Impacts of in situ urbanisation on non-grain production of cultivated
land: Evidence from the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China
Abstract
The increasing phenomenon of non-grain production of cultivated land
(NGPCL) in China poses a threat to food security and the rural
ecological environment. The continued in situ urbanisation (ISU) of
China’s counties has changed the pattern of arable land use and the
structure of crop cultivation. However, to date, relatively few studies
have focused on the impact of ISU on NGPCL, posing a challenge in
rationally regulating NGPCL at different stages of urbanisation.
Therefore, we investigated the ISU process and NGPCL in 781 counties
within China’s Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) and analysed these
dynamics using a segmented linear regression model. Our main finding is
that both ISU and NGPCL levels have increased in the YREB during the
study period, with the two showing a reversed trend in the east-west
direction. In addition, ISU has a significant negative effect on NGPCL,
particularly strong in the dimension of land urbanisation. This negative
effect is mitigated as the quality of urbanisation improves over time.
The results of this study provide insights into the internal mechanisms
driving the evolution of the NGPCL at different stages of urbanisation
in these districts and help find solutions to ensure food security and
sustainable agricultural development.