What motivates farmers to participate in sustainable agriculture? Evidence and policy implications

Sustained growth in agricultural productivity has become an ideal model and a political goal of agricultural development in China. Local participation is essential for the implementation of sustainable agriculture strategy. We conducted a case study in Hailun County, an important grain production base in China, to find ways to motivate farmers to participate in sustainable agriculture. We obtained data from semi-structured interviews of 98 households using participatory rural appraisal methods. Logistic regression models were used to explore factors that underlie farmers' attitudes towards agricultural production and their environmental awareness. Results indicated that low agricultural economic efficiency could result in less enthusiasm for agriculture among local farmers. This is a potential risk for China's food security and sustainable agricultural development. The backward development of the rural economy limited improvement of farmers' environmental awareness. Moreover, poor rural labour quality implied a lack of local participation in sustainable agriculture. Suggestions for sustainable agricultural development include establishment of a reasonable market and agricultural subsidy mechanisms, basic and vocational education for young adults, effective agricultural instruction and environmental education agencies and two-way communication mechanisms.     

经济全球化背景下中国农业生态学面临的新问题与新任务

中国农业发展正呈现现代化、结构优化、产业化、标准化、信息化、生态良性化等发展趋势。在经济全球化背景下 ,中国加入WTO后 ,农业生态学也面临着新的问题和任务 ,主要包括 :(1 )农业结构调整中的生态学问题 ;(2 )农业生物安全问题 ;(3)食物安全与生态农业建设问题 ;(4)农业资源与物种多样性保护问题 ;(5)农业生态管理与生态补偿问题 ;(6)农业与农村生态环境建设与生态恢复问题 ;(7)农业人口迁移与城市化过程中的生态学问题 ;(8)贫困地区的农业生态经济与可持续发展问题     

保护耕地:问题、症结和途径——谈我国1.2亿公顷耕地的警戒线

我国是一个土地资源紧缺的国家,文章首先指出目前耕地占用严重;占用好地的状况是:东部占用比西部严重,城郊占用比农村严重,平原占用比山区严重,占高补低造成耕地隐性流失。另外,土壤退化也吞噬了一部分耕地。认为问题的症结在于地方政府眼前经济利益的驱动。指出根本的出路在于完善土地法规,规范监督机制、科学制订规划并依法执行,依靠科技加强土地监测,而最重要的是提高全民保护耕地的意识。     

A sustainability assessment of a high-yield agroecosystem in Huantai County,China

Sustainable agricultural development is a perennial issue for agricultural researchers, government managers, and policy makers worldwide, but especially in developing countries. In China, farms in Shandong Province epitomize modern agriculture and play a vital role in providing food for the burgeoning population. However, Chinese agriculture is being challenged by declining resources and environmental deterioration resulting from modern farming practices. China must establish an efficient agricultural sustainability index (ASI) to evaluate agricultural conditions and offer recommendations for sustainable development. Here, we use Huantai County, Shandong Province to test a regionalscale ASI from social, economic and ecological factors that includes 11 sustainability indicators. To further evaluate the complex agroecosystem, we employed the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and AMOEBA methods to assess agricultural sustainability from 1982 to 2003. The results show that environmental problems, especially groundwater depletion, are limiting regional sustainable development.     

The potential role of virtual water in solving water scarcity and food security problems in China

Water, as a source of food security, plays an essential role in ensuring sustainable food resources for a growing population. However, water scarcity has increasingly become a constraint to economic development, particularly food production. The water-food challenge is impending because of China's increasing population and water demand. The concept of virtual water is useful to analyze this problem. In this paper, the implications and policy relevance of virtual water are expounded. Based on imported food volumes, it is calculated that an annual average of 10.52 × 10⁹ m³ of virtual water embodied in imported wheat and maize in the period between 1990 and 2000 is equivalent to 23% of the annual average transfer water volume of the South-North Water Transfer (SNWT) project. Consequently, this 29.3 × 10⁶ ha of virtual land is equivalent to 19% of China's arable land in 2000. Using the grain import prediction and the agricultural production conditions of China, the virtual water equivalents of China in 2010 and 2020 are evaluated, and are about 88 × 10⁹ m³ in 2010 and 95 × 10⁹ m³ in 2020, respectively. Importing virtual water embedded in traded food can alleviate water stress and even achieve food security. Virtual water trade may compensate for water demands for not only the past but also the future. Meanwhile, water trade can store water in its virtual water form, enabling food storage to play a potential role in solving food problems, as well as promoting sustainability of water resources in China.     

