IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/lauspo/v94y2020ics0264837719310889.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Evaluation of the environmental effects of intensive land consolidation: A field-based case study of the Chinese Loess Plateau

Author

Listed:
  • He, Meina
  • Wang, Yunqiang
  • Tong, Yongping
  • Zhao, Yali
  • Qiang, Xiaoke
  • Song, Yougui
  • Wang, Li
  • Song, Yi
  • Wang, Guangdong
  • He, Chunxiong

Abstract

The large-scale implementation of the Grain for Green project on the Chinese Loess Plateau since 1999 has greatly increased the vegetation coverage and rapidly decreased the agricultural land by converting slope cropland to planted vegetation (forest and grasslands). However, the geological, hydrological, ecological, and agricultural effects of the Gully Land Consolidation (GLC) project launched at Yan’an City in 2011 to address these land-use problems are not clearly understood. To assess the project outcomes in this region, we examined 71 of the 193 subprojects (61 treated gullies and 10 untreated gullies); measured geological, hydrological, ecological, and agricultural indices in the field; and tested disturbed (n = 447) and undisturbed (n = 142) soil samples (e.g., particle size distribution, saturated hydraulic conductivity, bulk density, and heavy metal contents). We found that: (1) slope stability improved for 67 % of the subprojects, (2) severe swamping was found only for 2 % of the subprojects, (3) the average increase in NDVI was 0.0231, 69 % of treated gullies NDVI was increased, and (4) crop yield was overall improved. There were no significant differences between the treated and untreated gullies in soil texture, saturated hydraulic conductivity, bulk density, or heavy metal contents (Cr, Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb), although particle size contents (range of 0.05 mm – 0.20 mm) differed significantly (p < 0.05). To promote successful gully land consolidation, the GLC project should (1) prioritize slope stability and long-term maintenance of water preservation facilities in gullies, (2) use bioengineering to accelerate the maturation of newly created land, or develop new cropping system after the GLC project; (3) on the basis of Grain for Green, integrate the GLC project, and modern agriculture to be complementary.

