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It is important to study the temporal and spatial change characteristics and the decreasing trend in cultivated land in China in the past decades, analyze the core influencing factors of the cultivated land decrease, and understand the regularity and trend in the cultivated land change. This study has important guiding significance for ensuring food security in China and optimizing and adjusting the pattern of land spatial development and utilization. Based on the data of China’s urban cultivated land change from 1990 to 2022, this study analyzes the pattern of cultivated land protection and destruction in China from the perspective of the total cultivated land change, the increase and decrease evolution characteristics, and future trends and determines the main driving factors of cultivated land destruction in the process of urbanization. The results show the following: (1) The goal of the dynamic balance policy of cultivated land in China from 1990 to 2022 has been basically achieved, but regional differences still exist, which show a spatial pattern of planar contraction and belt growth. There is a new feature of a “southwest, northwest, and northeast” increase, while there is a “central” decrease. (2) Cultivated land has gradually shown a trend of growth rather than contraction, the cultivated land contraction shows a trend of crossing the “Hu–Huanyong Line” and moving westward, and the center of gravity of the cultivated land contraction has shifted to the periphery of the Chengdu–Chongqing area. The cultivated land growth shows a trend of moving southeast across the “Hu–Huanyong Line”, and developed provinces such as Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang have gradually become the new centers of cultivated land growth. This coincides with the strict implementation of basic cultivated land protection policies in developed areas of China in recent years. (3) Factors such as the urban population size, economic level, agricultural scale, industrial structure, and other types of land scale have different degrees of impact on the destruction and restoration of cultivated land.

Cultivated land utilization around the world is accompanied by the cultivated land fragmentation, which is a significant agricultural feature of countries with economies in transition. Thereby, governments of the PRC have successively promulgated a series of relevant policies to promote the cultivated land transfer (CLT) and stimulate the transformation of cultivated land utilization to be both green and efficient. In the context of large-scale CLT and the implementation of a rural revitalization strategy for China, it is of great significance to explore the effect of CLT on cultivated land green utilization efficiency (CLGUE). In this work, 30 provinces of China were selected as the objects of investigation; the super-efficiency SBM model was used to evaluate CLGUE; the mediation effect model and threshold regression model were used to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the CLT’s influence on CLGUE. According to the results of this study, the following conclusions were drawn. First of all, the CLGUE in China as a whole showed an upward trend improvement from 2005 to 2019. Due to the different natural and economic conditions, the CLGUE trends showed significant spatial disparities at both the grain functional areas level and provincial level. Secondly, the CLT could promote CLGUE directly, and the mediation regression results demonstrated that CLT was able to enhance CLGUE indirectly through the mediator of cultivated land management scale. Thirdly, the threshold effect test confirmed the existence of a single threshold, indicating that when the level of CLT gradually crossed the threshold, the promotion effects of CLT on CLGUE would slow down. Lastly, the heterogeneity analysis indicated that the promotion effects of CLT on CLGUE in different geographical location areas and grain functional areas were positive, and that there were significant differences in regression coefficients.

To realize maximum benefits and minimize environment pollution, the eco-efficiency of cultivated land utilization (ECLU) is becoming a vital indicator in weighing the rationality of regional land use. Scientific analysis of spatial–temporal pattern variations, as well as factors influencing the ECLU, is of great significance to cultivated land protection, economic development and ecological environment protection in black soil region of Northeast China, and has become a global strategic issue related to the sustainable development. However, assessments of the indicators are still incomplete, the lack of information may inhibit planning guideline for the sustainable development of cultivated land resources. Thus, this study attempts to fill the gaps by incorporating the net carbon sink and non-point source pollution emissions into the measurement framework of ECLU. The super-efficiency slack-based measure (SBM) model with undesirable output and the Malmquist–Luenberger (ML) index were used to measure the ECLU and changes in the total factor productivity (TFP) of cultivated land use in the Songnen Plain from 1989 to 2019. Moran index and LISA clustering were used to reveal spatial correlation of ECLU, and Kernel density estimation, and trend surface analysis maps were drawn to analyze variation tendency of the ECLU. Geographical detector model was employed to further analyze the influencing factors of ECLU. The study results revealed that: (1) The ECLU showed an overall development trend of \"rising first and then declining\", all of which were below the frontier efficiency. (2) The polarization of ECLU is prominent, and the ECLU had a significant heterogeneity and spatial correlation. (3) The TFP showing an increasing trend, technological progress is the main driving force to promote the progress of TFP, while the technological efficiency is the bottleneck for increasing the TFP of the cultivated land use. (4) According to the magnitude of influencing factor, increasing agricultural science and technology investments, lowering carbon emission, and controlling agrochemical investment could significantly enhance the ECLU. These findings have important implications for promoting high-efficient, low-carbon utilization of cultivated land resources and sustainable regional development in black soil region of Northeast China.

