Farmland Area Research Articles

Coupling management ecosystem service supply-supply trade-offs and supply–demand trade-offs: Framework and practice

Ecosystem services (ESs) are the bridge between ecosystem and social system, and how to effectively manage different types of ES trade-offs is the key barrier to ensure that ecosystems provide sustainable benefits for human beings. The objective of this study is to propose a theoretical and methodological framework for the coupled management of ES supply-supply trade-offs and demand-demand trade-offs and to propose an ES trade-offs management scheme for the study area (Jiangxi Province) according to this framework. In this study, we evaluated the provision of ES and the intensity of two types of ES trade-offs in the study area through InVest model, and explored the driving mechanism of the two types of ES trade-offs through redundancy analysis. Finally, we proposed a land use structure in the study area that alleviates the intensity of both types of ES trade-offs through multi-objective nonlinear programming. The results showed that: (1) the water yield service supply in Jiangxi Province showed a pattern of high in the north and low in the south, and the carbon sequestration service supply showed a pattern of high in the south and low in the north. (2) The supply-supply trade-off intensity of two ES is generally low in the north and high in the south, and the supply–demand trade-off intensity of water yield service and carbon sequestration service is basically high in the densely populated area in the north of Jiangxi. (3) Forestland area, farmland area and water area are the supply–demand trade-off driving forces of water yield service and carbon sequestration service, grassland area is an independent driving force of carbon sequestration service, and farmland area and cultivated land area are the supply-supply trade-off driving forces. The study shows that in order to achieve the lowest supply-supply trade-off intensity and supply–demand trade-off intensity in Jiangxi Province at the same time, the forestland should reach at least 104470 km2, the water area should reach 12,900.7 km2, the farmland area should reach 281333.3 km2, and the grassland area should increase to 15,457.9 km2. The results are expected to provide a new perspective for ecosystem management research.

Physicochemical Analysis and Pollution Indices for Heavy Metal Assessment in Flooded and Non-flooded Soils of Obunagha, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Soil samples from flood affected areas and non-affected areas of different farmlands in Obunagha, Bayelsa State, Nigeria; were collected for this study. The study was conducted to evaluate the physicochemical properties, and pollution indices of flooded and non-flooded farmlands to see if the flood had any effect in the fertility state of these soils. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) was used to identify and quantify the several heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, and Zn) that were discovered in the collected soil samples. The findings indicated increased acidity since the pH of the soil varied between 4.8 and 5.7 in farmlands that were flooded and between 4.9 and 5.7 in farmlands that were not. In flooded areas, electrical conductivity ranged from 0.2x101 to 4x101 µS/cm, while in non-flooded areas, it was between 0.2x101 and 2x101 µS/cm. The cation exchange capacity in flooded farmlands was 0.16 to 0.24 meq/100 g, while in non-flooded farmlands it was 0.18 to 0.22 meq/100 g. Variations in metal contamination were found in different farming situations based on the contamination factor (CF) analysis. Chromium CF values ranged from 0.3 to 0.8 in both flooded and non-flooded farmlands, with certain non-flooded farmlands having slightly higher values. Cadmium contamination in flooded farmlands was much higher (25.5 to 43.7 CF) than in non-flooded farmlands (20.0 to 32.0 CF). Nickel contamination levels were from 0.7 to 1.1 in flooded farmlands and 0.5 to 0.8 in non-flooded farmlands, suggesting moderate pollution. Zinc contamination was consistently low throughout all circumstances, with CF values ranging from 0.2 to 0.4. According to the contamination factor average, Cd was followed by Ni, Cr, and Zn in decreasing order. The ecological pollution degree for the study area was low indicating no possible pollution by all the heavy metals. In conclusion, the study area is significantly contaminated with cadmium. Therefore, we urgently recommend monitoring the soil in the surrounding farmlands, particularly for cadmium, to prevent a potential environmental crisis.

