IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v13y2024i11p1790-d1510433.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Current Scenario of Farmland Abandonment in China: A Systematic Review

Author

Listed:
  • Qiaowen Lin

    (School of Economics and Management, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China)

  • Peter Sammonds

    (Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK)

  • Mengxin Xu

    (School of Economics and Management, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China)

  • Zhe Zhu

    (School of Management, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China)

  • Yu Cao

    (School of Economics and Management, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China)

Abstract

The significant expansion of farmland abandonment not only poses a threat to agricultural sustainability, but also challenges biodiversity conservation and food security. This study aims to initiate a deep systematic analysis of the current scenario of Chinese farmland abandonment, which is timely and urgent as a starting point to fully understand the current state of knowledge of it. In total, 181 articles out of 5384 articles through four databases (CNKI, Web of Science core collection, Scopus, and CAB Abstracts) are extracted and synthesized by the PRISMA method. A total of 12 experts from 11 countries with specialized knowledge in the research field are interviewed. It is found that farmland abandonment in East China is the most frequently reported, which is followed by the Southwest. The research focus in China has shifted from mountainous areas to agricultural and pastoral areas and major grain-producing areas. Chinese farmland abandonment is defined principally from the perspective of the managerial approach. An inventory that categorizes these different drivers of farmland abandonment is built, which includes socio-economic aspects, biophysical attributes, policy, household characteristics, and specific events. Socio-economic aspects, especially off-farm employment, are the most commonly studied factors. Meanwhile, the aging of the population is also noteworthy. Different trajectories should be applied accordingly due to the significant differences between North and South China. Furthermore, there is an optimistic attitude towards the ecological impact of abandoned farmland in China. However, more evidence should be given on it. Those findings will hopefully provide some insights for the scientific community and policy makers.

