The Relationship between Farmland Abandonment and Urbanization Processes: A Case Study in Four Chinese Urban Agglomerations

Nan Zheng, Le Li (), Lijian Han, Xiufang Zhu, Kefei Zhao, Ziyang Zhu and Xiaolan Ye
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Nan Zheng: School of Management, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510520, China
Le Li: School of Management, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510520, China
Lijian Han: State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
Xiufang Zhu: State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Kefei Zhao: School of Management, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510520, China
Ziyang Zhu: Key Laboratory of Natural Resources Monitoring in Tropical and Subtropical Area of South China, Ministry of Natural Resources, Guangzhou 510663, China
Xiaolan Ye: School of Management, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510520, China

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-22

Abstract: Clarifying the relationship between urbanization and farmland abandonment in urban agglomerations (UAs) is crucial to guide the formulation of arable land management policies and strategies for sustainable urban development. Despite numerous studies confirming the correlation between farmland abandonment and certain urbanization factors, the exploration of the patterns and underlying mechanisms of farmland abandonment in China’s UAs remains worthy of systematic investigation. In this study, we conducted an analysis of the spatiotemporal trends in farmland abandonment and examined the key drivers of farmland abandonment in four representative Chinese UAs—Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH), Chengdu–Chongqing (CC), Pearl River Delta (PRD), and Yangtze River Delta (YRD). Our findings reveal that farmland abandonment has been intensified with increasing fragmentation and aggregation patches across these UAs. Abandonment experience was the main driver of continuous abandonment. Moreover, natural conditions persistently influenced farmland abandonment in the BTH, while land urbanization and economic urbanization were predominant drivers in the CC. The abandonment in the PRD was mainly driven by population urbanization, while the abandonment in the YRD was primarily driven by economic urbanization and land urbanization. The research findings provide data support and scientific explanation for land policy-making in these typical UAs under different development strategies.

Keywords: abandoned farmland; urbanization; driving factor; urban agglomeration; landscape pattern (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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