Factors influencing farmers' preference for farmland consolidation in Nepal: Evidence from randomized conjoint experiment

CONTEXTIncreasing fragmentation of farmland remains a critical agriculture development challenge around the world, specifically in developing countries. Farmland consolidation is one of the most efficient policy instruments, extensively implemented across the world, to deal with the critical issues in agriculture sector associated with farmland fragmentation. Despite this prospect there is a vast gap in literature exploring factors influencing farmers' preference for farmland consolidation in developing countries like Nepal. OBJECTIVEThis research aims to identify the factors influencing farmers' preference for farmland consolidation through a randomized conjoint experiment. METHODSFor a randomized conjoint experiment, five attributes related to farmland consolidation, i.e., methods of consolidation, development of roads and irrigation, the expected increase in agricultural income, minimum area of farmland for consolidation, and provision of service, with 3–4 levels were identified through literature review, expert consultation, and pretesting. The average marginal component effects of each randomly assigned attribute's levels are estimated. Respondents' willingness to accept farmland consolidation is also assessed based on the choice led by the expected increase in agricultural income. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSSixty-five percent of respondent farmers preferred the alternative policy to consolidate farmland over the status quo. The expected increase in income and the development of roads and irrigation through a joint effort of the government and farmers influence farmers' preference for farmland consolidation positively. In contrast, farmers' preference for farmland consolidation is negatively affected by a bigger area of farmland consolidation. The method of farmland consolidation and provision of service does not have a significant impact on farmers' preference for farmland consolidation. Respondent farmers are willing to accept a yearly increase of USD 362 per hectare to consolidate their farmland. SIGNIFICANCEThis paper suggests any policy targeted for farmland consolidation to focus on ensuring the increased income for the participant farmers mainly through shared effort to develop a connection road and irrigation infrastructure contributing to efficient production practices in the consolidated farmland. The farmers would consolidate their land if their yearly farm income increased by USD 362. Since majority of Nepali farmers are smallholding farmers, they would not prefer the larger size for farmland consolidation as it involves many farmers or require high capital to procure land through buying/selling of land. These policy implications could be extended to other developing countries which are experiencing increasing farmland fragmentation and having the similar socioeconomic context.

Photosynthesis and stress response of coal fly ash on stem elongation in wheat.

Coal is one of the primary energy sources in China and is widely used for electricity generation. Crops growing in overlapped areas of farmland and coal resources (OAFCR) suffer from coal fly ash stress, especially during stem elongation, which is a key stage that impacts wheat yield and is sensitive to environmental stress. As a primary food crop of China, wheat is essential for food security. However, the characteristics of wheat under the combined stress of fly ash and various heavy metals have not been sufficiently investigated. In this study, we explored the response of stem elongation in wheat to different levels of coal fly ash stress and determined the content of heavy metals (HMs) in wheat leaves. We found that with an increase in fly ash content, the Cu content in the shoots increased, while that in the roots decreased. Coal fly ash exposure reduced the proportions of Pb and Zn in the cytoderm, and the proportion of Cu in the soluble constituents decreased from 58.3% to 45.7%. Total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a, and chlorophyll b levels decreased significantly, whereas peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities generally increased with increasing fly ash dose. Meanwhile, chloroplasts, mitochondria, and their internal structures were damaged, and the cell structures of leaves, such as the internal membrane structure, were damaged.

SPATIAL EVOLUTION OF ORGANIC FARMLAND IN POLAND

The main aim of the study was to determine changes in the concentration degree of organic farmland at the regional level in Poland. Spatial aspects were considered using absolute shares determining the interregional distribution of the analysed features and the location quotient (LQ) measuring the degree of regional specialization against the national background. The study utilized secondary source material from the Inspection of Commercial Quality of Agricultural and Food Products and Statistics Poland. It was found that the area of organic farmland undergoes continuous evolution, both at the national and regional levels. Considering the size of organic farmland, it was noted that there was a systematic increase from 2004 to 2013, followed by a decrease until 2018. Similar trends, although with varying intensities, were observed at the regional level. The leaders in terms of organic farmland area in both 2014 and 2021 were Zachodniopomorskie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie voivodeships. In analyses concerning the area of farmland allocated for selected organic crops, these voivodeships dominated in all types except for orchard and berry crops, which were most prevalent in Mazowieckie, Lubelskie, and Podkarpackie voivodeships. Based on the calculation using the location quotient, it was found that the highest spatial concentration of organic farmland was in the Lubuskie, Podlaskie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie, and Zachodniopomorskie voivodeships, and no significant changes occurred in this regard from 2014 to 2020.

