Farmland Land Research Articles

A novel interpretation of farmland abandonment: evidence from the famine experience

The growing severity of farmland abandonment in rural areas has sparked concerns about the lack of people willing to cultivate the land. This study attempts to find the endogenous factors of farmland land abandonment among Chinese farmers and to curb land degradation to stabilize food security. Based on the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (2016–2018), this paper explores the effect of famine experience on farmland abandonment using logit and DID models. We find that famine experience does increase the probability and extent of farmland abandonment, and undergo a series of robustness tests. We also find that the famine stigma effect increases the likelihood and extent of farmland abandonment by increasing risk aversion and reducing social trust and investment in agriculture. The growth of urbanization in China worsens the effects of famine, whereas local communal production services remove the effects of famine. The overall findings of this study provide useful insights for the government to protect land quality and food security and to carefully consider the role played by communities.

Analysis of Urban Land Use Changes in Xingtai City from the Year 2000 to 2020 for Urban Development Planning

Land use changes as a result of urban development are inevitable. This study is based on three aspects: spatial and temporal land use changes, spatial distribution characteristics, and the state of land resource development today. In this study, the land use status of Xingtai City over the previous 20 years is systematically examined using the global and local Moran's I value, information entropy for land use structures, and land use extent models. The results indicate that, firstly, the built-up land in Xingtai City has rapidly increased while farmland land has continued to decline, with a decrease of 9.93% in farmland and an increase of 84.16% in built-up land. Secondly, the utilisation rate of land resources in Xingtai City has increased annually, as has the l information entropy for land use structures, the extent of land use, and the comprehensive land use dynamic extent index. Qiaoxi District and Qiaodong District have the most significant upward trend. And thirdly, the land use types in the study area exhibit spatial aggregation characteristics, and single land use type cold and hot spots demonstrate spatial clustering.

Do poor farmers have entrepreneurship skill, intention, and competence? Lessons from transmigration program in rural Gorontalo Province, Indonesia

Abstract Transmigration program is a part of rural development to reduce poverty in which entrepreneurship was also developed. It becomes necessary to explore how the program affects the entrepreneurial aspects of the poor farmers. The objectives of this study are (1) to measure entrepreneurship skill, intention, risk taking, social valuation, and competence of poor farmers, (2) to know the impact of transmigration program in improving the competence of poor farmers, and (3) to analyze the influence of skills, intentions, risk taking, and social valuation toward entrepreneurial competence of poor farmers. One hundred twenty poor transmigrant and 120 local farmer households were interviewed in this study. The data were analyzed by descriptive quantitative method and multiple regression analysis by using SPSS 22. The results showed that transmigration program that provides farmland land freely can improve skill, entrepreneurship intention, risk taking capability, and social valuation of poor farmers. Yet, there is a gap between skills and intentions where entrepreneurship intentions are greater than their skills. The result shows that transmigrant entrepreneurship competence is higher than that of local farmers. However, social valuation of local households is higher than that of transmigrants due to their less adaptability in society. Regression analysis shows that social valuation, skills, intentions, and risk taking have a significant effect on both local and transmigrant entrepreneurship competencies. It can be concluded that transmigration program has successfully changed the mindset of poor farmers to become more entrepreneurial oriented and is one of the important factors in reducing the poverty level particularly in Gorontalo Province, Indonesia.

Recovery of soil microbial biomass, stoichiometry, and herb‐layer diversity with chronosequence of farmland land abandonment in the central Himalayas, India

Revegetation after farmland abandonment not only changes the aboveground biodiversity but also soil physicochemical properties and soil microbial biomass. However, how the revegetation after farmland abandonment influences soil properties and herb‐layer biodiversity remains unclear. In the present study, we examined the variation in soil chemical and biological properties (soil microbial biomass, stock, and stoichiometry), herb‐layer diversity indices, and aboveground biomass, their relationships in a chronosequence of 2, 5, 7, 11, 16, and 35 years following revegetation of abandoned farmland in the central Himalaya, India. Results revealed that the diversity indices, biomass, and soil properties significantly changed over successional stages. The species in the plant community shifted from the forbs in earlier stages to grasses and sedges in later stages. Our results indicated that the soil microbial carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) contents and stocks increased along the chronosequence and were highest at the 35‐year‐old fallow. However, soil microbial phosphorus (P) contents and stock generally decreased with time. The soil nutrient and microbial biomass were significantly correlated, which indicate close coupling between soil and microbial C, N, and P contents. Soil, microbial C/P, and N/P ratios were the lowest in 7‐ and 11‐year‐old fallows, indicating that middle‐aged fallows were more P‐limited. Our results suggest that revegetation changes the soil and microbial stoichiometry, potentially changing the vegetation composition and nutrient cycling of the abandoned farmland ecosystems.

