IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i10p2836-d232301.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does Fallowing Cultivated Land Threaten Food Security? Empirical Evidence from Chinese Pilot Provinces

Author

Listed:
  • Qingyuan Yang

    (School of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China)

  • Renhao Yang

    (Division of Geography and Tourism, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium)

  • Yahui Wang

    (School of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China)

  • Kaifang Shi

    (School of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China)

Abstract

Facing worsening problems, including the decreasing amount, quality, and deterioration of land ecosystems, cultivated land needs protective measures. China has been conducting an experimental fallow policy to deter these problems in five pilot provinces since 2016. However, inadequate and inconclusive studies of the impacts of fallow policy on food security have motivated the authors to fill this knowledge gap and to provide evidence for policy-making. Using the modified cultivated land pressure model, this study explores the cultivated land pressure at three scales (nation, province, and prefecture) to determine the capacity of feeding people using cultivated land, and examines the impact of fallowing cultivated land. There are three main findings. First, the cultivated land pressure in China continually decreased during the period of 2000–2016, and would remain in a decreasing trend during 2017–2020 even if the measures implemented doubled the fallowing scale every year. Second, the spatial patterns of the cultivated land pressure between the provincial and prefectural scale show a similar overview, with some nuanced disparities. Finally, the five pilot provinces show various amplitudes of variation in cultivated land pressure, ranging from 0.017% to 9.027% under three fallow scale scenarios. Thus, the results of this research support the argument that fallow policy will not threaten food security at a national and provincial scale, based on the current fallow scale and enlargement pace. The deeper understanding of the impact of fallow policy provides a scientific reference for policymaking and calls for further studies focusing on a more comprehensive measurement of cultivated land pressure and optimization fallow scale.