Water purification – an essential service from forest ecosystems, and farming practices in the Pong River Basin, Northeast Thailand

Deforestation often results in biodiversity depletion, land degradation, and loss of forest ecosystem services such as water purification. This research examined the relationship between natural forest areas in the Pong River Basin (PRB), northeast Thailand, and water quality in the Pong River system, one of the country's most polluted rivers. Water parameters were measured in 15 tributaries where samples were collected 500 m upstream from the outlets, and 2–5 m from the streambanks during summer, rainy, and winter seasons in 2021. Land use and land cover (LULC) were classified by a supervised classification method in QGIS using LANDSAT8 satellite imagery and USGS SRTM data. Vegetative surveys were conducted near the sampling locations which included species richness and density. Water characteristics at all the sites were under Thailand's Water Quality Standard, except a level of biological oxygen demand (avg. BOD = 3.52 mg/L). The upper PRB, covered with more forested areas with higher tree densities along streambanks (∼43 % of the basin, 619 trees/ha), revealed better water quality including a higher concentration of dissolved oxygen (avg. DO = 7.57 mg/L) and a lower level of fecal coliform bacteria (avg. FCB = 642 MPN/100 mL). In contrast, the lower PRB having larger areas of farmlands and smaller forests (∼63 % and 23 %, respectively) yielded higher concentrations of FCB (avg. = 1,353 MPN/100 mL) and phosphates (avg. PO43- = 0.34 mg/L). Positive correlations were found between the amount of forestlands (% of the sub-basin) with DO and nitrate concentrations (r = 0.468 and 0.409, p-value < 0.05, respectively), while agricultural areas were correlated with FCB (r = 0.414, p-value < 0.05). Amounts of forests determine water purity, while farmlands denoting dirtiness. These findings show that water purification is an essential forest ecosystem service, critical for stream health.

Study of Optimizing Swamp Lands in the Context of Socio-Economic Empowerment of Communities in Barito Kuala Regency, South Kalimantan

Abstract Optimizing agricultural swamp land had a positive impact on the socio-economic empowerment of the community in Barito Kuala Regency, South Kalimantan. The research was conducted from March to November 2022. This research was a descriptive study, that used the method of collecting data using an investigative survey. Data analysis carried out investigations of sharecroppers, mapping and situation surveys, surveys of land use conditions, and investigations of land tenure status. The results of the study stated that the impact of the Swamp Land Optimization program on Community Socio-Economic Empowerment, namely contributing to farmers having their rice farming land area, strengthening the structure of farmers’ income sourced from on-farm activities, and farmers being able to meet their own needs. Some of the obstacles that were still experienced by farmers are the lack of water sources to irrigate paddy fields, the condition of damaged road infrastructure, low production yields, infertile agricultural land, pests and plant diseases, and others. Advice for policymakers is to maintain the sustainability of swampland optimization activities because it provides optimal assistance to farmers in rice farming in swampland.

Analysis of spatial patterns and influencing factors of farmland transfer in China based on ESDA-GeoDetector