Impact of Climate and Land Use Changes on the Livelihood of Residents in Calabar River Basin, South-eastern Nigeria

Human activities such as deforestation, urbanization, and fuel combustion have caused climatic and land use changes, affecting the livelihood of residents negatively in Calabar River Basin, South-eastern Nigeria. In the region, there has been a constant and prolonged rise in temperature. To determine the status of climatic change, data sets spanning 43 years (1971-2014) were obtained from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and compared to NIMET's historical meteorological data maps of Nigeria between 1941-1970 and 1971-2000, commonly known as the base period. In contrast, utilizing imageries from several satellites (Landsat), multi-temporal dates (MSS 1980, TM 1990, ETM 2000, and ETM+2010) and ArcGIS, researchers were able to determine the Land Use Changes / Land Covers (LULC) that have occurred in the Calabar river basin through time (1980-2020). Climate data revealed a historical sequence of temperature rises, as evidenced by late beginning and early cessation of rainfall, which had a negative influence on agriculture. Similarly, the investigation found that the environment has been warmer as temperatures have risen significantly, and that the harmattan dust haze has also increased in recent years. The investigation for LULC came up with six broad classifications: urban (built-up), water bodies, forest, farm, grass, and bare areas. Built-up area and farmland land uses have increased dramatically (3.19%-20.73%) and (10.20% -23.79%), respectively; forest (35.85%- 24.84%), water bodies (8.77%- 5.27%), Grassland (24.68%- 12.67%), and bare land uses have decreased dramatically (17.31%-12.69%). Since 1941 through 2020, temperatures have risen at a pace of 0.14° F (0.08° C) every decade, and the rate of warming is more than twice that: 0.32° F (0.18° C) per decade. The shortening of the rainy season has been forced by the late start and early cessation of rains. This has had a negative impact on the region's farming activities. The study recommends reforestation and the formation of forest reserves, greater energy efficiency, a shift to renewable resources / cleaner sources of energy (solar and wind), and reduced deforestation to mitigate the risks connected with climate and land use changes.

The Impact of Farmers’ Perception on Their Cultivated Land Quality Protection Behavior: A Case Study of Ningbo, China

Farmers’ protection behavior largely depends on their perceived value of cultivated land quality protection. However, existing research shows that the impact path of these perceived factors on farmers’ cultivated land protection behavior is not clear. Based on the survey data of 288 farmers in Ningbo City, this study empirically analyzed the impact of farmers’ perception on their cultivated land quality protection behavior through structural equation modeling (SEM). The results showed that farmers’ cultivated land quality protection behavior largely depended on perceived value, and they followed the logic paradigm of “perceived tradeoff→perceived value→behavioral intention→behavioral response”. Among them, farmers’ perceived value comes from farmers’ comprehensive tradeoff of benefits and risks in the process of cultivated land quality protection. In other words, improving farmers’ perceived benefits and reducing perceived risks is conducive to improving farmers’ perceived value of cultivated land quality protection. The above findings are helpful to improve farmers’ behavior of farmland land quality protection and provide new ideas and empirical basis for the design and improvement of cultivated land quality protection policies.

The role of land use/cover type in influencing hydrological component of a watershed in Chancho and Sorga Sub-watersheds, East Wollega Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

Watershed hydrology can be influenced by land use/cover types of the study areas. The activities of humans exert more pressure in influencing the natural dynamism of the watersheds and hydrology through continuous and steep slope cultivation of land. The objective of this study was to assess the influences of land use/cover types and slope gradient on hydrological component of a watershed. The hydrological component of a watershed was simulated by SWAT model with arc-GIS where land use/cover map, slope map and hydrological response unit were used as an input. Farmland land has produced more surface runoff and water yield as compared to the other land use types followed by urban land, while Forest and grassland produced less surface runoff and water yield but higher in evapotranspiration, percolation, ground and lateral flow of water than cultivated and urban land. Area of farmland land is more responsive to the change of surface runoff and water yield than others land use/cover types. As farmland land size increases both surface runoff and water yield tends to decrease and had a negative correlation, whereas, other hydrological variables were less responsive to the change in land size. Slope gradient of land use/covers type contributes to the water imbalance of the watersheds. As slope increases surface runoff and water yield also decreases in farmland, grass, and forest land, whereas, increases in urban land as slope increased. The influences of land use/cover types and slope gradient on the watershed hydrology were more observed where human action is high in terms of continuous and steep slope cultivation and urban built-up expansion and appropriate land use and watershed management is paramount important for water balance in the watershed.