Suggested Citation

  • Qingyuan Yang & Renhao Yang & Yahui Wang & Kaifang Shi, 2019. "Does Fallowing Cultivated Land Threaten Food Security? Empirical Evidence from Chinese Pilot Provinces," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-17, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:10:p:2836-:d:232301
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/10/2836/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/10/2836/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Liu, Luo & Liu, Zhenjie & Gong, Jianzhou & Wang, Lu & Hu, Yueming, 2019. "Quantifying the amount, heterogeneity, and pattern of farmland: Implications for China’s requisition-compensation balance of farmland policy," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 256-266.
    2. Hualin Xie & Lingjuan Cheng & Tiangui Lv, 2017. "Factors Influencing Farmer Willingness to Fallow Winter Wheat and Ecological Compensation Standards in a Groundwater Funnel Area in Hengshui, Hebei Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-18, May.
    3. Xie, Hualin & Wang, Wei & Zhang, Xinmin, 2018. "Evolutionary game and simulation of management strategies of fallow cultivated land: A case study in Hunan province, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 86-97.
    4. Qiu, Guo Yu & Zhang, Xiaonan & Yu, Xiaohui & Zou, Zhendong, 2018. "The increasing effects in energy and GHG emission caused by groundwater level declines in North China’s main food production plain," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 203(C), pages 138-150.
    5. Samuel T. Partey & Robert B. Zougmoré & Mathieu Ouédraogo & Naresh V. Thevathasan, 2017. "Why Promote Improved Fallows as a Climate-Smart Agroforestry Technology in Sub-Saharan Africa?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-12, October.
    6. Lu, Hua & Xie, Hualin & Lv, Tiangui & Yao, Guanrong, 2019. "Determinants of cultivated land recuperation in ecologically damaged areas in China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 160-166.
    7. Wang, Can & Siriwardana, Mahinda & Meng, Samuel, 2019. "Effects of the Chinese arable land fallow system and land-use change on agricultural production and on the economy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 186-197.
    8. Yong-sheng Wang, 2019. "The Challenges and Strategies of Food Security under Rapid Urbanization in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-11, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yuanqing Li & Kaifang Shi & Yahui Wang & Qingyuan Yang, 2021. "Quantifying and Evaluating the Cultivated Areas Suitable for Fallow in Chongqing of China Using Multisource Data," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-22, January.
    2. Dan Lu & Yahui Wang & Qingyuan Yang & Huiyan He & Kangchuan Su, 2019. "Exploring a Moderate Fallow Scale of Cultivated Land in China from the Perspective of Food Security," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-19, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chen, Xin & Jiang, Li & Zhang, Guoliang & Meng, Lijun & Pan, Zhihua & Lun, Fei & An, Pingli, 2021. "Green-depressing cropping system: A referential land use practice for fallow to ensure a harmonious human-land relationship in the farming-pastoral ecotone of northern China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    2. Mengba Liu & Anlu Zhang & Xiong Zhang & Yanfei Xiong, 2022. "Research on the Game Mechanism of Cultivated Land Ecological Compensation Standards Determination: Based on the Empirical Analysis of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-29, September.
    3. Xie, Hualin & Cheng, Lingjuan & Lu, Hua, 2018. "Farmers’ responses to the winter wheat fallow policy in the groundwater funnel area of China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 195-204.
    4. Yun Teng & Peiwen Lin, 2022. "Research on Behavioral Decision-Making of Subjects on Cultivated Land Conservation under the Goal of Carbon Neutrality," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-25, September.
    5. Yunxian Yan & Lingqing Wang & Jun Yang, 2022. "The Willingness and Technology Preferences of Farmers and Their Influencing Factors for Soil Remediation," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-15, October.
    6. Mengling Tian & Yangyang Zheng, 2022. "How to Promote the Withdrawal of Rural Land Contract Rights? An Evolutionary Game Analysis Based on Prospect Theory," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-27, July.
    7. Zhifei Liu & Qianru Chen & Hualin Xie, 2018. "Influence of the Farmer’s Livelihood Assets on Livelihood Strategies in the Western Mountainous Area, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-12, March.
    8. Jiale Liang & Sipei Pan & Wanxu Chen & Jiangfeng Li & Ting Zhou, 2021. "Cultivated Land Fragmentation and Its Influencing Factors Detection: A Case Study in Huaihe River Basin, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-25, December.
    9. Wei Song, 2019. "Mapping Cropland Abandonment in Mountainous Areas Using an Annual Land-Use Trajectory Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-24, October.
    10. Min Jiang & Xiubin Li & Liangjie Xin & Minghong Tan & Wen Zhang, 2023. "Impacts of Rice Cropping System Changes on Paddy Methane Emissions in Southern China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-13, January.
    11. Qianru Chen & Hualin Xie & Qunli Zhai, 2022. "Management Policy of Farmers’ Cultivated Land Abandonment Behavior Based on Evolutionary Game and Simulation Analysis," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-23, February.
    12. Wang, Can & Deng, Mengzhi & Deng, Junfeng, 2020. "Factor reallocation and structural transformation implications of grain subsidies in China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    13. Nabavi-Pelesaraei, Ashkan & Azadi, Hossein & Van Passel, Steven & Saber, Zahra & Hosseini-Fashami, Fatemeh & Mostashari-Rad, Fatemeh & Ghasemi-Mobtaker, Hassan, 2021. "Prospects of solar systems in production chain of sunflower oil using cold press method with concentrating energy and life cycle assessment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 223(C).
    14. Xie, Hualin & Wang, Wei & Zhang, Xinmin, 2018. "Evolutionary game and simulation of management strategies of fallow cultivated land: A case study in Hunan province, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 86-97.
    15. Yu, Zhenning & She, Shuoqi & Xia, Chuyu & Luo, Jiaojiao, 2023. "How to solve the dilemma of China’s land fallow policy: Application of voluntary bidding mode in the Yangtze River Delta of China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    16. Chen, Yuangong & Chen, Wenli & Gong, Jianzhou & Yuan, Haiwei, 2023. "Uncommonly known change characteristics of land use pattern in Guangdong Province–Hong Kong–Macao, China: Space time pattern, terrain gradient effects and policy implication," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    17. Nong, Duy & Nguyen, Duong Binh & Nguyen, Trung H. & Wang, Can & Siriwardana, Mahinda, 2020. "A stronger energy strategy for a new era of economic development in Vietnam: A quantitative assessment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    18. Lei Gao & Zhen-Yu Zhao, 2020. "The Evolutionary Game of Stakeholders’ Coordination Mechanism of New Energy Power Construction PPP Project: A China Case," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-24, February.
    19. Kuang, Bing & Han, Jing & Lu, Xinhai & Zhang, Xupeng & Fan, Xiangyu, 2020. "Quantitative evaluation of China’s cultivated land protection policies based on the PMC-Index model," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    20. Ligang Lyu & Zhoubing Gao & Hualou Long & Xiaorui Wang & Yeting Fan, 2021. "Farmland Use Transition in a Typical Farming Area: The Case of Sihong County in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-16, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:10:p:2836-:d:232301. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.