An assessment of the causes and consequences of agricultural land abandonment in Europe

ABSTRACT

The agriculture sector is the principal source of income for around 20% of the EU-26 population, which live in predominantly rural regions that would be devastated without its contribution. Moreover, the combined agricultural and food sector forms an important part of the EU economy, accounting for 15 million jobs (8.3% of total employment) and 4.4% of GDP. The 12 million active farmers across Europe today, have an average farm size of about 15 ha, and are expected to meet the needs of 500 million Europeans. In addition, they are also expected to promote a sustainable and balanced development of their land, also in areas where production conditions are difficult. Yet, despite the relevance of the sector, the use of land for agriculture purposes is not very sustainable. Among other issues, there is a serious problem in respect of the abandonment of agricultural land. Based on the perceived need for research on this topic, the aim of this paper is to examine the causes and consequences of agricultural land abandonment, outlining its social, economic and environmental impacts, as well as the implications for territorial integration.     

Temporal and spatial patterns and driving factors of cultivated land change in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau北大核心CSCD

随着经济快速发展、城镇化进程加快以及人口基数不断增加,在城市用地不断向外扩张以及生态退耕措施的影响下,耕地面积呈逐年减小的趋势.这一现象加剧了农业发展与其他要素间的矛盾,对区域粮食安全也产生重要影响,因此,探讨耕地面积时空变化及其驱动机制对保障区域粮食安全具有现实意义.分析青藏高原地区1980年、1990年、2000年、2010年、2018年的耕地面积数据,结合户籍人口、地区生产总值(GDP)、粮食单产等统计年鉴资料解析影响其变化的主要驱动因子.结果表明:(1)青藏高原近40年耕地面积变化总体经历缓慢增加、显著增加和缓慢递减3个阶段,整个变化过程中耕地主要流失方向为林地和草地,分别占总流失面积的50.99%和32.02%,主要原因为退耕还林还草等政策的实施,其次为建设用地和水域增加.(2)耕地转为非耕地的地区主要集中在四川西部、云南西北部、青海东部,而耕地转入地区主要集中在青藏高原中部.以地市州来看,拉萨、海东、海西、阿坝、林芝等地区耕地面积变化特征以缓慢递增为主;西宁、黄南、甘孜、甘南等地区的耕地面积则呈缓慢递减的变化趋势.(3)主成分分析和结构方程模型结果显示影响耕地面积减少的主要驱动因素包括经济社会发展和粮食生产.其中经济和社会因素对耕地面积变化产生的影响为负值,社会因素产生的负影响最大,为-0.224,人口基数增长、建设用地扩张、土地利用转型要求以及二、三产业红利的吸引都会导致耕地面积减小.本研究揭示了青藏高原地区近40年耕地变化情况及流失方向,耕地面积波动主要受到经济社会因素以及政策因素的影响;上述结果可为今后国家粮食安全及当地生态环境可持续发展提供理论参考.(图7表8参45)     

依靠科技进步 发展低碳农业

在全球携手应对气候变暖、减少温室气体排放的背景下,发展低碳经济是解决气候变化与经济发展矛盾的有效途径。通过描述气候变化、固碳减排对粮食安全、土壤碳汇、森林固碳、资源循环利用等影响和促进作用,深入分析发展低碳经济与可持续发展的关系,探讨如何在农业领域内开发高效循环生产体系,从而实现农业生产过程的固碳减排目的。由此,提出发展低碳农业是实现低碳经济的目标之一,它是一个复合技术体系,涉及了绿色农业、循环农业、生态文明、可持续发展理念。必须通过科学技术的突破,改造、提升低碳农业技术,改变农业现有的＂高能耗、高污染＂的生产状况,实现低碳生产、生活方式的转变。最后提出发展现代的低碳农业产业经济的对策和思考。     