Suggested Citation

  • Qiaowen Lin & Peter Sammonds & Mengxin Xu & Zhe Zhu & Yu Cao, 2024. "The Current Scenario of Farmland Abandonment in China: A Systematic Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-17, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:11:p:1790-:d:1510433
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/11/1790/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/11/1790/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Quintas-Soriano, Cristina & Buerkert, Andreas & Plieninger, Tobias, 2022. "Effects of land abandonment on nature contributions to people and good quality of life components in the Mediterranean region: A review," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    2. Baojing Gu & Xiaoling Zhang & Xuemei Bai & Bojie Fu & Deli Chen, 2019. "Four steps to food security for swelling cities," Nature, Nature, vol. 566(7742), pages 31-33, February.
    3. Leirpoll, Malene Eldegard & Næss, Jan Sandstad & Cavalett, Otavio & Dorber, Martin & Hu, Xiangping & Cherubini, Francesco, 2021. "Optimal combination of bioenergy and solar photovoltaic for renewable energy production on abandoned cropland," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 45-56.
    4. Ojha, Roshan Babu & Atreya, Kishor & Kristiansen, Paul & Devkota, Deepa & Wilson, Brian, 2022. "A systematic review and gap analysis of drivers, impacts, and restoration options for abandoned croplands in Nepal," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Lu, Dan & Su, Kangchuan & Wang, Zhanpeng & Hou, Mengjie & Li, Xinxin & Lin, Aiwen & Yang, Qingyuan, 2025. "Patterns and drivers of terrace abandonment in China: Monitoring based on multi-source remote sensing data," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    2. Salah Beni Hamed & Mouna Ben Hamed & Lassaad Sbita, 2022. "Robust Voltage Control of a Buck DC-DC Converter: A Sliding Mode Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-21, August.
    3. Vergamini, Daniele & Olivieri, Matteo & Andreoli, Maria & Bartolini, Fabio, 2024. "Simulating policy mixes to reduce soil erosion and land abandonment in marginal areas: A case study from the Liguria Region (Italy)," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    4. Liu, Yansui & Zhou, Yang, 2021. "Reflections on China's food security and land use policy under rapid urbanization," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    5. Vera, Ivan & Wicke, Birka & Lamers, Patrick & Cowie, Annette & Repo, Anna & Heukels, Bas & Zumpf, Colleen & Styles, David & Parish, Esther & Cherubini, Francesco & Berndes, Göran & Jager, Henriette & , 2022. "Land use for bioenergy: Synergies and trade-offs between sustainable development goals," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    6. Inês Costa-Pereira & Ana A. R. M. Aguiar & Fernanda Delgado & Cristina A. Costa, 2024. "A Methodological Framework for Assessing the Agroecological Performance of Farms in Portugal: Integrating TAPE and ACT Approaches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-21, May.
    7. Rita Biasi & Francesco Valerio Collotti & Stefano Baia Curioni, 2024. "Returning to Integrated Landscape Management as an Approach to Counteract Land Degradation in Small Mediterranean Islands: The Case Study of Stromboli (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-20, November.
    8. Adam Pawlewicz & Katarzyna Pawlewicz, 2023. "The Risk of Agricultural Land Abandonment as a Socioeconomic Challenge for the Development of Agriculture in the European Union," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-24, February.
    9. Nazgul Esengulova & Pasquale Balena & Caterina De Lucia & Antonio Lopolito & Pasquale Pazienza, 2024. "Key Drivers of Land Use Changes in the Rural Area of Gargano (South Italy) and Their Implications for the Local Sustainable Development," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-19, January.
    10. Shandong Niu & Xiao Lyu & Guozheng Gu, 2022. "What Is the Operation Logic of Cultivated Land Protection Policies in China? A Grounded Theory Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-20, July.
    11. Buting Hong & Jicheng Wang & Jiangtao Xiao & Quanzhi Yuan & Ping Ren, 2025. "Spatiotemporal Patterns and Determinants of Cropland Abandonment in Mountainous Regions of China: A Case Study of Sichuan Province," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-25, March.
    12. Zbigniew Brodziński & Katarzyna Brodzińska & Mikołaj Szadziun, 2021. "Photovoltaic Farms—Economic Efficiency of Investments in North-East Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-17, April.
    13. Huwei Wen & Zisong Zeng, 2024. "Impact of Non-Agricultural Employment on Food Security in China’s Old Revolutionary Base Areas," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-20, May.
    14. Bo Liu & Wei Song & Qian Sun, 2022. "Status, Trend, and Prospect of Global Farmland Abandonment Research: A Bibliometric Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-30, November.
    15. Balasubramanya, Soumya & Kafle, Kashi, 2025. "Adoption of land restoration activities in Ethiopia: Understanding gender-labor dimensions," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    16. Ouping Deng & Sitong Wang & Jiangyou Ran & Shuai Huang & Xiuming Zhang & Jiakun Duan & Lin Zhang & Yongqiu Xia & Stefan Reis & Jiayu Xu & Jianming Xu & Wim Vries & Mark A. Sutton & Baojing Gu, 2024. "Managing urban development could halve nitrogen pollution in China," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-16, December.
    17. Dimitrios Chouvardas & Maria Karatassiou & Afroditi Stergiou & Garyfallia Chrysanthopoulou, 2022. "Identifying the Spatiotemporal Transitions and Future Development of a Grazed Mediterranean Landscape of South Greece," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-22, November.
    18. Wang, Yahui & Yang, Aoxi & Li, Yuanqing & Yang, Qingyuan, 2023. "Effect of e-commerce popularization on farmland abandonment in rural China: Evidence from a large-scale household survey," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    19. Yanbo Wang & Boyao Zhi & Shumin Xiang & Guangxin Ren & Yongzhong Feng & Gaihe Yang & Xiaojiao Wang, 2023. "China’s Biogas Industry’s Sustainable Transition to a Low-Carbon Plan—A Socio-Technical Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-20, March.
    20. Qiming Zheng & Tim Ha & Alexander V. Prishchepov & Yiwen Zeng & He Yin & Lian Pin Koh, 2023. "The neglected role of abandoned cropland in supporting both food security and climate change mitigation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.

    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:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:11:p:1790-:d:1510433. 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: 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.