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Outmigration Drives Cropland Decline and Woodland Increase in Rural Regions of Southwest China

Author

Listed:
  • Yi Yu

    (Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia)

  • Tingbao Xu

    (Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia)

  • Tao Wang

    (College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China)

Abstract

Rapid urbanisation in China has led to massive outmigration in rural regions, which has changed the regional labour force structure and can have various profound impacts as a result. This research used a case study in Southwest China to investigate how regional land use patterns have been changed in the context of rural outmigration and assessed the resulting dynamics on local ecological environment. The key findings include: (1) The local land conversion process was mainly characterised by the conversion of farmland (−18.3%) to residential area (+268.3%) and woodland (+55.6%) during 2000–2018; (2) about 83.7% of area showed a statistically significant increase in the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), which was not due to human interference factors (e.g., afforestation). Correlation analyses showed that depopulation (R = −0.514, p < 0.01) and local mild temperature (R = 0.505, p < 0.01) could be the main contributors. Only 2.5% of the area had decreased NDVI and this was directly caused by human activities (e.g., urban area expansion). These results implied that vegetation improvement can occur in the context of depopulation and farmland reduction, which did not significantly threaten the local agricultural sector. It then could be a good choice to allow those high-slope and biophysically poor farmlands to undergo forest succession rather than cultivation. Farmers in Southwest China should make a full use of the existing low-slope arable land to curb the declining trend of local farmland amount, in order to meet the future challenges brought by urbanisation. Enhanced agricultural infrastructure, mechanised farming and guide from local government can help achieve this goal. This study provided new insights and more realistic scenarios for rural development in Southwest China. The research findings are expected to provide a better understanding to enable sustainable land use management in Southwest China.

Suggested Citation

  • Yi Yu & Tingbao Xu & Tao Wang, 2020. "Outmigration Drives Cropland Decline and Woodland Increase in Rural Regions of Southwest China," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-23, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:9:y:2020:i:11:p:443-:d:443276
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hui Li & Kunqiu Chen & Lei Yan & Yulin Zhu & Liuwen Liao & Yangle Chen, 2021. "Urban Land Use Transitions and the Economic Spatial Spillovers of Central Cities in China’s Urban Agglomerations," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-27, June.
    2. Fanya Qin & Katsue Fukamachi & Shozo Shibata, 2022. "Land-Use/Landscape Pattern Changes and Related Environmental Driving Forces in a Dong Ethnic Minority Village in Southwestern China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-23, February.
    3. Jianhui Dong & Wenju Yun & Kening Wu & Shaoshuai Li & Bingrui Liu & Qiaoyuan Lu, 2023. "Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Cultivated Land from 2010 to 2020 in Long’an County, Karst Region, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-22, February.
    4. Lin Zhu & Mingying Yang & Wenzhuo Li & Heping Liao & Han Huang, 2021. "The Spatial–Temporal Changes of the Coupling Relationship among Agricultural Labor Force, Agricultural Economy, and Farmland in Chongqing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-17, August.
    5. Wei Zhang & Liang Zhou & Yan Zhang & Zhijie Chen & Fengning Hu, 2022. "Impacts of Ecological Migration on Land Use and Vegetation Restoration in Arid Zones," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-19, June.

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