To date, scholars have increasingly focused on the reduction in crop yields caused by cultivated land fragmentation, yet its effects on the ecological efficiency of cultivated land use are often overlooked. This oversight leads to land resource waste and environmental pollution. It is essential to explore this problem to achieve moderate-scale farming operations and promote the green transformation of agricultural land. This study theoretically analyzed the mechanisms by which cultivated land fragmentation and management scales influence the ecological efficiency of cultivated land use. Based on 2023 household data from Changde and Shaoyang, China, empirical tests were conducted using the stochastic frontier analysis method, Tobit model, and structural equation model. The research results indicate that: (1) The mean ecological efficiency of cultivated land use among the total sample households was 0.822, and the eco-efficiency in the plains was slightly lower than that in the hilly areas. (2) The scale of cultivated land management played a moderating role in the impact of cultivated land fragmentation on ecological efficiency, with differences observed between topographical types. The scale of management can offset part of the negative impact of cultivated land fragmentation on the ecological efficiency of cultivated land use. (3) Regarding the impact of cultivated land fragmentation on the ecological efficiency of cultivated land use, cultivated land management scale changes play a complete mediating role. These findings help provide policy implications to improve the ecological efficiency of cultivated land use. Policy support should be strengthened by promoting moderate-scale cultivated land operations, enhancing the comprehensive remediation of cultivated land fragmentation, and developing skilled farmers for long-term environmental sustainability.

As the second largest island in Japan, Hokkaido provides precious land resources for the Japanese people. Meanwhile, as the food base of Japan, the gradual decrease of the agricultural population and more intensive agricultural practices on Hokkaido have led its arable land use to change year by year, which has also caused changes to the whole land use pattern of the entire island of Hokkaido. To realize the sustainable use of land resources in Hokkaido, past and future changes in land use patterns must be investigated, and target-based land use planning suggestions should be given on this basis. This study uses remote sensing and GIS technology to analyze the temporal and spatial changes of land use in Hokkaido during the past two decades. The types of land use include cultivated land, forest, waterbody, construction, grassland, and others, by using the satellite images of the Landsat images in 2000, 2010, and 2019 to achieve this goal to make classification. In addition, this study used the coupled Markov-FLUS model to simulate and analyze the land use changes in three different scenarios in Hokkaido in the next 20 years. Scenario-based situational analysis shows that the cultivated land in Hokkaido will drop by about 25% in 2040 under the natural development scenario (ND), while the cultivated land area in Hokkaido will remain basically unchanged in cultivated land protection scenario (CP). In forest protection scenario (FP), the area of forest in Hokkaido will increase by 1580.8 km2. It is believed that the findings reveal that the forest land in Hokkaido has been well protected in the past and will be protected well in the next 20 years. However, in land use planning for future, Hokkaido government and enterprises should pay more attention to the protection of cultivated land.

With rapid socioeconomic and population growth, high-quality arable land resources are decreasing daily, especially in arid areas, which makes arable land reserve resources an important way to supplement arable land. How to accurately evaluate cultivated land reserve resources is of great significance to socioeconomic development and sustainable land use in arid areas. Therefore, this study selected Hangjin Banner as a typical area and calculated the regional maximum available irrigation water based on the principle of regional water balance. Then, the \"irrigation area check algorithm\" was used to evaluate the amount of cultivated land reserve resources, and policy recommendations were proposed for the development and utilization of cultivated land resources. The results showed that Hangjin Banner had no cultivated land reserve resources under the current irrigation method and had cultivated land reserve resources under the efficient water-saving irrigation method, but only in the southern zone during normal and partially abundant water years. Therefore, we believe that arid areas should adhere to the \"set land by water\" principle, the allocation of water resources should be optimized, and cultivated land resources with high quality should be utilized based on the actual regional conditions.

Sustainable intensification of cultivated land use (SICLU) and large-scale operations (LSO) are widely acknowledged strategies for enhancing agricultural performance. However, the existing literature has faced challenges in precisely defining SICLU and constructing comprehensive indicators, which has hindered the exploration of factors influencing LSO within the SICLU framework. To address this gap, we integrated self-efficacy theory into the design of an index framework for evaluating SICLU. We subsequently employed econometric models to analyze the significant factors that impact LSO. Our findings reveal that SICLU can be divided into four key dimensions: intensive management, efficient output, resource conservation, and ecological environment optimization. Furthermore, it is crucial to incorporate belief-based cognitive factors into the index system, as farmers’ understanding of fertilizer and pesticide application significantly influences their willingness to engage in LSO. Moreover, we identify grain market turnover as the most influential factor in promoting LSO, with single-factor contribution rates reaching 70.9% for cultivated land transfer willingness and 62.5% for the total planting areas. Interestingly, unlike irrigation and agricultural machinery inputs, increased labor inputs correspond to larger planting areas for farmers. This trend may be attributed to reduced labor availability because of rural labor migration, whereas the reduction in irrigation and agricultural input is contingent on innovations in production practices and the transfer of cultivated land management rights. Importantly, SICLU dynamically influences LSO, with each index related to SICLU having an optimal range that fosters LSO. These insights offer valuable guidance for policymakers, emphasizing farmers as their central focus, with the adjustment of input and output factors as a means to achieve LSO as the ultimate goal. In conclusion, we propose research avenues for further enriching the SICLU framework to ensure that it aligns with the specific characteristics of regional agricultural development.

