The rice terrace abandonment and its challenge for food security in the rural villages of southern China

Against the backdrop of global change and urbanisation, the abandonment of rice terraces in China is clearly on the rise. However, the extent of abandonment of rice terraces in China, the factors influencing it, and the threat it poses to food security remain unclear. Therefore, based on 345 village questionnaires, 1449 farmer questionnaires and 3006 plot characteristics datasets obtained from a combination of a large-sample questionnaire survey and small-case spatial analyses in southern China, this paper systematically reveals the extent of rice terrace abandonment, influencing factors and production losses in southern China. The results show that the abandonment rate of rice terraces in southern China is 11.65 %. The regions with a relatively high degree of abandonment are mainly in southeastern and southern China. Terrace abandonment is the result of a combination of internal and external drivers, with agricultural labour, irrigation conditions, mechanisation, wildlife damage, plot size and farming distance being the key factors influencing the abandonment of terraces by farmers. Currently, the rice loss caused by the abandonment of rice terraces in southern China is about 6.67 million tons, which could feed 16.68 million people, equivalent to the populations of New York City and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region combined. Relevant government agencies should pay active attention to this problem, to realise the sustainable use of terraces by improving the agricultural production conditions of terraces, developing the rural land transfer market, and formulating methods to compensate farmers for damage caused by wildlife. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationship between plot quality differences and abandonment, and may provide a reference for terrace abandonment management and farmland sustainable use.