Farmland transfer is a critical component in facilitating agricultural scale management and improving agricultural production efficiency. This study examines the spatial distribution of farmland transfer in China and identifies the factors influencing it, offering valuable guidance for advancing China’s farmland transfer practices. Through the application of mathematical statistics and GIS spatial analysis, the study investigates changes in spatial patterns related to the scale, rate, mode, and recipients of farmland transfer across China's 30 provinces from 2015 to 2020. Geographical detectors are also employed to identify the key factors influencing the extent and pace of farmland transfer. The study reveals that between 2015 and 2020, China's farmland transfer area increased from 29,789 to 37,638 million hectares. Provinces with abundant farmland resources generally experienced larger farmland transfers, while economically developed regions and major grain-producing areas saw higher rates of farmland transfers. The predominant mode of farmland transfer in China was leasing (subcontracting), accounting for over 80% of the total transferred area. Large-scale grain growers and family farms were significant participants in farmland transfers, acquiring approximately 60.1% of the transferred lands, followed by professional cooperatives (21.5%), enterprises (10.4%), and other entities (7.9%). Key factors influencing the farmland transfer area include the "regional farmland area", the "proportion of family farms supported by loans", and the "proportion of non-agricultural population", with explanatory powers of 0.663, 0.319, and 0.225, respectively. Notably, there is a substantial interaction between the "regional farmland area" and factors such as the "proportion of family farms supported by loans" and the "grain yield per unit area", with explanatory powers reaching 0.957 and 0.901, respectively. These findings offer valuable insights for promoting farmland transfer in agriculturally rich regions. Factors affecting the farmland transfer rate include "grain yield per unit area", "GDP per capita", and the "proportion of non-agricultural population", each with an explanatory power above 0.500. Moreover, their interactive explanatory powers with other indicators exceed 0.600, indicating that provinces with high agricultural productivity or economic development levels are more likely to undergo farmland transfer. The paper concludes by proposing strategies and recommendations to promote farmland transfer in both "large agricultural areas" and "metropolitan suburbs."

Does off-farm work induce farmland abandonment? Evidence from China

PurposeThis study investigates whether, how and under what circumstances off-farm work induces farmland abandonment, which is of great importance for developing countries to cope with food security.Design/methodology/approachExploiting large-scale panel data from the newly released Chinese Family Database, this study employs a two-way fixed effects model to empirically estimate the causal relationship between off-farm work and farmland abandonment.FindingsIn the context of large-scale labor migration in rural China, current off-farm work leads to an increase in the probability and area of farmland abandoned due to insufficient agricultural labor. However, off-farm work does not harm farm households in plain areas, or villages with land rental markets, abundant agricultural labor, and agricultural machinery, while it harms others. Moreover, farmers who work off-farm in the local area are less likely to abandon their farmland than those in other areas. Additionally, when the number of off-farm workers in a household exceeds two, the probability and area of farmland abandonment will miraculously decline, as the household will no longer live entirely on agriculture.Originality/valueThis study may fill the gap in clarifying the relationship between off-farm work and farmland abandonment, and identify scenarios where off-farm work may not cause farmland abandonment through multiple dimensions, providing insights into the governance of farmland abandonment during rural-urban transformation in developing countries.

Development and Application of a New Open-Source Integrated Surface–Subsurface Flow Model in Plain Farmland

Accurately characterizing rainfall runoff processes in plain farmland, especially at the plot scale with significant micro-topographic features, has presented challenges. Integrated surface–subsurface flow models with high-precision surface flow modules are appropriate tools, yet open-source versions are rare. To address this gap, we proposed an open-source integrated surface–subsurface flow model called the FullSWOF-Plain model, in which the one-dimensional subsurface module Hydrus-1D was integrated with a modified two-dimensional surface water flow module (FullSWOF-2D) using the sequential head method. Various experimental scenarios were simulated to validate the model’s performance, including two outflow cases (i.e., 1D and 2D) without infiltration, a classical one-dimensional infiltration case, and two typical rainfall events at the experimental field. The results demonstrate the accuracy of this proposed model, with the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) of the simulated discharge exceeding 0.90 in the experimental field case and the root mean squared error (RMSE) values for soil moisture at five depths consistently below 0.03 cm3/cm3. However, we observed a lag in the simulated response time of soil moisture due to the neglect of preferential flow. The micro-topography significantly influenced ponding time and ponding areas. Lower local terrain normally experienced earlier surface ponding. Scattered surface ponding water first occurred in the ditch and followed in the relatively low areas in the main field. The concentration process of surface runoff exhibited hierarchical characteristics, with the drainage ditch contributing the most discharge initially, followed by the connection of scattered puddles in the main field, draining excess surface water to the ditch through rills. This quantitative study sheds light on the impact of micro-topography on surface runoff in plain farmland areas.