Suggested Citation

  • He, Meina & Wang, Yunqiang & Tong, Yongping & Zhao, Yali & Qiang, Xiaoke & Song, Yougui & Wang, Li & Song, Yi & Wang, Guangdong & He, Chunxiong, 2020. "Evaluation of the environmental effects of intensive land consolidation: A field-based case study of the Chinese Loess Plateau," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:94:y:2020:i:c:s0264837719310889
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104523
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837719310889
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104523?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Johansen, Pia Heike & Ejrnæs, Rasmus & Kronvang, Brian & Olsen, Jakob Vesterlund & Præstholm, Søren & Schou, Jesper S., 2018. "Pursuing collective impact: A novel indicator-based approach to assessment of shared measurements when planning for multifunctional land consolidation," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 102-114.
    2. Zhou, Yang & Guo, Liying & Liu, Yansui, 2019. "Land consolidation boosting poverty alleviation in China: Theory and practice," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 339-348.
    3. Xiaoxiao Li & Man Yu & Jing Ma & Zhanbin Luo & Fu Chen & Yongjun Yang, 2018. "Identifying the Relationship between Soil Properties and Rice Growth for Improving Consolidated Land in the Yangtze River Delta, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-14, August.
    4. Yishao Shi & Xiangyang Cao & Dongmei Fu & Yuncai Wang, 2018. "Comprehensive Value Discovery of Land Consolidation Projects: An Empirical Analysis of Shanghai, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-17, June.
    5. Du, Xindong & Zhang, Xiaoke & Jin, Xiaobin, 2018. "Assessing the effectiveness of land consolidation for improving agricultural productivity in China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 360-367.
    6. Cheng, Mingyang & Yansui Liu, & Zhou, Yang, 2019. "Measuring the symbiotic development of rural housing and industry: A case study of Fuping County in the Taihang Mountains in China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 307-316.
    7. Pia Nilsson, 2019. "The Role of Land Use Consolidation in Improving Crop Yields among Farm Households in Rwanda," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(8), pages 1726-1740, August.
    8. Stańczuk-Gałwiaczek, Małgorzata & Sobolewska-Mikulska, Katarzyna & Ritzema, Henk & van Loon-Steensma, Jantsje M., 2018. "Integration of water management and land consolidation in rural areas to adapt to climate change: Experiences from Poland and the Netherlands," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 498-511.
    9. Collier, Paul & Dercon, Stefan, 2014. "African Agriculture in 50Years: Smallholders in a Rapidly Changing World?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 92-101.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lulu Qu & Yurui Li & Yunxin Huang & Xuanchang Zhang & Jilai Liu, 2021. "Analysis of the Spatial Variations of Determinants of Gully Agricultural Production Transformation in the Chinese Loess Plateau and Its Policy Implications," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-21, August.
    2. Qu, Lulu & Li, Yurui & Chen, Zongfeng & Huang, Yunxin, 2022. "Exploring the spatiotemporal variation characteristics and influencing factors of gully agricultural production transformation in the Chinese Loess Plateau: A case study of loess hilly and gully regio," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    3. Zhou, Yang & Zhong, Zhen & Cheng, Guoqiang, 2023. "Cultivated land loss and construction land expansion in China: Evidence from national land surveys in 1996, 2009 and 2019," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    4. Quanhua Hou & Ziye Hu & Yuxuan Yang & Xiaoyang Fan & Jizhe Zhou & Lingda Zhang & Yaqiong Duan, 2023. "The Influence Mechanism of Farmer Behavior on the Spatial Pattern Evolution of Agricultural Production in the Yanhe River Basin," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-18, June.
    5. Yan, Jinming & Zhang, Dongsheng & Xia, Fangzhou, 2021. "Evaluation of village land use planning risks in green concepts: The case of Qiwangfen Village in Beijing," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    6. Wang, Ge & Li, Xiaoqiu & Gao, Yingjie & Zeng, Chen & Wang, Bingkun & Li, Xiangyu & Li, Xintong, 2023. "How does land consolidation drive rural industrial development? Qualitative and quantitative analysis of 32 land consolidation cases in China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    7. Yin, Qiqi & Sui, Xueyan & Ye, Bei & Zhou, Yujie & Li, Chengqiang & Zou, Mengmeng & Zhou, Shenglu, 2022. "What role does land consolidation play in the multi-dimensional rural revitalization in China? A research synthesis," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    8. Quanfeng Li & Wenhao Guo & Xiaobing Sun & Aizheng Yang & Shijin Qu & Wenfeng Chi, 2021. "The Differentiation in Cultivated Land Quality between Modern Agricultural Areas and Traditional Agricultural Areas: Evidence from Northeast China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-15, August.