中国西北地区生态农业发展模式

本文以西北地区五个生态农业试点县为例，通过对这一地区的生态环境、社会经济基本情况与特点及生态农业建设情况的研究，探讨了在这一地区发展生态农业的模式与前景。     

Traditional agriculture in transition: examining the impacts of agricultural modernization on smallholder farming in Ghana under the new Green Revolution

Following the renewed effort at achieving a new green revolution for Africa, emphasis has been placed on modernizing smallholder agriculture through the deployment of improved inputs especially mechanized technologies. In Ghana, the government has in the last decade emphasized the provision of subsidized mechanized ploughing services to farmers alongside a rapidly growing private sector tractor service market. While mechanized technology adoption rates have increased rapidly, the deployment of these technologies has been without critical analysis of the impacts on production patterns and local agrarian systems. This paper examines the distributional impacts of agriculture mechanization on cropping patterns and farm sizes of smallholder farmers in northern Ghana using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques, and semi-structured interviews with smallholder farmers (n=60). Specifically, comparative analysis of the field sizes and cropping patterns of participant farmers prior to and after the adoption of mechanized technologies was conducted. In-depth interviews were used to contextualize the experiences of smallholder farmers toward understanding how mechanization may be impacting traditional agriculture. Our findings reveal a mechanization paradox in which farm sizes are expanding, while cropping patterns are shifting away from traditional staple crops (pearl millet and sorghum bicolor) to market-oriented crops (maize, rice and groundnuts). This transition we argue, has adverse implications on the cultural dimension of food security, the organization of social life, and climate change adaptation. We recommend a retooling of the current agricultural policy focus to ensure context sensitivity for a more robust battle against food insecurity.     

中国土地盐碱化及其防治对策研究

中国盐碱地面积为３６３０万ｈｍ２，土地盐碱化是农业生态环境退化的重大问题之一。土地盐碱化治理和预防对中国干旱、半干旱和半湿润地区农业生态系统退化防治、农业生态环境保护和未来食物安全性具有非常重要的实践意义。本文简要评述了我国土地盐碱化的历史及发展趋势以及土地盐碱化可能造成的土地面积、生产力和经济损失；在对土地盐碱化发生和发展的技术和社会经济原因，以及现有技术、管理、政策和法律法规进行系统评述的基础上，提出了我国土地盐碱化防治的区域战略、技术政策、管理政策、法律法规及经济激励手段。     

Moving towards sustainable development: rhetoric,policy and reality of ecological agriculture in China

Past decades have witnessed the rise of sustainable agriculture movements throughout the world. In parallel with this international trend, ecological agriculture (with essential goals of food security, rural employment, poverty alleviation, natural resource management and environmental protection) has been advocated as a workable approach for the realization of sustainable agriculture in China. Two decades of ecological agricultural development have shown that it not only gained legitimacy at the senior policy level but also became a focus of scientific research in fields such as ecological economics, ecology, and agricultural and environmental sciences. However, this endeavour is hardly known in the West and little attention has been paid so far to examining the broader politico-economic and sociocultural contexts within which it has evolved. This paper attempts to provide a general review of the emerging background, development history, policy initiatives and recent tendencies of ecological agriculture. In addition, the extant problems and potential contributions of this alternative practice to China's sustainable agricultural development are discussed. The purpose of this study is to identify the gap between the policy rhetoric and practical implementation of Chinese ecological agriculture and therefore to facilitate its moving towards sustainable development.     

Remote sensing of global change: growth in China's Jiangsu Province

SUMMARY

This paper examines how remote-sensing data and regional social and economic data can be used together to identify changes in land-use patterns in particular regions. Study of the spatiotemporal dynamics of remote-sensing data can identify trends in competing uses of land, water and other natural resources for agriculture, industrial development and urban settlements. When combined with information on trends in industrial production, population, agricultural production, pollutant releases, water usage and natural forest coverage, these data reveal patterns of anthropogenic disturbance that can provide early signals of problems in resource decline or land-use management. This study focuses on land-cover changes in southern Jiangsu Province of the People's Republic of China between 1976 and 1984. This region, to the west of Shanghai and to the south of the Yangtze River, experienced unprecedented economic growth after the end of the Cultural Revolution. Remote-sensing imagery reveals the rapid growth of urban centres, commensurate declines in surface water area, and changing patterns of agriculture. The observed changes cast doubt on the ability of the region to sustain such rapid and intense land-use conflicts over a long period.     