Negative Effect of Soil Compaction and Investigation of Its Relation with Soil Physiochemical Properties in Mechanization Farming System

The primary source of soil compaction is weight bearing down on the soil, which occurs frequently on agricultural land due to foot movement, livestock tramples, or the heavy weight of farm equipment. The primary cause of significant soil compaction is the driving of heavy machinery over moist soils. In this paper, the negative side of soil compaction and its influence on soil physical and chemical characteristics at the Awash Melkassa farm field located in Ethiopia were investigated. Compaction of soil test was taken at three different depths which are 10 cm, 20 cm, and 30 cm with the help of a hydraulically operated cone penetrometer integrated into the tractor. The three depths were expanded into 15 sample locations (designated as point A to point O) to collect 35 data points on soil compaction using a hydraulic-powered Spot-on digital soil cone penetrometer across a 0.6-hectare farmland area. A correlation analysis was conducted on the 15 sample points (A to O) to assess soil compaction in the field. In addition, soil samples were collected from specific farm locations at depths ranging from 0 to 10 cm, 10–20 cm, and 20–30 cm for subsequent physical and chemical tests in the laboratory. During the harvesting season, sample location A exhibited the highest soil compaction values, reaching 6,159 kPa, while the lowest values were observed at sample point F, measuring 327 kPa. For the seeding season, the sample point B showed the highest soil compaction values at 6,052 kPa, while the lowest values were recorded at sample point K, measuring 563 kPa. Moreover, the data indicates a consistent increase in soil compaction with depth during both experimental seasons. The laboratory test for soil texture revealed that the soil composition was classified as a clay loam, consisting of 36.7% sand, 30.3% clay, and 33% silt. The moisture content ranged from a high of 16.04% to a low of 13.97%. In addition, it was observed that total organic carbon, organic matter, and total nitrogen levels tend to rise with increased soil compaction, and conversely, decrease as soil compaction decreases. This study’s insights are invaluable for agricultural mechanization. Given the substantial weight of farm machinery, comprehending soil properties and their correlation with compaction rates is imperative for optimizing farming practices.

Spatial-Temporal Process of Land Use/Land Cover and Desertification in the Circum-Tarim Basin during 1990–2020

The problem of desertification in the Tarim Basin, an area with a unique geography and climatic conditions, has received extensive research attention not only in China but also around the world. Between natural factors and human activities, the latter are considered the main cause of desertification, with the excessive use of land resources accelerating its risk. This study classified the degree of desertification into five types, no, light, moderate, severe, and extremely severe desertification, and focused on the spatio-temporal changes in LULC, desertification development, and their relationship in the Circum-Tarim Basin during the period of 1990–2020, and the results indicated the following. (1) Over the 30-year study period, farmland development was frequent in the basin. The total farmland area increased significantly by 1.40 × 104 km2, which resulted from the occupation of grassland (mainly low-covered and medium-covered grassland) and unused land (mainly saline–alkali land). (2) There was a general alleviation of the effects of desertification, but also local deterioration. The area of no-desertification land has significantly increased (an increase of 2.10 × 104 km2), and the degree of desertification has shifted significantly to adjacent lighter degrees, but the area of extremely severe desertification in certain regions has increased (an increase of 7.89 × 104 km2). (3) There was an inseparable relationship between LULC and desertification. Oasisization and desertification were two processes that interacted and were interrelated. There was an approximately 54.42% increase in no-desertification land area mainly occurring in the region where LULC types changed (Region II), although this area only accounted for 9.71% of the total area of the basin. There was an approximately 98.28% increase in the area of extremely severe desertification occurring where there were no changes in LULC types (Region I). Region II demonstrated the best effects of desertification prevention and control in the 30-year study period in the Circum-Tarim Basin. Land development and oasis expansion have led to concentrated water use, resulting in water scarcity in certain areas, which cannot support the needs of vegetation growth, thus aggravating the degradation. Hence, “adapting measures to local conditions, rational planning, zoning policies, precise prevention and control” will be the way forward for desertification control in the future in the Circum-Tarim Basin.

