Arid Zone Research ›› 2024, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (5): 843-855.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2024.05.12

• Ecology and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Changes of farmland use intensity in the YLN region from 2000 to 2020

SANG Yiming1,2(), XIN Liangjie1()   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China
    2. College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • Received:2023-08-31 Revised:2023-12-19 Online:2024-05-15 Published:2024-05-29

Abstract:

Farmland use intensity is an important factor to improve food production, alleviate the conflict between humans and land, and achieve sustainable agricultural development. Based on the farmland data obtained from high spatial resolution remote sensing images, this paper explores the farmland use intensity and its driving mechanism in the Yarlung Zangbo-Lhasa-Nyangqu River (YLN) region in 2000 and 2020 through a comprehensive evaluation index model. The results show that: (1) the degree of farmland use intensity in the YLN region has increased in the past 20 years, but the overall level is low. The farmland use intensity in 2020 was 38.2% higher than in 2000, which is mainly attributable to the increase in agricultural input, technological input, and the exploitation and utilization level. (2) There is a large difference in the change in farmland use intensity among different districts and counties; the high intensity areas migrated from east to west and increased in scope. The difference in farmland use intensity between east and west regions narrowed, and the number of low intensity districts and counties decreased. (3) The irrigation index, proportion of farmland area, and farmland quality have the most significant independent effects on the degree of farmland use intensity in the YLN, whereas socioeconomic factors, agricultural science and technology factors, and policy and environment factors interact with farmland resource endowment to increase the degree of impact on the farmland use intensity. Based on the above results, the following policy recommendations are proposed: the continuous promotion of agricultural science and technology innovation in the YLN region with a focus on regional differences, to realize sustainable development in high intensity areas and total factor inputs in low intensity areas, and facilitate the synergistic effects of agricultural policy and economy to coordinate and promote enhanced farmland use intensity in the YLN region.

Key words: farmland use intensity, the Yarlung Zangbo-Lhasa-Nyangqu River (YLN) region, comprehensive index evaluation, driving mechanism, high spatial resolution