Technical efficiency analysis of the conversion of cropland to forestland program in Jiangxi,Shaanxi, and Sichuan

Conversion of Cropland to Forestland Program (CCFP) has greatly impacted China’s agricultural sector, and more specifically rural farmers. While changes in living standards as a result of the implementation of the CCFP have been analyzed, little research has been conducted regarding the impacts of such policies on farming operations. As agriculture contributes nearly 10% of national GDP, it is important to analyze the implications of policies on a national industry. An input-oriented data envelopment analysis (DEA) model was used to examine the technical efficiency of farming operations following implementation of the CCFP, using survey data from farmers in Jiangxi, Shaanxi, and Sichuan provinces. Additionally, the impact of factors such as urbanization, age and education, and land fragmentation was examined with respect to farming operational efficiency. Scale inefficiency was found to have the greatest effect on overall inefficiency in farming operations in comparison to pure technical inefficiency, which was largely influenced by the presence and degree of land fragmentation of land holdings. Findings can be used to inform national land-use policies facilitating land fragmentation in China and address gaps in existing broader level studies that utilize non-parametric approaches to examine the technical efficiency of Chinese farmers affected by the CCFP.     

Spatial evolution and specialization division of crop planting structure in counties of Tibet,China北大核心CSCD

从农业区域系统的角度分析农作物的空间集聚和专业化,可为农业产业结构调整及优化提供决策依据.以西藏粮食作物、油料作物、蔬菜和饲草4类作物为研究对象,基于1995-2020年西藏农业统计年鉴农作物播种面积数据分析西藏农作物种植面积时序变化,基于1995-2018年统计年鉴农作物播种面积数据和74个县域空间单元,综合运用重心模型、基尼系数、区位熵及空间自相关模型,通过ArcGIS软件分析西藏作物种植空间变化及专业化格局.结果显示:(1)西藏粮食作物种植面积占比历年均占绝对优势,但呈逐年下降趋势,油料作物种植面积整体呈波动性小幅上升,蔬菜和青饲料种植面积逐年明显增长.粮食作物、经济作物(含油料作物和蔬菜)、饲料作物比例从1995年的86:12:2调整到2020年的68:17:14.(2)1995-2015年间西藏粮食和油料生产重心较为稳定,未出现较大范围的地理迁移,其他农作物重心迁移距离较大,从东南向西北迁移416.7 km.(3)西藏农作物均呈现一定程度的空间集聚和区域专业化生产格局,但在研究期内生产集聚及专业化水平呈下降趋势.(4)将西藏粮食、油料和其他农作物划分为绝对优势区、比较优势区、优势衰退区、潜力优势区、不具优势区、优势退出区、可种植区和无种植区8种类型.本研究表明西藏农作物种植结构调整明显,基于生产格局及演变趋势划定了专业化分区,可引导农作物生产布局优化,对有效保障西藏地区粮食安全具有重要意义.(图6表5参26)     

小城镇复合生态系统能值整合研究

运用能值理论和方法,以湖北省小城镇(大悟县)为案例,对其复合生态系统进行研究,以了解系统的能流结构和特点,为系统持续发展提供科学指导。研究结果表明,该系统能值自给率68.42%,对外界依赖性低,经济安全性高;但人均能值用量和能值密度较低,系统经济不发达。不可更新资源占能值总用量63.51%,属于资源消耗型的经济模式,环境压力较大,不利于区域可持续发展,今后应增加可更新资源的利用,提高不可更新资源的利用效率,增加科技投入,促进该区域可持续发展。     