Remote sensing inversion on heavy metal content in salinized soil of Yellow River Delta based on Random Forest Regression—a case study of Gudao Town

To explore the potential of using the mineral alteration information extracted by remote sensing technology to indirectly estimate the heavy metal content of salinized soil, 23 sampling points were uniformly set up in the town of Gudao in the Yellow River Delta as the research area in 2022. The concentrations of seven heavy metals, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, As, Mn and Ni, at the sampling points were determined in laboratory tests. Spectral derivative indices, topographic factors, and mineral alteration information (iron staining, hydroxyl, and carbonate ions) were extracted and screened as modeling factors using Sentinel 2 imagery. An inverse model of heavy metal content was constructed using the random forest algorithm, and the model accuracy was evaluated using the cross-validation method. The results of the study show that: (1) Hydroxyl and carbonate ion alteration can be effectively used for the inversion of soil As and Ni content in this study area. Iron-stained alteration can be used as a modeling factor in the inversion of Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Mn concentrations. (2) The inclusion of alteration information improves the accuracy of heavy metal content inversion. The Cu concentration was verified to be the best predictor, with an RMSE of 3.309, MAPE of 11.072%, and R2 of 0.904, followed by As, Ni, and Zn; the predictive value of Mn, Cr and Pb was average. (3) Based on the results of concentration inversion, the high concentration areas of As, Ni, and Mn are primarily distributed on both sides of the river and around lakes and ponds. The high-concentration areas of Zn were mainly distributed in the farmland areas on both sides of the river. Areas with high concentrations of Cu were mainly distributed in the eastern oil extraction area, both sides of the rivers, and around lakes.

Research and application of land illegal behavior monitoring based on video image recognition

Abstract. Our country had increasingly high requirements for land management, especially for arable land, which was the most precious resource. Strict policies for protecting arable land are being implemented. The enforcement of satellite imagery in mega cities had certain limitations in terms of timeliness and accuracy. To meet the requirements of refined management, a high-altitude camera was constructed to form a near ground monitoring network covering the cultivated land area. Multi temporal image groups were obtained through video frame extraction. A monitoring sample library for typical behaviors of natural resources was established. Land objects closely related to illegal activities such as construction machinery and bulldozing areas were identified based on deep learning algorithms. By using the technology of bidirectional conversion between video spatial location and geographic coordinates, a fusion of spatial information video monitoring patterns was formed. Taking the 20000 acre permanent basic farmland area as an example, the recognition rate of illegal land related behaviors was about 81%. By combining approval information and conducting spatial analysis on the identified patterns, real-time warning information could be pushed. This application can effectively improve the timeliness of supervision and enhance the level of supervision.

Impact of land use evolution on the value of ecosystem services in the returned farmland area of the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi

The Grain-for-Green Program (GGP) has been contributing to changes in the nationwide use of land and vegetation, further changing ecosystem services (ESs). However, the influence of GGP on ESs, in terms of land use evolution remains elusive. This study is conducted based on a dataset collected every five years for the past 30 years. This dataset includes land use statistics and is obtained from Landsat images and the random forest algorithm. Land use evolution in the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi from 1990 to 2020 is systematically analyzed. The interest transfer method is adopted to compute the ecosystem service value (ESV), and the willingness and economic affordability are included in the evaluation model. Finally, a cross-sensitivity coefficient is specified to reveal the effects of land use evolution on the ESV in the studied area. The results are as follows: (1) Land use changes mainly occurred on farmland, forest, and orchards. In the past 30 years, the area of cultivated land showed a decreasing trend, whereas the land areas used for other purposes increased. (2) In the same period, the ESV of the investigated plateau continued to rise, increasing by 5.12 billion USD in total. Additionally, the ESV provided by secondary services increases in the following order: regulating services > supporting services > provisioning services > cultural services. (3) The cross-sensitivity coefficient showed that the net transition among forest, grassland, orchard, and unused land in the studied region is relatively sensitive, and a larger transition span of land utilization leads to a stronger effect on the ESV. This study offers crucial data for the compensation of interregional ecology and provides model cases for other regions for ecosystem management.

