Promoting grain production through high-standard farmland construction:Evidence in China

Food security is a strategic priority for a country’s economic development.In China,high-standard farmland construction(HSFC)is an important initiative to stabilize grain production and increase grain production capacity.Based on panel data from 31 sample provinces,autonomous regions,and municipalities in China from 2005–2017,this study explored the impact of HSFC on grain yield using the difference-in-differences(DID)method.The results showed that HSFC significantly increased total grain production,which is robust to various checks.HSFC increased grain yield through three potential mechanisms.First,it could increase the grain replanting index.Second,it could effectively reduce yield loss due to droughts and floods.Last,HSFC could strengthen the cultivated land by renovating the low-and medium-yielding fields.Heterogeneity analysis found that the HSFC farmland showed a significant increase in grain yield only in the main grain-producing areas and balanced areas.In addition,HSFC significantly increased the yields of rice,wheat,and maize while leading to a reduction in soybean yields.The findings suggest the government should continue to promote HSFC,improve construction standards,and strictly control the“non-agriculturalization”and“non-coordination”of farmland to increase grain production further.At the same time,market mechanisms should be used to incentivize soybean farming,improve returns and stabilize soybean yields.

Importance of Comprehensive Ecological Restoration of Mountains,Rivers,Forests,Farmland,Lakes and Grass:A Case Study of the Shichuan River

With China's economic development and population growth,China's ecological environment continues to deteriorate.The comprehensive ecosystem restoration of the Shichuan River aims to build an ecosystem containing"mountains,rivers,forests,farmland,lakes and grass"by determining scientific and reasonable thickness of foreign soil,pollution restoration,ecological reconstruction,safeguard measures,etc.It brings new vitality to local ecological environment remodeling and economic development.

Thoughts and Practice of Ecological Protection and Restoration of Mountains, Rivers, Forests, Farmlands, Lakes and Grasslands

The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China stated that it was necessary to establish and practice the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets,treat the ecological environment as life,and coordinate the management of mountains,rivers,forests,farmlands,lakes and grasslands.In recent years,China has organized a series of pilot projects for the ecological protection and restoration of mountains,rivers,forests,farmlands,lakes and grasslands,breaking the boundary between administrative divisions,departmental management and ecological elements,and implementing conservation and restoration oriented towards the improvement of ecosystem services,so as to solve the problem of the lack of overall planning for ecological protection and restoration projects and the separated management of ecological elements.This study systematically elaborated the theoretical basis and connotation characteristics of ecological protection and restoration of mountains,rivers,forests,farmlands,lakes and grasslands.It proposed the implementation path of ecological protection and restoration project of mountains,rivers,forests,farmlands,lakes and grasslands by taking the water source conservation area of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei as a case,so as to provide reference for the implementation and decision-making management of ecological protection and restoration projects in various regions.

Loss of Ecological Value in Farmland during Farmland Conversion:A Case Study of Shaanxi Province

We divide the ecological functions of farmland into five types: soil conservation, water conservation, air purification, maintenance of biological diversity, entertainment and culture. Using the direct method of market evaluation, we establish the assessment model, to calculate the ecological service value of various functions, respectively, and then calculate the total loss of ecological value in farmland. Taking the case of Shaanxi Province, we calculate the total loss of ecological value in farmland in Shaanxi Province during the period 2000-2009 at 6 366.365 3 million yuan. Finally in order to rationally protect farmland, we put forth the following recommendations: correctly understanding the ecological benefit of farmland, and scientifically assessing the value of farmland; optimizing the industrial structure, and promoting intensive use of farmland; taking actions that suit local circumstances, and conducting rational planning of farmland use; strengthening multilateral cooperation, and establishing the common protection accountability mechanism of farmland.

Distribution Characteristics of Pb and Its Ecological Risk in Different Farmland Soils of Changchun Suburb

Pb in the farmland surface soil of Changchun suburb was taken as the main research object. The field research and laboratory analysis were used to investigate Pb content, spatial distribution characteristics and its ecological risk in different farmland soils. The results showed that Pb content was during 18.85 - 41.34 mg/kg in farmland soil of Changchun suburb, and was higher than the background value of Jilin Province at 90% of the sampling sites. The spatial distribution of Pb content in farmland soil had obvious geographical features, and Pb content in southwest and northeast soils was higher. The high-content areas were relatively concentrated, and Pb content gradually reduced from the high-content island- shape center to its surrounding. The soil Pb contents in paddy field, dry field and vegetable field had insignificant difference with the background value, indicating that Pb accumulations in dry field, paddy field and vegetable field were not significant. The order of Pb content in different land use types was showed as follows： vegetable field 〉 dry field 〉 paddy field. Pb pollution of all samples belonged to light pollution. The average potential ecological risk of soil Pb in different land use types presented the following order： vegetable field 〉 dry field 〉 paddy field.