    9. Yaoben Lin & Yanmei Ye & Shuchang Liu & Jiahao Wen & Danling Chen, 2022. "Effect Mechanism of Land Consolidation on Soil Bacterial Community: A Case Study in Eastern China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-31, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wang, Ge & Li, Xiaoqiu & Gao, Yingjie & Zeng, Chen & Wang, Bingkun & Li, Xiangyu & Li, Xintong, 2023. "How does land consolidation drive rural industrial development? Qualitative and quantitative analysis of 32 land consolidation cases in China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    2. Zhou, Yang & Li, Yamei & Xu, Chenchen, 2020. "Land consolidation and rural revitalization in China: Mechanisms and paths," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    3. Yan Sun & Xiaojun Song & Jing Ma & Haochen Yu & Xiaoping Ge & Gang-Jun Liu & Fu Chen, 2021. "Assessing the Effectiveness for Achieving Policy Objectives of Land Consolidation in China: Evidence from Project Practices in Jiangsu Province from 2001 to 2017," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-20, December.
    4. Liu, Jing & Jin, Xiaobin & Xu, Weiyi & Sun, Rui & Han, Bo & Yang, Xuhong & Gu, Zhengming & Xu, Cuilan & Sui, Xueyan & Zhou, Yinkang, 2019. "Influential factors and classification of cultivated land fragmentation, and implications for future land consolidation: A case study of Jiangsu Province in eastern China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    5. Asimeh, Mahboubeh & Nooripoor, Mehdi & Azadi, Hossein & Van Eetvelde, Veerle & Sklenička, Petr & Witlox, Frank, 2020. "Agricultural land use sustainability in Southwest Iran: Improving land leveling using consolidation plans," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    6. Xiaoping Ge & Feng Zhu & Yongjun Yang & Gangjun Liu & Fu Chen, 2020. "Probing Influence Factors of Implementation Patterns for Sustainable Land Consolidation: Insights from Seventeen Years of Practice in Jiangsu Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-18, April.
    7. Álvarez, Inmaculada C. & Orea, Luis & Perez-Mendez, Jose A., 2019. "Rural and agricultural development by land consolidation: a spatial production analysis of Asturias´ parishes," Efficiency Series Papers 2019/04, University of Oviedo, Department of Economics, Oviedo Efficiency Group (OEG).
    8. Wei Xia & Gangqiao Yang, 2022. "Decision-Making Evaluation of the Pilot Project of Comprehensive Land Consolidation from the Perspective of Farmers and Social Investors: A Case Study of the Project Applied in Xianning City, Hubei Pr," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-20, September.
    9. Lü, Da & Gao, Guangyao & Lü, Yihe & Xiao, Feiyan & Fu, Bojie, 2020. "Detailed land use transition quantification matters for smart land management in drylands: An in-depth analysis in Northwest China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    10. Lili Zhang & Baoqing Hu & Ze Zhang & Gaodou Liang & Simin Huang, 2023. "Comprehensive Evaluation of Ecological-Economic Value of Guangxi Based on Land Consolidation," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-25, March.
    11. Wang, Cheng & Wang, Gang & Guo, Ziru & Dai, Lingjun & Liu, Hongyu & Li, Yufeng & Chen, Hao & Zhao, Yongxiang & Zhang, Yanan & Cheng, Hai, 2020. "Effects of land-use change on the distribution of the wintering red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) in the coastal area of northern Jiangsu Province, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    12. Bahar, Sevgi Kesici & Kirmikil, Müge, 2021. "The evaluation of agricultural landowner inputs before and after land consolidation: The Kesik Village example," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    13. Zhou, Jian & Cao, Xiaoshu, 2020. "What is the policy improvement of China’s land consolidation? Evidence from completed land consolidation projects in Shaanxi Province," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    14. Fei, Rilong & Lin, Ziyi & Chunga, Joseph, 2021. "How land transfer affects agricultural land use efficiency: Evidence from China’s agricultural sector," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    15. Shuchang Li & Wei Song, 2023. "Research Progress in Land Consolidation and Rural Revitalization: Current Status, Characteristics, Regional Differences, and Evolution Laws," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-24, January.
    16. Wu, Bin & Liu, Linghui, 2020. "Social capital for rural revitalization in China: A critical evaluation on the government’s new countryside programme in Chengdu," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    17. Katarzyna Kocur-Bera & Jacek Rapiński & Monika Siejka & Przemysław Leń & Anna Małek, 2023. "Potential of an Area in Terms of Pro-Climate Solutions in a Land Consolidation Project," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-25, June.
    18. Lu, Xinhai & Li, Yan & Ke, Shangan, 2020. "Spatial distribution pattern and its optimization strategy of China’s overseas farmland investments," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    19. Yaoben Lin & Yanmei Ye & Shuchang Liu & Jiahao Wen & Danling Chen, 2022. "Effect Mechanism of Land Consolidation on Soil Bacterial Community: A Case Study in Eastern China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-31, January.
    20. Zhang, Dongli & Wang, Wenxiong & Zhou, Wei & Zhang, Xiaoling & Zuo, Jian, 2020. "The effect on poverty alleviation and income increase of rural land consolidation in different models: A China study," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:94:y:2020:i:c:s0264837719310889. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joice Jiang (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/land-use-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.