Exploring How Human-Land Conflict Affects Cropland Fragmentation

Abstract

Arable land is vital to agriculture, and studying cropland fragmentation is key for sustainable resource use. However, research has largely ignored the dynamic nature of this fragmentation, focusing instead on static farmland patterns. This study proposed eight spatial models of cropland fragmentation dynamics, assessed their distribution and evolution in the Yellow and Huaihai grain-producing regions from 2010 to 2020, and investigated the underlying drivers. It was found that (1) although cropland fragmentation in the study area showed an increasing trend from 2010 to 2020, the rate of increase gradually weakened, and the cropland fragmentation in the southeast coastal region was higher than that in the northwest inland region. (2) LPI↑PD↑LSI↓ mode cropland, as the main cropland fragmentation mode in the study area, is widely distributed in Shandong and Henan Provinces, as well as Jiangsu Province. (3) Except for the LPI↓PD↑LSI↑ model, the main drivers of its models are population density and mechanization level, while the main drivers of the LPI↓PD↑LSI↑ model are natural endowment factors such as topographic relief. The findings emphasize the need to curb the fragmentation of cropland as well as to promote the concentration and connectivity of cropland.