Spatiotemporal Evolution of Land Cover and Landscape Ecological Risk in Wuyishan National Park and Surrounding Areas

Previous studies on national park conservation have focused mainly on their internal areas, and few studies have focused on national parks and their surrounding areas as unified entities. Therefore, the investigation of land cover and landscape ecological risks in national parks and surrounding areas is essential for overall ecosystem protection and regional sustainable development. This study examines the spatiotemporal evolution of land cover and its landscape ecological risk in Wuyishan National Park, China, and its surrounding areas (WNPSA) from 1990 to 2020. The results show that (1) the land cover of WNPSA from 1990 to 2020 predominantly exhibited a consistent decline in forested areas, paralleled by an augmentation in farmland and impervious surface areas. The center of standard deviation ellipse of impervious surfaces has been progressively moving further south in tandem with the expansion of these surfaces, primarily located within the county town of Fujian Province. (2) The Wuyishan National Park (WNP) areas were dominated by low values of landscape index, and the high value areas in the park were mainly located at the provincial boundary area, with a gradual narrowing during 1990–2020, suggesting a decrease in landscape heterogeneity within the park. High value areas in the surrounding areas mainly occurred in areas with clustered impervious surfaces (e.g., the county town), where part of them located in Wuyishan City have spread to the edge area southeast of WNP. (3) From 1990 to 2020, the lowest-risk areas continue to expand. However, as the medium-risk zone of the adjacent region extends into the edge of the national park, the low risk zone within the national park exhibits a trend from continuous to separate with the neighboring low risk zone. This led to an escalating stress effect on the ecological security of both the adjacent regions and the national park’s boundary areas due to land cover changes.

Factors influencing small holder farmers adoption of climate SMART agriculture practices in Welmera Woreda, Central Ethiopia

Adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices are believed to have significantly lessened the devastating impact of climate change on agriculture. However, in countries like Ethiopia, the adoption and use level of climate-smart agriculture practices remains low. The understanding of farmers’ levels of CSA practice adoption and influencing factors is therefore crucial. The goal of the study is to evaluate the degree to which various CSA practices were being used in the study area, as well as adoption determinants. The study was conducted in Welmera district, Oromia, Ethiopia. Three kebeles were chosen from the district, and a random sample of 306 farmers was picked. We used a cross-sectional household survey, a focus group discussion, and interviews with key informants. A multivariate probit model was employed to investigate the factors influencing the adoption of multiple climate-smart agriculture practices. According to the result, conservation agriculture, integrated soil fertility management, and crop diversification are the most often used CSA practices. The results also revealed that male farmers outperformed female farmers in terms of crop diversity and improved animal feed and feeding practice adoption. The age of farmers has a considerable and unfavorable impact on their likelihood of adopting improved soil fertility management and crop diversification practices. However, it has a positive and considerable impact on the adoption of agroforestry practices. With regards to economic factors, having a relatively big farmland area considerably enhances the adoption of conservation agriculture, enhances soil fertility management and crop diversity, and improves livestock feed and feeding methods and post-harvest technology practice. Improved livestock feed and feeding are more likely to be used with higher farm income. Having a significant number of animals strongly promotes the adoption of conservation agriculture, and access to financial services positively impacts agroforestry, diversification of crops, and postharvest technology practice adoption. Furthermore, institutional factors including access to agricultural extension services and training were discovered to be important and beneficial for crop diversification; similarly, access to field day participation was discovered to have a significant and positive impact on the adoption of conservation agriculture and improved soil fertility management practices. It is critical to raise awareness about climate change among farmers and experts, as well as to incorporate location-specific CSA practices into agricultural programs.

Cadmium Phytoremediation Effect of Sweet Sorghum Assisted with Citric Acid on Typical Parent Soil in Southern China

