China feeds 18% of the global population on only 9% of the world’s cropland, making the latter a particularly valuable resource. But China’s farmland is not only scarce, but also fragmented. With an average farm size of 0.6 ha, Chinese farms are 1% the size of an average German farm. To mitigate this trend, the Chinese government has been promoting land consolidation. A nation-wide “high-standard farmland” campaign seeks to consolidate small land parcels into larger holdings suitable for mechanized farming and equipped with irrigation and other smart infrastructure.
So where does China stand when it comes to cropland fragmentation? New findings by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) reveal that China’s cropland continues to be at risk of fragmentation. The researchers used a cropland fragmentation index to track changes over the last two decades.
Using multiyear Landsat satellite images with a 30-meter resolution, the research team mapped cropland fragmentation across China over the last 20 years. Their results indicate that cropland in coastal and central China experienced the most significant fragmentation, whereas north and northeast China showed minimal fragmentation. Even grassland areas in the northwest were subject to fragmentation, the research shows.
The authors attribute these changes primarily to the intensification of economic activities. By presenting concrete evidence, the study highlights the issue of cropland fragmentation in China and discusses the potential obstacles it creates for the country’s food security objectives. The study also proposes sustainable agricultural practices to mitigate the impact of this fragmentation.
Source
Zhao, Na, et al. “Cropland fragmentation change across China over the last two decades.” Agricultural Systems 218 (2024): 104010 (download here).