Spatio-temporal changes in cultivated land have a profound impact on food security and sustainable development. However, existing studies on spatio-temporal changes in cultivated land mostly focus on single factors, for instance quantity, quality and ecology, that cannot comprehensively reflect the changes in total production capacity and the sustainability of cultivated land. This study aims to construct a comprehensive analysis approach and to provide a reference basis for a comprehensive analysis of the extent of changes in overall cultivated land food-production capacity and the formulation of cultivated land conservation-related policies. This comprehensive analysis method constructed from three dimensions: quantity, production capacity and ecology, fully reflects the changes in the total amount, structure, rate of change, spatial distribution, quality, total production capacity and sustainability of cultivated land. The results from the application of this approach to Long’an County, Guangxi Province, China demonstrate that: (a) from 2010 to 2020, the total amount of cultivated land in Long’an County decreased sharply by 30.83%, accounted for mainly by the conversion into orchards, forest land and other garden land; (b) the quality of cultivated land improved by 2.71% on average, mostly in relation to natural factors; (c) the total food-production capacity of cultivated land decreased by 28.96% on average, mainly due to the decrease in the area of cultivated land; (d) both the ecological grade and the sustainability of cultivated land decreased slightly; (e) the barycenter of cultivated land migrated 3.3 km to the ecologically sensitive areas in the west, and the patch size of cultivated land decreased from an average of 2.60 hectares/pc in 2010 to that of 1.34 hectares/pc in 2020, suggesting increased fragmentation of cultivated land; and (f) the patch regularity of cultivated land decreased from 2.08 in 2010 to 1.76 in 2020, showing improved patch regularity and slightly better adaptability to mechanization. There were two main reasons for the lower, total food production capacity in Long’an County: first, the low comparative income of grain cultivation, because of which farmers spontaneously adjusted the agricultural cultivation structure to pursue high returns; and second, the lack of targeted government policies to protect cultivated land. In general, this comprehensive analysis method is applicable to other provinces in China or other regions abroad to provide a reference basis for a comprehensive understanding of changes in the food production capacity of cultivated land and the formulation of policies on cultivated land protection.

Cultivated land quality is an essential agricultural resource and production element. To increase cultivated land quality in a targeted way, it is crucial to understand the features of regional elements that constrain its quality. In order to diagnose the restriction factors affecting the improvement of cultivated land quality grades and conduct a quantitative analysis of the regional cultivated land quality improvement restriction factors, the restriction index model was used in this study to analyze the distribution characteristics of cultivated land quality grades in East Anhui, China. The results show that there are six main restriction factors of cultivated land quality in the study area, which are effective soil layer thickness, soil organic matter, soil acidity and alkalinity, plough layer texture, irrigation capacity, drainage capacity, and obstacle factors, among which the main restriction factors of the first to third grades are soil organic matter, soil acidity and alkalinity, and the main restriction factors of the fourth to seventh grades are soil organic matter, and soil acidity and alkalinity. The main restriction factors of the soil organic matter, effective soil layer thickness, and obstacle factors are the key restriction factors in the ninth to tenth classes.

In recent decades, human activities have significantly influenced land use/land cover. Identifying pattern changes in regional land use/land cover and their drivers is crucial for land use planning and management decision making. This study aims to (1) describe land use/land cover changes that have taken place in Nigeria in the study period of 10 years (2000–2010), (2) determine the factors that drive those changes with emphasis on transition to cultivated land use and (3) examine the spatiotemporal intensity of land use. The study utilized the GlobeLand30 land cover datasets produced by the National Geomatics Center of China. We used the spatial calculating analysis model to analyse land use/land cover change, logistic regression to model drivers of cultivated land expansion and land use intensity comprehensive index model to examine the intensity of land use. Our results revealed that (1) conversions to cultivated land dominate the land use/land cover change processes and expansion was largely at the detriment of the grassland, shrubland and forests; (2) biophysical, socio-economic and proximity factors are significant determinants of transition to cultivated land use. Population density is negatively related to cultivated land expansion, which suggests labour scarcity in the agricultural sector that can consequently result into low productivity and (3) significant discrepancies exist in the intensity of land use between the southern and northern regions of the country. Policy measures aimed at improving agricultural productivity remain one of the best ways to reduce pressure on increasingly scarce land resource and conserve natural ecosystems in Nigeria.