Slope-climbing of cropland and its effects in China

• Published in: Journal of mountain science Vol. 21; no. 8; pp. 2754 - 2769
• Main Authors: Chen, Wanxu, Xie, Youping, Yuan, Jintao, Zeng, Jie, Yang, Liyan, Gu, Tianci, Lei, Fan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Science Press 01.08.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agricultural development; Agricultural land; Anthropogenic factors; Cities; Climbing; Disasters; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Ecological effects; Ecology; Environment; Fertilizers; Food security; Geography; Original Article; Retention capacity; Scale (ratio); Slope; Spatial variations; Sustainability; Sustainable agriculture; Sustainable development; Sustainable use; Trends; China; Croplands; Slope spectrum; Three-dimensional perspective; Slope-climbing; Multi-scale; China
• ISSN: 1672-6316; 1993-0321; 1008-2786
• DOI: 10.1007/s11629-024-8603-2

In recent decades, the spatio-temporal patterns of China’s croplands have been reshaped by disturbances from anthropogenic activities, with complex changes in the topographic characteristics of croplands. Slope-climbing of croplands (SCCL) is an important issue that threatens sustainable agricultural development. While providing land with prominent location advantages, SCCL weakens the water and fertilizer retention capacity for cropland, intensifies various geological disasters, and adversely affects the ecological environment and food yield of these croplands. It is crucial to determine the spatiotemporal variation features and effects of SCCL in China to formulate more accurate cropland protection policies and to maintain food security; however, the current lack of relevant studies is detrimental for capturing trends in cropland resources and sustainable cropland use. In this study, we constructed a multi-scale slope spectrum for cropland and total terrain to explore the spatial differences and trends of SCCL from a three-dimensional view. We evaluated the natural and socioeconomic effects of SCCL in China from multiple perspectives. Results indicate that the proportion of cropland with slopes below 2°, 5°, and 6° in China decreased by 0.43%, 0.47%, and 0.50% from 1980 to 2020, respectively. SCCL became apparent during 1980–1990 and 2010–2020, especially over the recent decade. The cropland climbing index (CCI) and upper limited slope change (ULSC) to measure the spatio-temporal pattern of SCCL were 0.99% and 1.17°, respectively, during 2010–2020. At the agricultural regional scale, the SCCL was also concentrated in 1980–1990 and 2010–2020, and it is more pronounced in the southern areas. The proportion of provinces and prefecture-level cities with high-intensity SCCL during 1980–2020 were 87.10% and 49.73%, respectively. SCCL was comparatively more pronounced and broader from 2010 to 2020. During this period, 17.84% of prefecture-level cities had no SCCL, and the average CCI for all prefecture-level cities peaked at 1.62%. In this study, we also evaluated the pros and cons of SCCL and provided targeted suggestions for decision makers and farmers to refine cropland protection policy systems and further develop the sustainable use of croplands.