The Utility of GIS for Assessing the Ecological State and Managing Armenian＇s Farmlands

The practicable solution to the problem of degradation of mountainous pastures/hayfields provoked by unplanned and unregulated use of farmlands is considered in the article. With the view of developing animal husbandry and managing pastures/hayfields, in 2011-2012, the Government of the Republic of Armenia under support of the World Bank implemented a Farm Resources Management and Competitiveness Program. The goal of the Program is ceasing a trend to overgrazing and degradation of close-to-village sites, using remote pastures/hayfields in the best effective manner, improving feed production and animal feeding networks, and promoting a growth in animal feed production volumes. To achieve that, the following works were planned and implemented successfully in 23 rural communities of six marzes of the RA （Republic of Armenia）, which was done by three stages. For the 23 communities series of cartographic layers was produced and a relevant database was compiled and mapped.

Estimation of Relative Ecological Value of Returning Farmland to Forest & Mountain Enclosure for Grazing Prohibition——A case study in Yongxing Township of Jingyuan County,Gansu Province

[Objective]Returning farmland to forest and mountain enclosure for grazing prohibition ecological effect and economy rationality were explored.[Methods]A case study of returning farmland to forest and barren hills grazing prohibition in Yongxing Township of Jingyuan County was used to discuss and estimate the relative ecological function and relative ecological value.[Results]1）The ecological value of the forest of returning farmland was far more than the sum of the ecological value of farm crops and the agricultural output,and also more than the national subsidy standard.So the state policy of returning farmland to forests is not only favorable to local eco-environment restoration,but also reasonable in economic development.2）The ecological value of mountain enclosure for grazing prohibition was less than the opportunity cost of prohibiting grazing,also less than the national subsidy standard.The sum of the relative ecological value of prohibiting grazing and the state subsidies was more than the opportunity cost of prohibiting grazing.However,the ecological value of new vegetation through returning farmland to forest project was greater than the China＇s average ecological value of grassland.[Conclusion]The relative ecological value can be used to solve the problems in the equivalent conversion among various ecological indexes and between ecological indexes and economic indexes.

Arrangement of High-standard Basic Farmland Construction Based on Village-region Cultivated Land Quality Uniformity

As an important constitute of land consolidation, high-standard basic farmland construction is an important means to protect the quantity, quality and ecological environment of cultivated land. Its target not only lies in the increase of cultivated land quantity, but also the improvement of cultivated land quality, agricultural production conditions and ecosystem environments. In the present study, the quality evaluation method and construction arrangement of cultivated land were explored to facilitate the process of decision-making and implementation for high-standard basic farmland construction(HSBFC) with administrative village as the unit. Taking the land comprehensive improvement project area in Quzhou County, Handan City, Hebei Province as a case study, the whole process of the study comprised of three steps: 1) establishment of the evaluation model of cultivated land quality uniformity based on regional optimum cultivated land quality, and construction of the uniformity evaluation index system from the aspects of soil fertility quality, engineering quality, spatial quality and eco-environment quality, according to the new concept of cultivated land quality; 2) calculation of cultivated land quality uniformity by grading indicators, assigning scores and weighting sums, exploring the local homogenization characteristics of regional cultivated land quality through spatial autocorrelation analysis, and analyzing the constraints and transformative potential of barrier factors; 3) arrangement of HSBFC according to the principle of concentration, continuity and priority to the easy operation. The results revealed that the value of farmland quality uniformity for the administrative villages in the study area was between 7.76 and 21.96, and there was a difference between various administrative villages. The regional spatial autocorrelation patterns included High-High(HH), Low-Low(LL), High-Low(HL) and Low-High(LH). These indicate that regional cultivated land quality has local homogenization characteristics. The most restrictive factors in the study area were the medium and low transformation difficulty indexes, including soil organic matter content, farmland shelterbelt network density, field regularity and scale of the field. In addition, there were also high transformation difficulty indicators in some areas, such as sectional configuration. The project area was divided into four partitions: major construction area, secondary construction area, general construction area, and conditional construction area. The cultivated land area of each subarea was 1538.85 ha, 1224.27 ha, 555.93 ha, and 1666.63 ha, respectively. This comprised of 30.87%, 24.56%, 11.15% and 33.42% of the total project area, respectively. The evaluation model and index system could satisfy the evaluation of farmland quality and diagnosis of obstacle factors to facilitate the subsequent construction decision. The present study provides reference for the practice of regional HSBFC, and a new feasible idea and method for related studies.

