IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v10y2018i4p1024-d138859.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Can Arable Land Alone Ensure Food Security? The Concept of Arable Land Equivalent Unit and Its Implications in Zhoushan City, China

Author

Listed:
  • Yongzhong Tan

    (Department of Land Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Ju He

    (Department of Land Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Zhenning Yu

    (Department of Land Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Yonghua Tan

    (Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou 310012, China)

Abstract

The requisition–compensation balance of farmlands (RCBF) is a strict Chinese policy that aims to ensure food security. However, the process of supplementing arable land has substantially damaged the ecological environment through the blind development of grasslands, woodlands, and wetlands to supplement arable land. Can arable land alone ensure food security? To answer this question, this study introduced the concepts of arable land equivalent unit (ALEU) and food equivalent unit (FEU) based on the idea of food security. Zhoushan City in Zhejiang Province, China was selected as the research area. This study analyzed the ALEU supply and demand capabilities in the study area and presented the corresponding policy implications for the RCBF improvement. The results showed that the proportion of ALEU from arable land and waters for aquaculture is from 46:54 in 2009 to 31:69 in 2015, thereby suggesting that aquaculture waters can also be important in food security. Under three different living standards (i.e., adequate food and clothing, well-off, and affluence), ALEU from arable land can barely meet the needs of the permanent resident population in the study area. However, ALEU from aquaculture waters can provide important supplementation. Therefore, we suggest that food supply capability from land types other than the arable land be taken seriously. Furthermore, RCBF can be improved with ALEU as core of the balance.

Suggested Citation

  • Yongzhong Tan & Ju He & Zhenning Yu & Yonghua Tan, 2018. "Can Arable Land Alone Ensure Food Security? The Concept of Arable Land Equivalent Unit and Its Implications in Zhoushan City, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-13, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:4:p:1024-:d:138859
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/4/1024/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/4/1024/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hui Gao & Jintong Liu & A. Egrinya Eneji & Lipu Han & Limei Tan, 2016. "Using Modified Remote Sensing Imagery to Interpret Changes in Cultivated Land under Saline-Alkali Conditions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-14, July.
    2. Tiziano Gomiero, 2016. "Soil Degradation, Land Scarcity and Food Security: Reviewing a Complex Challenge," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-41, March.
    3. Yu, Zhenning & Wu, Cifang & Tan, Yongzhong & Zhang, Xiaobin, 2018. "The dilemma of land expansion and governance in rural China: A comparative study based on three townships in Zhejiang Province," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 602-611.
    4. Cao, Mingkui & Ma, Shijun & Han, Chunru, 1995. "Potential productivity and human carrying capacity of an agro-ecosystem: An analysis of food production potential of China," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 387-414.
    5. Reshmita Nath & Yibo Luan & Wangming Yang & Chen Yang & Wen Chen & Qian Li & Xuefeng Cui, 2015. "Changes in Arable Land Demand for Food in India and China: A Potential Threat to Food Security," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-27, April.
    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. Andi Amran Sulaiman & Yiyi Sulaeman & Budiman Minasny, 2019. "A Framework for the Development of Wetland for Agricultural Use in Indonesia," Resources, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-16, February.
    2. Xiaojie Chen & Jing Wang, 2021. "Quantitatively Determining the Priorities of Regional Ecological Compensation for Cultivated Land in Different Main Functional Areas: A Case Study of Hubei Province, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-21, March.
    3. Yogeeswari Subramaniam & Tajul Ariffin Masron & Nanthakumar Loganathan, 2024. "Imports and Food Security," Global Journal of Emerging Market Economies, Emerging Markets Forum, vol. 16(1), pages 7-24, January.
    4. Tao Jin & Candi Ge & Hui Gao & Hongcheng Zhang & Xiaolong Sun, 2020. "Evaluation and Screening of Co-Culture Farming Models in Rice Field Based on Food Productivity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-13, March.
    5. Kristine Lien Skog, 2018. "How Do Policies and Actors’ Attitudes, Interests and Interactions Influence Farmland Conversion Outcomes in Land-Use Planning?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-20, June.
    6. Wenbo Li & Dongyan Wang & Shuhan Liu & Yuanli Zhu & Zhuoran Yan, 2020. "Reclamation of Cultivated Land Reserves in Northeast China: Indigenous Ecological Insecurity Underlying National Food Security," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-16, February.

