IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jagris/v14y2024i11p1898-d1507316.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Analysis of Factors Affecting the Spatial Association Network of Food Security Level in China

Author

Listed:
  • Chuansong Zhao

    (School of Economics, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan 250014, China)

  • Chunxia Li

    (School of Business, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China)

  • Jianxu Liu

    (School of Economics, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan 250014, China)

  • Haixia Lian

    (School of Economics, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan 250014, China)

  • Woraphon Yamaka

    (Faculty of Economics, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand)

Abstract

Food security serves as the cornerstone of national security, intricately linked to social stability and economic progress. Currently, with the swift evolutions in social economy, logistics and transport, information dissemination, and technological advancements, there has been a marked increase in the cross-regional flow of food production, distribution, and consumption. Consequently, the spatial interdependence of food security across different regions has grown increasingly salient. This paper investigates the spatial interrelationship of food security levels in China through a network analysis framework, examining its determinants and network dynamics. The findings offer valuable insights for decision-makers aiming to optimize agricultural resource allocation and enhance national food security levels. This research establishes a comprehensive evaluation index system for assessing food security levels in China across four dimensions: production security, distribution security, supply security, and consumption security. Employing data from 30 provinces between 2008 and 2022, the entropy method quantifies food security levels, while a modified gravity model underpins the construction of a spatial association network. This framework subsequently examines the network’s structural characteristics and the factors influencing its formation. The results reveal that: (1) China’s food security levels demonstrate a consistent upward trajectory over the study period, though significant regional disparities persist. The central region surpasses the national average, while the eastern and western regions lag. Recently, the western region has shown accelerated improvements in food security, followed by the central area, with the eastern region maintaining steady growth. (2) A structurally robust spatial correlation network of food security has emerged, characterized by variations in the number of network relationships, fluctuations in network density, and a decline in network efficiency while still exhibiting pronounced small-world characteristics. (3) The network displays a clear core-periphery structure, with Shanghai, Beijing, and Jiangsu positioned centrally, playing pivotal intermediary roles, whereas remote provinces such as Gansu, Ningxia, and Liaoning occupy the periphery. (4) The four major regions demonstrate sparse internal connectivity yet robust inter-regional ties, resulting in pronounced spillover effects. (5) Various factors, including geographic distance, provincial proximity, disparities in economic development levels, variations in marketization, differences in agricultural human capital, and disparities in land productivity, significantly impact the establishment of spatial correlations in food security. The affirmative influences of geographic distance and neighboring relations, along with the beneficial shifts in economic development disparities, suggest that the flow of technology and resources plays a crucial role in reinforcing spatial connections.

Suggested Citation

  • Chuansong Zhao & Chunxia Li & Jianxu Liu & Haixia Lian & Woraphon Yamaka, 2024. "Analysis of Factors Affecting the Spatial Association Network of Food Security Level in China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-25, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:14:y:2024:i:11:p:1898-:d:1507316
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/11/1898/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/11/1898/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    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:gam:jagris:v:14:y:2024:i:11:p:1898-:d:1507316. 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.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.