A Modeling Approach for Farmland Protection Zoning Considering Spatial Heterogeneity: A Case Study of E-Zhou City, China

Jianhua He, Xiaodong Guan and Yan Yu
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Jianhua He: School of Resource & Environment Science, Wuhan University, 129 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430079, China
Xiaodong Guan: Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
Yan Yu: School of Resource & Environment Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, 122 Luoshi Road, Wuhan 430072, China

Sustainability, 2016, vol. 8, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: Farmland protection in China is facing multiple pressures, including urbanization, population growth and ecological degradation. Primary farmland zoning was introduced as a basic state policy to ensure national food security. Previous studies about “primary farmland zoning” have always taken the factors as global linear variables, neglecting the spatial heterogeneity of the study areas. Based on the Development Priority Zoning (DPZ) strategy, we present a zoning approach using Bayesian networks (BNs) for considering regional differences. The networks were developed using quantitative biophysical and economic variables from multi-scale and historical change data of farmland. The simulated results substantiate that this method can ensure the agricultural quality, stability and connectivity of primary farmland. Furthermore, it can further optimize the spatial allocation of primary farmland to meet the development conditions and trends of different sub-regions, promoting the balance between the farmland protection, urban development and ecological protection of certain regions.

Keywords: farmland preservation zoning; spatial heterogeneity; Bayesian network; multi-scale; land use change; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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