    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. Honglei Jiang & Xia Xu & Mengxi Guan & Lingfei Wang & Yongmei Huang & Yinghui Liu, 2019. "Simulation of Spatiotemporal Land Use Changes for Integrated Model of Socioeconomic and Ecological Processes in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-18, July.
    2. GAO Tianming & Anna Ivolga & Vasilii Erokhin, 2018. "Sustainable Rural Development in Northern China: Caught in a Vice between Poverty, Urban Attractions, and Migration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-20, May.
    3. Timothy E. Crews & Douglas J. Cattani, 2018. "Strategies, Advances, and Challenges in Breeding Perennial Grain Crops," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-7, June.
    4. Io Carydi & Athanasios Koutsianas & Marios Desyllas, 2023. "People, Crops, and Bee Farming: Landscape Models for a Symbiotic Network in Greece," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-25, February.
    5. Xiaoyu Liu & Liangjie Xin, 2022. "Assessment of the Efficiency of Cultivated Land Occupied by Urban and Rural Construction Land in China from 1990 to 2020," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-12, June.
    6. Danilo Đokić & Bojan Matkovski & Marija Jeremić & Ivan Đurić, 2022. "Land Productivity and Agri-Environmental Indicators: A Case Study of Western Balkans," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-13, December.
    7. Lu, C. H. & van Ittersum, M. K. & Rabbinge, R., 2004. "A scenario exploration of strategic land use options for the Loess Plateau in northern China," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 79(2), pages 145-170, February.
    8. Marco Bascietto & Enrico Santangelo & Claudio Beni, 2021. "Spatial Variations of Vegetation Index from Remote Sensing Linked to Soil Colloidal Status," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-15, January.
    9. Jia Gao & Ge Song & Shuhan Liu, 2022. "Factors influencing farmers’ willingness and behavior choices to withdraw from rural homesteads in China," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(1), pages 112-131, March.
    10. Felicia Cheţan & Teodor Rusu & Cornel Cheţan & Camelia Urdă & Raluca Rezi & Alina Şimon & Ileana Bogdan, 2022. "Influence of Soil Tillage Systems on the Yield and Weeds Infestation in the Soybean Crop," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-13, October.
    11. Hinge, Gilbert & Surampalli, Rao Y. & Goyal, Manish Kumar & Gupta, Brij B. & Chang, Xiaojun, 2021. "Soil carbon and its associate resilience using big data analytics: For food Security and environmental management," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    12. Wang, Qing & Liu, Xuehua & Yue, Tianxiang & Wang, Chenliang & Wilson, John P., 2015. "Using models and spatial analysis to analyze spatio-temporal variations of food provision and food potential across China's agro-ecosystems," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 306(C), pages 152-159.
    13. Matthias Senft & Ulrike Stahl & Nikolai Svoboda, 2022. "Research data management in agricultural sciences in Germany: We are not yet where we want to be," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(9), pages 1-19, September.
    14. Xiuwen Fang & Yue Sun & Xiangxiang Huang & Bo Pan & Haiying Gao & Zhishui Liang, 2025. "Effects of Three Fertilizers on Improving Soil Characteristics and Growth Performance of Mahonia fortunei (Lindl.) Fedde in Rocky Desertification Areas," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-19, May.
    15. Jing Wang & Aiqin Zhao & Fei Ma & Jili Liu & Guoju Xiao & Xing Xu, 2023. "Amendment of Saline–Alkaline Soil with Flue-Gas Desulfurization Gypsum in the Yinchuan Plain, Northwest China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-11, May.
    16. Liu, Runqiu & Jiang, Jian & Yu, Chao & Rodenbiker, Jesse & Jiang, Yongmu, 2021. "The endowment effect accompanying villagers' withdrawal from rural homesteads: Field evidence from Chengdu, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    17. Zijuan Zhao & Beilei Fan & Qingbo Zhou & Shihao Xu, 2022. "Simulating the Coupling of Rural Settlement Expansion and Population Growth in Deqing, Zhejiang Province, Based on MCCA Modeling," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-23, November.
    18. Vasilii Erokhin & Gao Tianming & Luminita Chivu & Jean Vasile Andrei, 2022. "Food security in a food self-sufficient economy: A review of China's ongoing transition to a zero hunger state," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 68(12), pages 476-487.
    19. Shanshan Jia & Peiyao Li & Wenxiao Jia & Xiaorui Chen, 2025. "Rates and Patterns of Town Expansion in China’s 17 Shrinking Tourism-Type Counties," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-19, February.
    20. Zhou, Bing-Bing & Aggarwal, Rimjhim & Wu, Jianguo & Lv, Ligang, 2021. "Urbanization-associated farmland loss: A macro-micro comparative study in China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:4:p:1024-:d:138859. 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.