Comprehensive Evaluation of Cultivated Land Quality at County Scale: A Case Study of Shengzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.

Yongzhong Tan,Hang Chen,Zhenning Yu,Kuan Lian

doi:10.3390/ijerph17041169

Abstract

The existing evaluation system of cultivated land quality mainly considers the natural quality and utilisation conditions, but without sufficient emphasis on ecological environment, which can’t meet the requirements of the trinity pattern protection policy. This study, using GIS spatial analysis and multifactor comprehensive evaluation method, constructed a comprehensive evaluation index system, and applied it in Shengzhou. The results show that: (1) under the comprehensive evaluation system, the quality of cultivated land was classified into five levels and revealed normal distribution with the third level cultivated land area as the peak, successive reduction to the two poles, and the overall quality was good relatively; (2) A close relationship was observed between the quality grade of cultivated land and the landform, the valley plain with highest cultivated land quality was the main grain-producing areas. However, the cultivated land in mountainous areas was poor relatively, and vulnerable to geological disasters; (3) The quality grade of cultivated land was related to economical activities directly. The high-quality cultivated land resources made these towns the main grain-producing areas with many agricultural industries distribution. This study provided a new assessment approach that can support cultivated land grading, quality improvement, and sustainable usage, as well as providing a reference for related research and application.

Highlights

Cultivated land is the material basis for people to carry out agricultural production and plays an extremely important role in ensuring food security and stabilizing social order [1,2,3]
Zhejiang Province in 2016” [18], which assessed the cultivated land quality based on the fertility and quality, selected the landform, slope, soil texture, tillage layer thickness, PH, soil organic matter, environmental quality, selected the landform, slope, soil texture, tillage layer thickness, PH, soil irrigation guarantee rate and the degree of soil pollution as indicators to construct the evaluation organic matter, irrigation guarantee rate and the degree of soil pollution as indicators to construct the system
The comprehensive evaluation of cultivated land quality must consider the ecological factors [21,22], which can characterise the sustainability of cultivated land use in some ways

Summary

Introduction

Cultivated land is the material basis for people to carry out agricultural production and plays an extremely important role in ensuring food security and stabilizing social order [1,2,3]. In order to protect the red line of 120 million hectares of cultivated land, the Chinese government has to develop low-quality land. Environmental pollution and cultivated land reclamation have led to the degradation of the ecological environment. There is synergy between land degradation and two other major components of global environmental change (biodiversity and climate change). A comprehensive understanding of cultivated land quality will have co-benefits for climate change mitigation and adaptation, and biodiversity conservation, in addition to enhancing food security and sustainable livelihoods [9]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion