Productivity Of Cultivated Land Research Articles

How do agricultural subsidies affect farmers’ non-grain cultivated land production? Evidence from the fourth rural Chinese households panel data survey

How do agricultural subsidies affect farmers’ non-grain cultivated land production? Evidence from the fourth rural Chinese households panel data survey

Spatial–Temporal Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Eco-Efficiency of Cultivated Land Use in the Yangtze River Delta Region

The sustainable utilization of regional cultivated land systems in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region over the past 40 years has been severely impacted by rapid urbanization processes. Improving the eco-efficiency of cultivated land use (ECLU) plays a significant role in achieving the sustainable utilization of farmland and high-quality development of agriculture and rural areas. In this study, the spatial–temporal features and influencing factors of the ECLU in the YRD are investigated by various methods, such as a super-efficient SBM model, hot spot analysis, Dagum Gini coefficient, and panel tobit model. The findings indicate the following: the ECLU showed an overall high level from 2000 to 2020; the ECLU varied significantly over time and space in the YRD. The ECLU presented obvious spatial agglomeration in the YRD: southern regions exhibited a concentration of cold spots, while hot spots were primarily found in the east and north of the YRD. The trend of regional differences in ECLU during the research period fluctuated upwards in the YRD, and the density difference super-variable was the main source of regional differences. Increases in urbanization level and GDP per capita contributed to ECLU enhancement in the YRD, and agricultural intensity levels and agricultural industrial structures played a negative role in ECLU improvement. Finally, we suggest that different regions should adapt to local conditions, scientifically and reasonably allocate cultivated land production resources, and promote the coordinated improvement of ECLU. This study could provide a reference for policymakers to formulate better decisions on cultivated land utilization and management.

Research on the Inversion Model of Cultivated Land Quality Using High-Resolution Remote Sensing Data

Cultivated land quality is an essential measure of cultivated land production capability. Establishing a cultivated land quality inversion model based on high-resolution remote sensing data provides a scientific basis for regional cultivated land resource management and sustainable utilization. Utilizing field survey data, cultivated land quality evaluation data, and high-resolution remote sensing data, a spectral index-cultivated land quality model was constructed and optimized with the machine learning method, and cultivated land quality inversion and verification in Chuzhou City in 2021 were carried out. The results showed that the distribution of cultivated land quality in the study area depicted with the remote sensing inversion model based on random forest was consistent with the actual cultivated land quality. Although the accuracy of the SVT-CLQ inversion model established using four spectral indices is slightly lower than that of the MSVT-CLQ group established using 15 indices, it can still accurately reflect the distribution of cultivated land quality in the study area. Compared with the two models of the MSVT-CLQ and SVT-CLQ groups, the field survey data of sampling points is reduced, the time and energy of field sampling and analysis are correspondingly saved, the efficiency of cultivated land quality evaluation is improved, and the dynamic monitoring and rapid evaluation of cultivated land quality are realized.

Research on influencing factors of cultivated land productivity of high-standard farmland projects in Hanzhong city of China – an empirical study based on PLS-SEM

Based on 295 capacity monitoring sites in Hanzhong city, we used partial least squares structural equation model to construct a model of the factors influencing cultivated land productivity using soil nutrients, farmland water resources, geological characteristics and soil properties as latent variables to explore the main factors affecting cultivated land productivity in Hanzhong city. The research results show that: (1) Soil nutrients, farmland water conservancy and soil properties were the main factors influencing cropland productivity, and had direct or indirect positive effects on cropland productivity, with the total effects ranging from soil properties (0.587) > farmland water conservancy (0.552) > soil nutrients (0.464). (2) Geological characteristics had no direct effect on cropland productivity, but indirectly influenced cropland productivity by affecting soil nutrients. (3) Slope had a negative effect on cropland productivity. Cultivated land productivity in Hanzhong city is influenced by various factors. Integrating the interactions and influence effects among the influencing factors, it is recommended to achieve coordinated and sustainable regional food production by improving water conservancy facilities, strengthening farmland quality, improving agricultural product quality, and building healthy capacity of cultivated land.

Temporal and Spatial Characteristics of Soil Salinization and Its Impact on Cultivated Land Productivity in the BOHAI Rim Region

Soil salinization can have an inhibitory effect on crop productivity and pose a serious threat to regional agricultural resource utilization and sustainable development. However, there are scarce studies on the quantitative impact of soil salinization on crop productivity. The purpose of this study is to identify the spatial and temporal characteristics of the cultivated land, the soil salinization degree, and the net primary productivity (NPP) of vegetation in the Shandong region around the Bohai Sea and to couple the quantitative relationship between soil salinization and the productivity of the cultivated land. We found that the amount of cultivated land in the study area gradually decreased from 2001 to 2019. The degree of soil salinization in the cultivated land in the north of the study area increased slightly from 2001 to 2005 and decreased continuously after 2011. The NPP value of the cultivated land increased, fluctuating from 2001 to 2019. The spatial distribution of the NPP value was generally lower in the north than in the south, with Dongying District as the boundary. In addition, in different soil salt content (g/kg) intervals, the change trends in cultivated land NPP varied. When the salt content of cultivated soil was in the range of 0–3 g/kg, 3–7 g/kg, or 7–15 g/kg, for every 1 g/kg increase in salt content, the NPP value decreased by 43.62 gC m−2a−1, 30.36 gC m−2a−1, and 44.19 gC m−2a−1, respectively. These results are expected to provide decision-making support for strengthening the dynamic monitoring and regulation of cultivated land salinization and promoting sustainable utilization of salinized cultivated land in the coastal areas to alleviate the food crisis.

Evaluation of the biconditional transformation of land use: a case study of Minhou County in China

ABSTRACT Land use transformation is necessary to achieve the regional long-term socioeconomic development. The recent increase in land demand and external environmental stress in China has led to dramatic land use transformation. In the study, land use transformation in Minhou County in China was investigated from the biconditional perspective of dominant and recessive forms, which included the analysis of the quantity structure, transformation magnitude, transformation speed, spatial structure, efficiency, and function using remote sensing, geographic information system, topography, and socioeconomic data. The results revealed that, in the study of the dominant form, the construction land transformation in the industrialized town developing rapidly with a low-lying slope had the greatest speed, with an average annual growth rate of 8.74%, while the woodland was moving at the lowest rate of −3.62%. In the recessive form, the functional pattern of the construction land, cultivated land production, and the input into the woodland were revealed as the prime factors that impacted land use transformation. The linear growth of the functional index from the construction land, the increasing production index of the cultivated land, and the rebound efficiency of forestry production in Minhou County in China have been continuously influencing the variation in the land use patterns. The findings of the study would promote sustainable development and appropriate utilization of the land resources in the region by providing decision support to the government for scientific and rational planning and strengthening the efficiency of intensive land use.

The Driving Role of Food and Cultivated Land Resource in Balancing the Complex Urban System of Socio-Economy and Environment: A Case Study of Shanghai City in China

Food is increasingly seen as a vehicle to address complex sustainability challenges, where the quantitative driving role in balancing the complex urban system of socio-economy and environment is still a gap. To fill this gap, taking Shanghai city as an example, this paper utilizes system dynamics to innovatively set three policy scenarios that aim at adjusting food security and cultivated land resources. The results confirm their positive role in socioeconomic and environmental improvement and coordinated development. In the high-rate grain yield growth scenario, the labor force ratio of the primary industry increases back to the size of 2012 (4.1%), the proportion of the primary industrial investment grows at twice the rate of the current trend, the grain yield per unit area increases back to the capacity of 1997 (798.154 t/km2), and simultaneously, the occupation of cultivated land resources by the secondary industry and the negative impact of environmental pollution on productivity are mitigated. In that case, the coordination level between the socio-economy and the environment can keep increasing. The results indicate that future urban planning should increase the input of labor force and assets in the primary industry, improve food productivity per unit area through technical means or person training, alleviate the occupation of cultivated land resources by the secondary industry, and mitigate the negative impact of environmental pollution on cultivated land productivity.

A Comprehensive Study on Crop Recommendation System for Precision Agriculture Using Machine Learning Algorithms

Crop recommendation is among the most crucial components of the field known as precision agriculture. The crop recommendations were formulated after considering a wide range of distinct considerations. The term "precision agriculture" refers to a method of contemporary farming that makes use of information on soil features, soil kinds, and other factors, such as crop yields, and weather conditions to provide farmers with recommendations regarding the types of crops that would be most beneficial to grow on their farms to achieve the highest possible levels of both yield and profit. The crop recommendation system is currently being built with the use of machine learning methods including Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, XG Boost, Light GBM, SVM, and decision tree. The process of identifying the best crop to produce is aided by the information that consists of qualities such as potassium (K), phosphorous (P), and nitrogen (N) as well as temperature, humidity, pH, and rainfall. This application will be of assistance to farmers in enhancing agricultural output, minimizing the deterioration of soil on the cultivated ground, reducing the number of chemicals used in agricultural production, and increasing the productivity of cultivated land with available water resources. Also, this application recommends the top 5 prioritized crops to farmers. XG Boost achieved the best accuracy of 99.500 out of all these classifiers that were utilized in this paper. It also achieved the highest recall score of 99.545455, a precision score of 99.564935, and an F1 score of 99.545669.

Does urbanization reduce the multi-functional value of cultivated land? Evidence from China

The contradiction between urbanization and cultivated land conservation needs to be resolved urgently. The coupling of cultivated land production, compound utilization and ecological protection is a hot topic for policymakers and researchers. Based on the panel data of 31 provinces in China from 2002 to 2018, this paper estimated the impact of urbanization on the quantity and structure of cultivated land functional value using a fixed effect model. The results show that the multi-functional value of cultivated land fluctuates in time series. There was obvious synergistic relationship among different functions of cultivated land, and the synergistic relationship was gradually weakened. Urbanization did not decrease the multi-functional value of cultivated land, and the producing function of cultivated land was improved most obviously. The value of producing function and social security function in main-producing areas is the most obvious response to urbanization. The culture of main marketing areas has the highest response to urbanization, and urbanization has reduced the ecological function of grain main marketing areas. Urbanization has reduced the diversified types of cultivated land, and the function positioning of cultivated land is gradually obvious. Therefore, policymakers should pay attention to the dialectical relationship between the total amount and structure of multi-functional cultivated land and implement regional differentiation policy of multi-functional cultivated land utilization.

Study on the Investigation and Evaluation Process of Cultivated Land Quality Grade in Well-facilitated Farmland Construction Project Area

Take the county (district) as the unit, set up sample points for farmland quality survey in the construction area of high standard farmland, collect basic information data, collect soil samples, conduct field surveys, sample detection and analysis, and prepare evaluation reports to evaluate the quality of farmland before and after the construction of high standard farmland. At the same time, calculate and analyze the grain production capacity and production potential of the cultivated land in the construction area of high standard farmland, compare the difference of the cultivated land production before and after the construction of high standard farmland, and scientifically evaluate the construction effect of high standard farmland.

The impact of agricultural machinery services on cultivated land productivity and its mechanisms: A case study of Handan city in the North China plain

Studying the impact of agricultural machinery services (AMS) on cultivated land productivity is conducive to scientifically improving agricultural production and has far-reaching significance for ensuring food security. Taking Handan City in the North China Plain as the research context and using a surveyed sample of 1918 farming households, this paper examines the effect of AMS on the productivity of cultivated land using OLS estimation and estimates the average treatment effect on the treated (ATT) using the propensity score matching (PSM) method. The research findings are as follows. 1) AMS has a significantly positive impact on cultivated land productivity, and a heterogeneity analysis finds that the effects are larger for farmers with relatively less cultivated land and the marginal effects decrease as the adoption of AMS increases. 2) In various planting activities, AMS adoption in basic activities (e.g., ploughing, seeding, and harvesting) has positive effects on cultivated land productivity, while AMS adoption in management activities (e.g., fertilizing, irrigation, and pesticide spraying), has no obvious effect on cultivated land productivity. 3) According to the results of ATT, the conversion of non-adopting farmers to adopting AMS would increase cultivated land productivity by 7.6%–12.1%. 4) A mechanism analysis reveals that AMS adoption relieves financial constraints, improves technical efficiency, and increases smallholders’ crop yields. These results suggest that AMS has a positive effect on cultivated land productivity and therefore have valuable policy implications for increasing smallholders’ access to various types of AMS to improve the productivity of cultivated land in regions dominated by smallholders.

Requisition–Compensation Balance Relief for Hydraulic Projects Based on Cultivated Land Quality Improvement

Requisition–compensation balance is a type of cultivated land protection system in China. The implementation of hydraulic projects has changed the natural conditions unfavorable to the development of agricultural production and effectively improved the quality of cultivated land. This means that the requisition–compensation balance of cultivated land policies for hydraulic projects should be treated differently. Starting from the example of the requisition–compensation balance of hydraulic projects, this paper analyzes the four major factors of cultivated land quality, namely nature, space, ecology, and economy, from the perspective of cultivated land quality. The productivity of cultivated land is selected as the main index. Based on the principle of ensuring the balance of total grain output value, a corresponding quantitative system is constructed. The measurement of cultivated land quality change and that change’s impact on the requisition–compensation balance of cultivated land are explored. In this paper, the constructed quantitative system is tested by taking the local reinforcement projects of Pizhou Luoma Lake and Zhongyun River as examples. Through an analysis and calculation of the selected cases, the quality of cultivated land in Pizhou City was found to have increased by 92.87%, in keeping with the balance of total grain output value. A relief strategy involving the requisition–compensation balance of cultivated land for hydraulic projects is put forward. This strategy provides the theoretical basis for the revision of the policy of requisition–compensation balance of cultivated land for hydraulic projects.

Dynamic changes of cultivated land use and grain production in the lower reaches of the Yellow River based on GlobeLand30

The lower reaches of the Yellow River are China’s grain production base and ecological barrier. Its total grain production ranks third in China in 2021, and its cultivated land plays an extremely important role in ensuring food security in the Yellow River Basin and even the whole country. Based on the data of GlobeLand30 in 2000, 2010 and 2020, this study studied the spatial distribution of cultivated land use and the cultivated land transfer pattern, the spatial distribution concentration degree and directional distribution characteristics of cultivated land and grain production, and the sensitivity analysis of grain production to the change of cultivated land area in the lower reaches of the Yellow River by using the methods of land cover transfer matrix, spatial distribution concentration model, sensitivity analysis model, standard deviation ellipse model and spatial autocorrelation analysis. The results show that: 1) The land type with the largest area transferred from cultivated land in the lower Yellow River is artificial surface, and its regional distribution is scattered; At the same time, the land type with the largest area transferred into cultivated land is still artificial surface, which is directly related to the rural land remediation measures implemented by the government. 2) During the period from 2000 to 2020, the spatial distribution concentration index (HHI) grade of cultivated land in the lower reaches of the Yellow River was moderately concentrated and below, and there was no obvious concentration trend; the concentration degree of grain production distribution in the lower reaches of the Yellow River is higher than that of cultivated land, such as Rizhao, Dongying, Qingdao and Weihai, where the HHI grades of grain production are higher; The center of gravity of cultivated land in the lower reaches of the Yellow River is relatively stable, while the center of gravity of grain production shows an obvious trend of “westward shift”. 3) During 2000–2010, the grain productions of 68.38% of districts and counties were insensitive to the change of cultivated land, while the grain productions of 18 districts and counties were highly sensitive to the change of cultivated land, mostly distributed in the hilly and mountainous areas of central and southern Shandong; During 2010–2020, the proportion of insensitive districts and counties decreased to 36%, and the middle and high sensitive areas obviously showed a gradual decreasing trend. Based on GlobeLand30 remote sensing image technology, this study can effectively reveal the temporal and spatial dynamic changes of cultivated land use and grain production in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, and provide scientific reference for further rational development and utilization of cultivated land resources in the lower reaches of the Yellow River and promoting the high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.

Spatial Analysis of Cultivated Land Productivity, Site Condition and Cultivated Land Health at County Scale.

Cultivated land is a fundamental factor related to the social stability and sustainable development of the whole country. However, the safety of quantity and quality of cultivated land has decreased year by year, resulting in great challenges to the sustainable development of cultivated land. Cultivated land productivity, site conditions, and soil health jointly determine the sustainable development potential of cultivated land. Analyzing and calculating the coupling and cooperative relationship between these three subsystems can provide a theoretical and methodological reference for protecting and zoning cultivated land resources. Using Jiangyou City as a case study, this paper constructs a coupling coordination degree model of cultivated land productivity, site conditions, and soil health assessment systems in different geomorphic regions, and comprehensively analyzes the level of sustainable development of cultivated land in the study area. The results show that there are differences in the development potential of cultivated land resources in the mountainous regions in the north, the hilly regions in the center, and the plain regions in the south of Jiangyou City. The coupling coordination index of the three regions were calculated as 0.34, 0.51, and 0.63, respectively, for which the overall average coupling coordination index is 0.57; notably, it only reaches the “barely coordination” level. Based on our analysis results, the cultivated lands in Jiangyou City are classified into the following zones: core protection zone, dominant remediation zone, and key regulation zone. The cultivated land located in the core protection zone has a high coupling coordination index, which can be used as the preferred area for the delimitation of high standard basic farmland and permanent basic farmland. For the cultivated land located in the dominant remediation zone, the development of its subsystems is unbalanced. Comprehensive land improvement projects can be carried out in this zone to improve the overall quality. For the cultivated land located in the key regulation zone, it is recommended to implement projects such as returning farmland to forests to improve land use efficiency. In particular, the evaluation index system constructed in this paper is sufficiently representative, as it can support the classification, quality improvement, and sustainable use of cultivated land. Thus, other similar countries and regions can learn from the evaluation system constructed in this paper.

Spatial Distribution Evolution and Optimization Path of Eco-Efficiency of Cultivated Land Use: A Case Study of Hubei Province, China

Cultivated land is the foundation of human existence and development. Eco-efficiency of Cultivated Land Use (ECLU) is a comprehensive index to measure the economic, social, and ecological output of cultivated land. Therefore, it is of great theoretical and practical significance to describe the evolution characteristics of ECLU, and to explore the improvement path of ECLU for realizing the sustainable utilization of cultivated land resources, coping with the food crisis, and alleviating global warming. Hubei Province, as a traditional major province of grain production in China, can provide a reference for other developing countries in the world in terms of its management experience and technology in the production and utilization of cultivated land. In this study, the carbon emissions and pollution emissions of cultivated land use were incorporated into the calculation system of ECLU. Firstly, the undesired super-efficiency Slack-Based Measure (SBM) model was used to calculate ECLU in Hubei Province from 2008 to 2020. Secondly, the Exploring Space Date Analysis (ESDA) method was used to characterize its temporal and spatial evolution characteristics. Finally, the improvement direction of ECLU in the future was proposed from the perspective of cultivated land input factors. The research shows that, first of all, from 2008 to 2020, ECLU in Hubei Province showed a fluctuating growth trend, rising from 0.457 to 0.521, during which, it experienced two “U”-shaped changes, in 2011 and 2016. Secondly, the spatial agglomeration effect of ECLU in Hubei Province continued to increase, mainly showing two agglomeration patterns of high–high and low–low. Finally, ECLU in the study area was significantly negatively correlated with the redundancy rate of input factors. There was a redundancy in the input factors of cultivated land production, among which, the redundancy degree of agricultural employees (AM), chemical fertilizer usage (CFU), and total power of agricultural machinery (AMP) were more serious. Based on this, this paper proposes to adhere to the principle of adapting measures to local conditions and progress in an orderly manner, and to formulate differentiated and phased policies for improving ECLU according to natural resource endowments, and social and economic development conditions in different regions, in order to achieve the coordinated and sustainable development of people and cultivated land.

The Use of Cultivated Land for Multiple Functions in Major Grain-Producing Areas in Northeast China: Spatial-Temporal Pattern and Driving Forces

The increasing scarcity of cultivated land resources necessitates the continuous change in cultivated land functions. Cultivated land has gradually changed from being used for a single function to multiple functions. The use of cultivated land for multiple functions has become an important way to achieve the sustainable use, management, and protection of cultivated land. In this, the development of different functions of cultivated land must be coordinated. Thus, clarifying the evolution trend of the use of cultivated land for various functions, calculating the coupling and coordination degrees of these multiple functions, and identifying the driving factors in these uses play important roles in realizing the orderly development of cultivated land multifunctionality. This paper defined multifunctioning cultivated land as containing a production function, a social function, and an ecological function. Based on the socioeconomic panel data and geospatial data of Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning, which are the major grain-producing areas of northeast China, in the years 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020 we calculated the multiple function coupling coordination degree of cultivated land using the Coupling Coordination Degree Model and identified the driving forces in the evolution of the spatial-temporal pattern of cultivated land multifunctionality using Geodetector. The results show that from 2005 to 2020, there were significant regional differences in terms of the production, social, and ecological functions of cultivated land in the research areas. The multifunctional coupling coordination degree of cultivated land in the study areas was gradually improved. The spatial-temporal evolution of the multifunctional coupling coordination degree of cultivated land was found to mainly be influenced by the level of agricultural development, such as the level of per capita disposable income and the rate of effective irrigation of cultivated land. The government should attempt to guarantee the comparative benefits of agricultural production to increase the income level of farmers; increase investment in agricultural infrastructure construction to improve the level of agriculture development; and implement a strict farmland protection policy to achieve the continuous improvement of the productivity of cultivated land, realize the ordered development of coupling, and improve the coordination of the use of cultivated land for multiple functions. The results of this study are applicable not only to northeast China but also to other major grain-producing areas that are under pressure to protect their cultivated land and achieve the suitable use of cultivated land.

A Comprehensive Evaluation of Benefit of High-Standard Farmland Development in China

In 2013, the government officially approved the construction task of developing high-standard farmland, which had been written into the outline of the “12th Five-Year Plan”, the “13th Five-Year Plan” and the “14th Five-Year Plan”, effectively ensuring the sustainable development of farmland with high and stable yield in China. Moreover, with the rapid progress of urbanization and industrialization, the quality and usage of cultivated land have changed greatly, and the relationship between the economic value, social value and ecological value of land has become increasingly prominent. Whether the development of high-standard farmland, especially the high-standard farmland used for grain production, has achieved the goals of increasing farmers’ income, agricultural output and rural development is not clear. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the comprehensive benefits of high-standard farmland development in grain production, so as to scientifically measure the results of the development. From the perspective of economic, social and ecological benefits, this paper establishes an entropy weight evaluation index system and a model to evaluate the level and effectiveness of high-standard farmland development from 2013 to 2020 in China. The results show that the high-standard farmland development project has improved the yield of grain and the basic productivity of cultivated land, effectively increased the yields of land in the project area and promoted the protection and improvement of cultivated land quality, which includes soil quality improvement, soil fertility enhancement, pollution control and soil remediation. The project also helped raise the farmers’ income levels and improved farmers’ agricultural knowledge and skills in the project area. The projects are very beneficial for agricultural production, the farmers’ income and rural development. However, there is still a certain gap between the national average level of improvement and the original goal set in the policy. The average grain yield per mu (Note: 1 mu ≈ 0.0667 ha, similarly hereinafter) was expected to be increased by less than 100 kg (the national average was a 40 kg increase), and the degrees of improvement in economic, social, ecological and comprehensive benefits in different project types were also different. In the future, we suggest that the project should be implemented according to local conditions and the features of each region. We should pay attention to the protection of basic farmland quality and further improve grain output to achieve the goal of stabilizing and increasing production.

Spatial–temporal pattern of cultivated land productivity based on net primary productivity and analysis of influencing factors in the Songhua River basin

AbstractInefficient utilization puts the productivity of cultivated land in a low development state. The key challenge for the efficient utilization of cultivated land is to clarify how various factors affect the spatial differentiation pattern of cultivated land productivity (CLP), to improve food production. However, evaluating the impact of the intensity and direction of CLP on a large‐scale is a difficulty and there is a gap in knowledge. In this study, we used net primary productivity (NPP) to calculate the productivity of cultivated land and reveal its spatial differentiation. Also, this study examined the spatio‐temporal heterogeneity of CLP and determined the effect intensity and the direction of effect of various factors on productivity, using the Songhua River basin (SRB) in China as a research case. We used genetic algorithms to modify and improve a neural network model of factor dimensionality reduction, combined with path analysis, cluster analysis, and regression analysis, to identify the main factors impacting CLP, synergies between these factors, and effect intensity and direction. The results showed that: (1) the area of cultivated land in SRB decreased, but the NPP of cultivated land area increased, during 2000–2020; (2) spatially, NPP was relatively low in the middle of the basin and gradually increased towards the periphery; (3) The main positive factors were the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), slope, precipitation, evapotranspiration, and total nitrogen, while the main negative factors were temperature, ratio vegetation index, and total phosphorus. Individual principal factors and the synergy between these factors gave CLP different temporal and spatial heterogeneity. Collaborative management of the threshold range of various influencing factors would improve the CLP. This novel information on spatial–temporal differentiation and factors influencing CLP can be important in formulating science‐based and feasible policies for land protection and for improving CLP.

Management practices should be strengthened in high potential vegetation productivity areas based on vegetation phenology assessment on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Climate change and human activities have severely affected the structure and function of vegetation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). Management practices have contributed to vegetation growth on the QTP, yet the response of vegetation productivity to management during the growing season remains unclear. Here, a fitted sixth-degree polynomial function was used to extract phenology-based vegetation productivity, which was quantified as the integrated normalized difference vegetation index (INDVI) over the length of the season during 2000–2019. Additionally, a new management practice intensity indicator was established to quantify the degree of ecological project and policy effectiveness on vegetation productivity. Three main results were obtained: (1) On a pixel-by-pixel basis, phenology-based vegetation productivity can avoid the impact of start-of-season (SOS) and end-of-season (EOS) variations. Vegetation productivity increased over 66% of the area of the QTP during 2000–2019, and the area with a significant increasing trend in vegetation productivity accounted for 9.15% of the QTP, including 5.65% in grassland and 0.23% in cultivated land. (2) Areas of increased vegetation productivity, grassland productivity, and cultivated land productivity affected by the positive impact from climate change accounted for 23.76%, 16.61%, and 0.31%, respectively, while they accounted for 41.29%, 28.10%, and 0.59% for human activities, respectively. (3) The regions of high-level management practice intensity accounted for 26.51% of the QTP but only 2.57% and 0.03% of grassland and cultivated land productivity, respectively. The regions of decreased grassland productivity still accounted for 21.85% of the QTP. Therefore, improving vegetation management practice intensity on grassland can increase regional vegetation productivity. These findings can provide effective guidance for regional vegetation management.

Spatiotemporal Patterns of Cultivated Land Quality Integrated with Multi-Source Remote Sensing: A Case Study of Guangzhou, China

Scientifically revealing the spatiotemporal patterns of cultivated land quality (CLQ) is crucial for increasing food production and achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger. Although studies on the evaluation of CLQ have been conducted, an effective evaluation system that is suitable for the macro-regional scale has not yet been developed. In this study, we first defined the CLQ from four aspects: soil fertility, natural conditions, construction level, and cultivated land productivity. Then, eight indicators were selected by integrating multi-source remote sensing data to create a new CLQ evaluation system. We assessed the spatiotemporal patterns of CLQ in Guangzhou, China, from 2010 to 2018. In addition, we identified the main factors affecting the improvement of CLQ. The results showed that the CLQ continuously improved in Guangzhou from 2010 to 2018. The area of high-quality cultivated land increased by 13.7%, which was mainly distributed in the traditional agricultural areas in the northern and eastern regions of Guangzhou. The areas of medium- and low-quality cultivated land decreased by 8.1% and 5.6%, respectively, which were scattered throughout the whole study area. The soil fertility and high productivity capacity were the main obstacle factors that affected the improvement of CLQ. Simultaneously, the obstacle degree of stable productivity capacity gradually increased during the study period. Therefore, the targeted improvement measures could be put forward by applying biofertilizers, strengthening crop management and constructing well-facilitated farmland. The new CLQ evaluation system we proposed is particularly practical at the macro-regional scale, and the results provided targeted guidance for decision makers to improve CLQ and promote food security.