How Does Land Consolidation Affect Soil Fungal Community Structure? Take Heavy Metal Contaminated Areas in Eastern China for Example

Farmland land consolidation can effectively improve the quality of farmland soil and the agricultural production level, and can effectively guarantee farmland ecology and food security, which has been widely used in the world. A large number of studies have shown that farmland consolidation has certain adjustments to the basic physical and chemical properties of soil and the content of heavy metals. As a key indicator of soil quality and ecological conditions, soil microorganisms play an important role in soil pollution restoration and the promotion of crop growth. However, there are few domestic and foreign studies on how farmland consolidation affects soil microbial properties, and there are no related reports on the mechanism of action between them, which is a blank in the field of agricultural land consolidation and soil microecology, especially in heavy metal contaminated areas. Therefore, we used the DNA sequence technology to compare fungal community structure in farmlands with and without consolidation in heavy metal contaminated areas. Our results showed that (1) farmland consolidation had a significant impact on soil microbial characteristics, which were mainly manifested as changes in microbial biomass, microbial diversity and community structure. (2) Farmland consolidation had an indirect impact on soil fungal community structure by adjusting the soil physical and chemical properties. (3) The impact of heavy metals on the fungal community structure varied significantly under different levels of heavy metal pollution in farmland consolidation areas. When the pollution was at the highest level, there existed 7 fungus genera showing a strong tolerance to heavy metals and consuming a lot of soil nutrients, of which were Melanospora, Pseudeurotium, Guehomyces, Schizothecium, Gibberella, Myrothecium, and Neurospora. In this study, an analytical method was proposed to analyze the effects of farmland consolidation on soil fungi, and the mechanism was discussed from two aspects—soil physical and chemical properties, and heavy metal content. The results shed some light on farmland consolidation, cultivated land quality evaluation and territorial space ecological restoration.

Using multi-threshold regression techniques to assess river fecal pollution in the highly urbanized Tamsui River watershed.

Rivers are an important urban water resource. This study adopted multivariate linear regression (MLR) and logistic regression (LR) with multiple thresholds to assess river fecal pollution in the Tamsui River watershed using auxiliary environmental data. First, environmental data between 2015 and 2017 on land use, antecedent precipitation, population density, sewerage infrastructure, and river water quality were obtained using geographic information systems and served as explanatory variables. River fecal coliforms (FC), the dependent variable, were also collected for the same period. Then, MLR was used to establish an overall prediction model after validation, and to determine significant factors influencing the level of river fecal pollution. Finally, after stratifying the fecal pollution as low, medium, and high levels, LR with multiple thresholds was employed to explore key factors affecting different FC pollution levels. The study results revealed that land use type and river water quality (other than FC) strongly affected river FC pollution. The discharge of household sewage and wastewater from urban areas was a major source of river FC pollution, particularly for low and medium pollution levels, while farmland land use was negatively correlated with the medium and high levels of river FC pollution in the highly urbanized watershed. Biochemical oxygen demand and suspended solids were highly correlated with medium and high pollution levels in river water.

Screening of agricultural land productivity and returning farmland to forest area for sensitivity to rural labor outward migration in the ecologically fragile Loess Plateau region.

The mechanism of the non-agricultural transfer of rural labor to agricultural production efficiency and their interrelationships is a problem worthy of further discussion at this stage in China. The mediating effect model is constructed, the least square method is used for regression, and the instrumental variable method is used to solve the possible endogeneity problem. Through the investigation of farmers in Loess Plateau region, this paper analyzes the effects of factor substitution and planting structure adjustment after agricultural labors work outside and its impact on agricultural land output from the theoretical and empirical aspects, as well as the impact of off-farm employment on agricultural land output under different constraints. Results showed that the negative influence of labor non-agricultural transfer on farmland land output rate is - 7.264, and farmers' participation in returning farmland to forests can alleviate the negative impact of non-agricultural transfer on the agricultural land output. Labor substitution factor investment plays a part in the mediating effect, and part of the mediating effect is - 0.879. The adjustment of agricultural planting structure plays the whole mediating effect, that is to say, the larger the scale of labor non-agricultural transfer in Loess Plateau area, the more unfavorable for farmers to invest in labor substitution agricultural factors of production, and the more they are inclined to grow food crops. When the constraint conditions of factor substitution difficulty and planting structure adjustment space are considered, the higher the factor substitution difficulty is, the smaller the planting structure adjustment space; the negative effect of the non-agricultural transfer of labor on the agricultural land output rate is more obvious. It provides effective reference value to judge the development stage and trend of regional agriculture and puts forward relevant policy suggestions to guarantee the development of regional agriculture and farmers' life.