Sweet sorghum has a large biomass and strong cadmium (Cd) absorption capacity, which has the potential for phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soil. In order to study the Cd phytoremediation effect of sweet sorghum assisted with citric acid on the typical parent materials in southern China, a field experiment was carried out in two typical parent material farmland areas (neutral purple mud field and jute sand mud field) with Cd pollution in Hunan Province. The results showed that:① Citric acid had no inhibitory effect on the growth of sweet sorghum. After the application of citric acid, the aboveground biomass of sweet sorghum at the maturity stage increased by 10.1%-24.7%. ② Both sweet sorghum planting and citric acid application reduced the soil pH value, and the application of citric acid further reduced the soil pH value at each growth stage of sweet sorghum; this decrease was greater in the neutral purple mud field, which decreased by 0.24-0.72 units. ③ Both sweet sorghum planting and citric acid application reduced the total amount of soil Cd, and the decreases in the neutral purple mud field and jute sand mud field were 23.8%-52.2% and 17.1%-31.8%, respectively. The acid-extractable percentage of soil Cd in both places increased by 38.6%-147.7% and 4.8%-22.7%, respectively. ④ The application of citric acid could significantly increase the Cd content in various tissues of sweet sorghum. The Cd content in the aboveground part of the plant in the neutral purple mud field was higher than that in the jute sand mud field, and the Cd content in stems and leaves was 0.25-1.90 mg·kg-1 and 0.21-0.64 mg·kg-1, respectively. ⑤ After applying citric acid, the Cd extraction amount of sweet sorghum in neutral purple mud soil in the mature stage reached 47.56 g·hm-2. In summary, citric acid could enhance the efficiency of sweet sorghum in the phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soil, and the effect was better in neutral purple mud fields. This technology has the potential for remediation coupled with agro-production for heavy metal-contaminated farmland.

Farmland transfer contract performance and green production technology adoption among farmers: evidence from a survey of four provinces in China.

The popularization and use of green production technology is the key to promoting the sustainable development of agriculture. Exploring the path of promoting farmers' adoption of green production technology has important theoretical and practical significance for promoting the green transformation of agriculture and realizing the high-quality development of agriculture. This study examined the impact of contract performance on the adoption of green production technology in the farmland transfer market based on the characteristics of green production technology. An empirical test was conducted using survey data from Heilongjiang, Henan, Zhejiang, and Sichuan Provinces, which differ in agricultural resource endowment and economic development. The results demonstrated that farmland area was positively associated with the number of green production technologies adopted by farmers and use of straw returning, subsoiling, and soil testing for formula fertilization technology. Moreover, improving the performance rates of farmland transfer contracts strengthened the promotional effect of operation scale on green production technology adoption. Using either contract execution or dispute resolution rates to measure contract performance promoted the adoption of green production technology, particularly for large-scale farmers. Therefore, in the publicity and promotion of agricultural green production technology, the government should not only formulate differentiated promotion strategies and support policies based on resource endowment, but also focus on the construction of rural legal systems, which are helpful for building and maintaining a good farmland market order and performance environment, and create conditions for the durability and stability of technology adoption.

Dynamic evolution and simulation of habitat quality in arid regions: A case study of the Hexi region, China

Habitat quality is an important characterization of the health level of ecosystems. Unreasonable development activities have led to a degradation in habitat quality and loss of biodiversity, especially in the arid areas of northwest China where the ecological environment is fragile. In this study, we focused on the arid area in northwestern China (Hexi region). By integrating the InVEST model and PLUS model, we evaluated the dynamics of habitat quality in the Hexi region from 1990 to 2020 under the background of land use change, and simulated the habitat quality in this area in 2030 under different scenarios. The results showed that: (1) From 1990 to 2020, the areas of farmland, waterbodies, and built-up land increased by 2343.26 km2, 416.42 km2 and 739.28 km2 respectively, and the area of unutilized land decreased by 3020.36 km2. In terms of changes in land use type, unutilized land changed the most. (2) From 1990 to 2020, the habitat quality increased by 1.07 %, spatially showed a high distribution pattern along the Qilian Mountains and a low distribution pattern in the remaining area. The spatial change was dominated by stabilization, and the rank change was mainly from poor habitat quality areas to good habitat quality areas. (3) Under the scenario of natural development (ND), the future built-up land area will rapidly increase by 989 km2. In the ecological protection (EP) scenario, the areas of forest and grassland will increase by 10476 km2, the expansion of cultivated land and built-up land will be effectively curbed, and the habitat quality will be greatly improved. (4) In 2020–2030 (ND scenario), land use change will cause a certain degree of degradation of habitat quality. In 2020–2030 (EP scenario), land use change will promote the improvement of habitat quality. In addition, through this study, we provide a new method to quantify the relationship between land use and habitat quality.