中国大气降尘地域性分布特征研究

为了研究中国大气降尘量的地域性分布特征,探讨大气降尘的影响因素,文章以中国大气降尘研究为基础,汇总近20年25个行政区44个地区的降尘量数据,以10 t·km-2·month-1为间隔首次划分降尘区间,为中国降尘量标准的制定提供参考。中国大气降尘现有研究多集中在东北部、中东部地区以及西北沙漠地区,降尘量整体分布为北方高于南方,西部多于东部。除涉及强沙尘暴袭击区域外,现有研究区域的降尘量算术平均值为14.73 t·km-2·month-1,53.7%的研究区域降尘量小于该平均值。降尘量少于20 t·km-2·month-1的地区多集中于沿海地区、长江中下游地区以及东北平原地区,此类地区多为旅游景区和重要的商品粮产地,植被覆盖率较高,水土保持性能良好,且不易有较大的风沙侵袭;华北平原地区、内蒙古高原地区和准噶尔盆地一带降尘量相对偏高,此类区域多为重工业区,发展经济的同时造成了不同程度的环境污染和资源掠夺;降尘量最大的地区位于塔里木盆地一带,最大值为2915.96 t·km-2·month-1,属于沙尘暴多发区。大气降尘量虽会在一定程度上受到经济发展、工业布局、能源结构的影响,但更多的是因为其地域性差异而造成降尘量不同。中国现有的各地降尘量的数据较少,且研究区多位于城市等人类活动中心,更多地区的降尘量尚需要进一步研究。     

Impacts of policy related to structural adjustment of agriculture on grain supply in China

China's policy on structural adjustment of its agriculture is an effective instrument for increasing agricultural production and developing the rural economy. The policy interventions used included converting cultivated land from growing grain crops to cash crops and increasing the production of meat, eggs and milk. The impacts of these changes on grain supply between 1998 and 2004 are identified and quantified at national and regional levels. The data on cultivated land diverted to other purposes are presented for the benefit of the decision maker. The paper concludes that the policy had significant impacts on China's grain supply, which declined by 14.4% of the total grain output in 1998. However, nearly 40% of the cultivated land at national level could potentially be converted by 2010. Regional disparities in the extent of the reduction in grain supply and in land conversion are highlighted with reference to different economic conditions and policy directions.     

An evaluation of heavy metals contamination in soils from Ganzhou navel orange orchards by geoaccumulation indexes and statistical analysis

Heavy metal pollution in orchard soils is of increasing concern owing to the potential health risk via the food chain. The evaluations of the degree of heavy metal contamination and the potential sources in soils from navel orange orchards in the Ganzhou district were investigated in the present study with the geoaccumulation index and hierarchical cluster analysis. The soil samples were collected from 280 navel orange orchards located in the 18 counties of the Ganzhou district. The concentrations of heavy metals in the samples were determined using atomic fluorescence spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry with sample preparation by microwave digestion system. The results of the geoaccumulation index showed that the Ganzhou navel orange orchards were practically uncontaminated with Hg, As, Pb, Cd, Cr, Zn, and Cu, while uncontaminated to moderately contaminated with Ni. The results of cluster analysis indicated that four distinct clusters emerged for 18 sampling counties, and the considerable differences between clusters were derived from the different kinds of polluted substances. Results of the assessment of geoaccumulation index of heavy metals in soils will be helpful for the formulation of strategic sustainable agriculture in Ganzhou navel orchards and improvement of the navel orange yield and quality.     

Energy,population, and agricultural productivity in Iran

Solar energy feeds all life on this planet's surface. The energy of the Sun can be tapped and converted to the different forms of energy by renewable energy systems, such as solar power plants, photovoltaic systems, and plants. Land is needed for food production, which is the most globally important activity. With increasing population, the required area is determined by consumption and production patterns. The world is globally divided into poor and rich areas of production and consumption, which have large differences. Iran's energy and food production and consumption are studied and compare with poor and rich examples. It is concluded that available agricultural land is limited and currently declining per capita due to population growth. The expansion of irrigated crop area, high-quality seed, and modern farming techniques can marginally improve agricultural productivity and provide relative self-sufficiency in grain production. Much of the growth in Iran's renewable energy is attributed to hydroelectricity power plants. Solar energy, wind, hydro and geothermal energy are also potential forms of sustainable energy in Iran.