Effects of land use patterns on the diversity and conservation status of butterflies in Kisii highlands, Kenya

Habitat degradation poses a great threat to biodiversity conservation. Abundance and diversity of butterflies is an indicator of good environmental health. Understanding how different butterfly species respond to habitat degradation is a necessary step towards the development of effective measures to enhance environmental protection. This study investigated the impact of land use patterns on the diversity, abundance, and conservation status of butterflies in the Kisii highlands; a densely-populated region in Kenya that has received little attention in ecological studies. Sampling was done through a line transect of 300 m. A total of 2799 individual butterflies comprising 67 species were recorded across seven land cover types; secondary forest, grasslands, riverine, human settlement, mixed farmlands, monoculture, and mining areas. The secondary forest, riverine and mixed farmlands recorded more butterflies (37.0, 26.0, and 15.5 %, respectively), followed by grasslands (12.5 %), while monoculture, human settlements, and mines had the least number of butterflies (3.0 % each). Moreover, the secondary forest, riverine and mixed farmland land cover types were the most species rich. Nymphalidae were the most abundant (38 species) whereas, Papilionidae the least (3 species) in the region. Junonia sophia was the dominant species. Butterflies were most diverse in the secondary forest (Shannon–Weaver diversity index, H′ = 2.89), while the human settlement had the least (H′ = 1.25). One-way ANOVA analysis indicated a higher species similarity between secondary forest, mixed farming and riverine land cover types compared to a low species similarity between secondary forest and mining, grassland, monoculture and human settlement. Butterfly abundance and distribution was different between the dry and wet season among the land cover types. Therefore, land use patterns had effects on butterfly abundance and diversity and their conservation is threatened if proper management practices are not put in place. Planning of land use activities should thus encourage agro-forests/secondary forests interspaced with other land use activities to enhance environmental health and improve on biodiversity conservation.

Land grabbing in Africa: the race for Africa's Rich Farmland

Book Review| October 01 2015 Land grabbing in Africa: the race for Africa's Rich Farmland Land grabbing in Africa: the race for Africa's Rich Farmland edited by Demissie, FassilNew York, Routledge Books, 2015, 144 pp, US$145.00 (Hardback), ISBN 978-1-13-884474-2 Esendugue Greg Fonsah Esendugue Greg Fonsah University of Georgia Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research (2015) 7 (4): 336–338. https://doi.org/10.1080/19390459.2015.1099933 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Twitter Permissions Search Site Citation Esendugue Greg Fonsah; Land grabbing in Africa: the race for Africa's Rich Farmland. Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research 1 October 2015; 7 (4): 336–338. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/19390459.2015.1099933 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectivePenn State University PressJournal of Natural Resources Policy Research Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Copyright © 2015 The Pennsylvania State University2015The Pennsylvania State University Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Characteristics of soil nematode communities under two different land use systems

Greenhouse and farmland are two types of land use with different levels of inputs and disturbances. Organic compost and mineral fertilizer treatments were designed for a vegetable greenhouse and a wheat–maize farmland in order to understand the impact of land use type and fertilizer management on the nematode community structure and diversity. The results showed that bacteria-feeding nematodes were the dominant trophic group in the greenhouse as against larger numbers of plant parasitic ones found in the farmland. Ten genera comprising 4 bacteria-feeders, 4 plant parasites, and 2 omnivore-predators were found in the greenhouse, and 29 genera comprising 10 plant parasites, 9 bacteria-feeders, 7 omnivore-predators, and 3 fungi-feeders were found in the farmland. A total of 12 functional guilds were observed in the samples. The cp-1 functional guilds were dominant in the greenhouse, whereas cp-3 functional guilds were dominant in the farmland. The soil nematode populations, trophic groups, and functional guilds reflected the differences between the greenhouse and the farmland land use systems. Although soil fertility parameters, except available P, in the greenhouse were higher (p < 0.001), the biodiversity was lower than in the farmland (p < 0.05). Nematode ecological indices, such as the Shannon index, modified maturity index, and enrichment index were sensitive for differentiating between the greenhouse and farmland ecosystems.

