Evaluation of Cultivated Land Quality in Semiarid Sandy Areas: A Case Study of the Horqin Zuoyihou Banner

Abstract

Objective: The evaluation of cultivated land quality from the regional perspective and the clear level and change in cultivated land quality in the whole region can better guide the construction of cultivated land quality, carry out scientific optimization allocation, improve grain production capacity, and promote the sustainable use of cultivated land. Research methods: The utilization of local resources and natural conditions were comprehensively considered, and the evaluation was carried out from the four dimensions of ecology, quantity, spatial structure and scale to comprehensively reflect the level of regional cultivated land utilization. Results: (1) The cultivated land quality level of the Horqin Zuoyihou Banner is low, and the pressure of regional water resources is great. Some cultivated land is located in the area with poor natural conditions, and there are many thin and narrow cultivated areas of land. The area of cultivated land that can be carried by regional water resources under current irrigation is 184,492.17 hm2, and that under water-saving irrigation is 259,703.72 hm2, which are lower than the current cultivated land areas. (2) During the study period, the total amount and spatial distribution of cultivated land changed greatly, and there were good natural conditions and utilization conditions of newly added cultivated land, but the quality of cultivated land from the regional perspective showed a downward trend. The dynamic attitude of cultivated land change was 0.99%. (3) According to the evaluation results, the cultivated land was divided into the following four categories: priority protection type, optimization and coordination type, gradual conversion type and priority conversion type, which accounted for 34.18%, 30.59%, 28.83% and 6.40% of the total cultivated land area, respectively. Conclusions: There is a sharp contradiction between the supply and demand of water resources, and the quality of cultivated land in the region is low and shows a downward trend, which is not conducive to the sustainable use of regional land resources. In this regard, the Horqin Zuoyihou Banner should actively curb the growth of cultivated land, develop water-saving irrigation processes, strengthen ecological environment protection, and systematically optimize the layout of cultivated land on the premise of ensuring ecological security according to the actual conditions of different regions.