total arable land area and the area per capita of available arable land resource are serious problems in China. These problems will become more serious with the development of economy. In this paper, based on the statistical data of cultivated land in Hefei city from 1998 to 2009, their driving forces of the cultivated land change were analyzed by means of principal component analysis. The results showed the changing trends. The total and per capita of cultivated land were declining, but the speed of change was not the same. The sharp decrease was occurred in the period of 2002-2005. Nine affecting factors having influenced on cultivated land change which were analyzed by principal component analysis. The results show that population growth, economic development and efficiency of agricultural production were main driving forces affecting cultivated land change in Hefei city.