Special Issue on Learning from Extremophytes: Xerophytes and Halophytes

Stresses in plants caused by salt, drought, temperature, radical oxygen species, and toxic substances such as heavy metals are the major reasons for reduction in crop yield. For example, around 1000 million ha of land is affected by soil salinity. It can be calculated from FAO reports that current irrigation practices lead to annual losses of about 1.6 million ha of arable land just due to salting.This destruction of farmland stands in contradistinction to the demand for food. The world population is predicted to reach nine billion people by the year 2050, and although crop production has significantly increased during the period 1950?2010, populations in developing countries are growing so quickly that the land and water are unable to sustain them because farmlandand fresh water are already fully utilized. Furthermore, the increasing tendency of diverting farmland or crops for biofuels production to the detriment of the food supply enhances this dilemma. Consequently, improvement of food crop production no longer keeps up with population growth.Therefore, we have to consider new concepts when discussing how to improve agricultural productivity worldwide in order to feed the growing population.Obviously, improving fertilization and irrigation technology, as well as breeding common crops does not result in the enhancement of the annual crop yield at a rate needed to meet the demand. Extending the cropping areas is also challenging, as the land in question is located in arid regions where water is scarce. Although irrigation can be employed to bring land in arid areas into production, it often leads to no sustainable conditions and in many cases to increasing desertification and/or salinization if conventional crops are used. In some countries, the amount of newly irrigated land is equalled by salinized (desertified) irrigated land going out of production.Salt- resistant plants (haloophytes) may provide one of the alternatives for many developing countries to ensure sustainable growth conditions by using groundwater too saline for irrigating conventional mainly halophobous crops. Halophytes can be also used for the successful rehabilitation of degraded or salinized farmland land or for processing industrial waters without costly remedial measures. In terms of resource conservation they have the potential to increase the area of arable land by opening wasteland. In addition, unconventional irrigation water such as saline groundwater can be used to grow these representatives of extremophytes under sustainable conditions. Even coastal deserts may serve as new agricultural land, with the use of seawater water - unsuitable for conventional crops - for irrigation of salt-resistant plants to produce food, fodder, fuel, fiber, essential oils, and pharmaceutical feedstocks. Beside this they can also serve for more ecological purposes such as to build better sea defences.Halophytes are not the only source for the enhancement of crop production. There are extremophytes available showing an extended range for drought, temperature, oxidative stress or heavy metal resistance jointly or severally. This issue brings together contributions from laboratories around the world in order to discuss and compare the current and potential uses and the current knowledge about representatives of these extremophytes, to create greater awareness of this fascinating underrated group of experts. It will be shown that much progress has been made in the identification and characterization of the mechanisms that allow plants to tolerate abiotic stresses.

Effect of land‐use changes on nonpoint source pollution in the Xizhi River watershed, Guangdong, China

AbstractThe Annualized Agricultural Non‐point Source (AnnAGNPS) pollution model has been widely used to assess and predict runoff, soil erosion, sediment and nutrient loading with a geographic information system. This article presents a case study of the effect of land‐use changes on nonpoint source (NPS) pollution using the AnnAGNPS model in the Xizhi River watershed, eastern Pearl River Delta of Guangdong province, China. The land‐use changes in the Xizhi River watershed between 1998 and 2003 were examined using the multitemporal remote sensing data. The runoff, soil erosion, sediment transport and nutrient loading 1998 and 2003 were assessed using AnnAGNPS. The effects of land‐use changes on NPS were studied by comparing the simulation results of each year. Our results showed that (i) the NPS loadings increased when forest and grass land converted into paddy, orchard and farmland land, and population size and gross domestic product size as well as the usage amounts of fertilizer and pesticide in the entire watershed were firmly correlated with the NPS loadings; (ii) the land‐use change during fast urbanization in particular when other land types were converted into the development land and buildup land led to increasing of NPS pollution; and (iii) urban land expansion showed more important effects on total organic carbon (TOC) loading compared with nitrogen and phosphorus loadings. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Biomass energy in Vojvodina: Market conditions, environment and food security

Abstract In this study, the policy, market conditions and food security of biomass energy sources are assessed for supplying the future needs of Vojvodina. The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province in Serbia, containing about 27% of its total population according to the 2002 Census. It is located in the northern part of the country, in the Pannonia plain, in southeastern Europe. Vojvodina is an energy-deficient province. Vojvodina also has a large potential for renewable energy, especially energy from biomass (biodiesel and bio-ethanol). The lack of knowledge about renewable energy technologies by most policy-makers, potential consumers, and energy firm managers has played against renewable energy developments. The environmental impacts of programs that encourage biofuel production, farmland land requirements and the impacts on food production are also discussed, considering the life cycle analysis (LCA) as a tool. It is concluded that the rise in the use of biofuels is inevitable and that international cooperation, regulations and certification mechanisms must be established regarding the use of land, the mitigation of environmental and social impacts caused by biofuel production. It is also mandatory to establish appropriate working conditions and decent remuneration for workers of the biofuels production chain.