Research on the agricultural pattern of the primitive rice-cultivation in Taiwan

In Taiwan’s history, rice and sugarcane," the two main e-conomical foundation stones" of Taiwan, were well knownin the world. Taiwan was one of the main rice-productionareas in China, which had always been called "rice ware-house". In this article, the author would do a preliminaryresearch on the primitive rice cultivation pattern from im-memorial time to the earlier stage of Qing Dynasty ( 1616 -

Spatiotemporal variation of agricultural patterns in different geomorphologic and climatic environments in the eastern Loess Plateau,north-central China during the late Neolithic and Bronze Ages

Human settlement and agricultural development are closely linked to local geomorphological and climatic environments.However,the variation in agricultural systems in different environmental and prehistoric contexts remains unknown.We report new archaeobotanical and radiocarbon dates from 34 Neolithic and Bronze Age sites in the Hutuo River Valley(HTRV)in north-central China and compare them with updated archaeobotanical studies in the Sushui River Valley(SSRV)and Henan Province(HNP),to explore the similarities and differences of agricultural patterns under different geomorphologic and climatic environments in north-central China.Our results reveal that humans consistently cultivated foxtail and broomcorn millet in the HTRV from the Miaodigou(6000–5700 cal.a BP)to the Shang-Zhou(3600–2256 cal.a BP)period,despite the introduction of wheat and barley into the area around 4000 a BP.Climate conditions and hilly landforms in the HTRV,SSRV and some parts of the HNP led people to develop foxtail and broomcorn millet dry land farming practices between 7000 and 3000 a BP.Alternatively,in other areas of the HNP,the climate conditions and alluvial plains enabled people to develop a mixed agriculture of millets,soybeans,and rice from 7000 to 4000 a BP,with the addition of wheat between 4000 and 3000 a BP.Farmers’different agricultural technologies and interactions with foreign cultures may have also influenced the formation of different agricultural patterns in the three regions between 7000 and 3000 a BP.Population growth during 7000–3000 a BP can explain the overall propensity of the higher-yield foxtail millet rather than broomcorn millet as the main cultivated crop.In the HTRV,however,higher proportions of broomcorn millet(as compared to the SSRV and HNP),may reflect the greater drought and heat tolerance of broomcorn millet,representing an adaptive agricultural strategy in the river valley.

Changes of local agricultural landscape patterns induced by land consolidation in hilly and mountainous Southwestern China

Land consolidation (LC), as a type of human disturbance, improves land production efficiency and changes landscape distribution through land parcel reallocation. The objective of this study was to comparatively analyze the changes of landscape patches before and after a land consolidation project (LCP) and the effects of land levelling, irrigation and drainage work and road engineering on the landscape structure. FRAGSTAT3.3 and buffer zone analysis were used to investigate those changes. The results suggest that the heterogeneity of landscape depressed, and tended to simplification after LC. Dry land was the most highly variable land use pattern, and the change of forestland was least due to its locations at a gradient larger than 25°. LC resulted in a more rational use of land, and could be an important step in promoting rural development in depressed and fragmented agricultural areas through unused land exploitation, small-patch combination, irrigation and water conservancy, and road construction. Land levelling leveled off the gradient field surface and decreased the slope. The fragmentized patches were much more incorporated with increasing slope. On the other hand, the ridge of a field became longer so that the length of field surface and area of patch were increased. Land levelling regulated, simplified and combined patches, so that the complexity degree was reduced. It is found that the buffer distance of 35 m was a turning point of human disturbance by irrigation and drainage systems, and patches presented flaky distribution when the buffer distance was smaller than 35 m. Meanwhile, the distance range between 25 m to 50 m was an impressible area for road engineering, which was sensitive to human actions, and the changes of all landscape metrics were larger than those in other buffer zones. In general, LC not only reallocated fragmented parcels, but also improved agricultural conditions.

Dynamic changes and transitions of agricultural landscape patterns in mountainous areas:A case study from the hinterland of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area

Analyzing the agricultural landscape patterns in mountainous areas is critical to clarify the dynamic changes and development direction of agricultural landscapes.This also plays a significant role in the rational planning and management of agricultural land.A theoretical framework for agricultural landscape pattern transitions in mountainous areas is proposed to fill the gap of current research with an empirical study in the Caotangxi Watershed,Three Gorges Reservoir Area(TGRA),China.The transition characteristics of agricultural landscape patterns from 2000 to 2018 as represented by sloping farmland,abandoned land,and orchards are analyzed from a holistic-local perspective.The results indicate that the orchards expanded along river valleys,and abandoned land expanded at high elevations,which led to reduced sloping farmland.This phenomenon gives regional landscape differences at the holistic and local levels.Namely,it enhances the region’s holistic landscape diversity but causes fragmentation and aggregation of landscape patches in local areas.The agricultural landscape pattern transitions within the farming range in the study area are manifested primarily in four modes:sloping farmland-orchard conversion type(FOCT),comprehensive conversion type(CCT),partially abandoned type(PAT),and wholly abandoned type(WAT).Each transition mode reveals different development stages of the mountainous agricultural landscape patterns.In general,the agricultural landscape pattern transition is driven by socioeconomic factors in mountainous areas of the TGRA and is bidirectional.This attribute is expressed as the transition from the traditional grain-planting landscape with an even distribution to the eco-economic win-win orchard in valleys and transitions from sloping farmland to abandoned land in high-elevation areas.Overall,the results of this study reveal the uniqueness of agricultural landscape pattern evolutions in China’s mountainous areas in recent decades,which has enlightened the in-depth understandings of rural land use and agricultural ecosystems in mountainous areas of the TGRA,as well as improvements in rural developments and ecological environments.

A preliminary study of early agriculture practices at the Haojiatai site in Luohe city,Henan Province

As the most fundamental economic sector of human societies,farming has played a significant role in interactions between humans and the environment.The study of crop patterns in various regions could not only clarify the economic foundations of early societies,but also greatly improve our understanding of interactions among human beings,the environment,and other creatures.In this regard,this study focuses on early agriculture practices at the Haojiatai site,situated in the cultural and natural transitional region between North and South China.Macro plant remains from this site reveal that foxtail millet was the most important staple crop here during the Longshan and Xinzhai periods(4300–3800 cal.yr BP),along with common millet and a small amount of rice and soybean.This crop pattern is in contrast to the ancient environmental conditions of this region,and cultural factors such as agriculture traditions and food preferences may have been more important in the formation process of this crop pattern.