Assessment of High-standard Farmland Construction Effectiveness in Liaoning Province During 2011–2015

At present, the large-scale construction of high-standard farmland in China has improved the quality of cropland and crop production and enhanced the eco-environmental security. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of high-standard farmland construction in Liaoning Province of China during the 12 th five-year period(2011–2015), through on-the-spot investigations and remote sensing monitoring, this study assessed the construction effectiveness of ten typical sampling projects in Liaoning Province and then presented practical suggestions. The main conclusions were as follows. 1) The ranges of increase in productivity of the ten sampling projects in Liaoning Province all surpassed the goal of 1500 kg/ha. 2) Among all sampling project areas, the levels of productivity stability of nine sampling projects were higher than that of the surrounding farmland in a severe drought year. However, the productivity stability of the high-standard farmland construction project in Faku County, Yiniupu Town, declined by 1.04% compared with the surrounding farmland. 3) Except for the high-standard farmland construction project in Dengta City, Dengta Irrigation Region, the productivity uniformity of the other nine sampling projects increased by 3.30%–88.10%. 4) Eight of the ten sampling projects belonged to Class 1, and two projects belonged to Class 2, showing that the effectiveness of high-standard farmland construction in Liaoning Province was quite good.There were some suggestions for high-standard farmland construction in the future. All departments should strengthen cooperation and formulate corresponding protection and development strategies suitable for local conditions. Additionally, lasting management mechanisms should also be established. Using remote sensing monitoring to assess the high-standard farmland construction effectiveness during the 12 th five-year period could provide experience and decision-making support for high-standard farmland construction in the future.

A PREDICTION ABOUT THE EFFECT OF THE BUILDING OF SHUIKOU HYDROPOWER STATION ON THE ECOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE MIDDLE-LOWER REACHES OF THE MINJIANG RIVER

The building of Shuikou Hydropower Station in the Minjiang River is the largest one in the region of east China. Its install capacity is 1.4 million kw., and its generated energy of planning is 4.95 billion kwh each year. In accordance with a comprehensive survey of the valley of the middle-lower reaches of the Minjiang River and the characteristic of hydrography and in association with the specific type of the hydrography station, we can be sure that no harm will be done to the ecological environment when a hydropower station is built at Shuikou. Not only the deposition of silt within the reservoir must not be very serious, it is also more favorable than before for the irrigation of farmland on plains in the lower reaches of the Minjiang River and inland navigation.In addition, after the completion of the power station, the ecological environment will be the same as before both at the Minjiang River estuary and beyond it.

Creating an Ecological Field of Hope

JIANG Yijia has an ambitious goal in life.The successful entrepreneur wants to bring hope to his fellow villagers by improving their life quality and beautifying their countryside.Jiang,who won a national award for his contribution to poverty alleviation,is the Party secretary of Gongshi Joint Village(consisting of Gongshi and five other neighboring villages)in Suining City,Sichuan Province.Under his leadership,the village that had no road access and whose farmland was largely abandoned is now full of fruit trees on the mountain slopes,while the fields located at the foot of the mountain are fertile and lush.Most villagers now live in storied houses,drive their own cars,and have tap water and natural gas in their homes.In their spare time,villagers go to the village cultural and sports activity center to exercise,read books,and play chess.

Contamination and risk assessment of heavy metals in farmland soils of Baghrash County, Xinjiang, Northwest China

Soil pollution significantly reduces environmental quality.In this study,farmland soil samples were collected from 25 sites in Baghrash County,Northwest China;and the concentrations of eight heavy-metal elements(arsenic,As;cadmium,Cd;chromium,Cr;copper,Cu;manganese,Mn;nickel,Ni;lead,Pb;zinc,Zn)were determined by standard methods.The spatial distribution,contamination level,and ecological risk stature of heavy metals were analyzed based on GIS technology,the Geo-accumulation Index(Igeo),the Pollution Load Index(PLI),and the Potential Ecological Risk Index(RI).Results indicated that(1)The average concentrations of Cd exceeded 12.12 times the allowed national standard for soil environmental quality of China.The average concentrations of Cd,Cr,Ni,Pb,and Zn exceeded the background values of irrigation soils in Xinjiang by 60.58,1.25,1.50,4.95,and 5.10 times,respectively.(2)The pollution order of the average value of Igeo for heavy metals was ranked as Cd>Zn>Pb>Ni>Cr>Cu>As>Mn.The individual potential ecological risk index for heavy metals was ranked in the order of Cd>As>Ni>Cu>Pb>Cr>Zn.The average PLI for the study area showed a heavy pollution level,while the average RI showed a considerable ecological risk stature,as compared to the classification standard.(3)The spatial distribution patterns of eight heavy metal elements were substantially heterogeneous.The moderately polluted areas with moderate potential ecological risks were distributed in the southern parts of the study area,whereas the heavily polluted areas with considerable potential ecological risks were distributed in the northern parts.Overall,it was observed that Cd contributed most to the PLI and RI of the farmland soils in Baghrash County.The pollution risk of Cd should be a major concern,and human activities in the region should be cautious.

Multi-scales Analysis of Driving Forces on Land Use/Cover Change in China:Taking Farmland Returning to Forest or Grassland as a Case

Increasing populations are causing an increase in food demands, and the area of cultivated land expands every year. Inappropriate land transition from ecology to production results in the constant decline of the ecological security level and influences the regional sustainable development. Adjusting unreasonable land use mode and reconstructing natural land cover are important ways to maintain and improve the ecological environment. Also reclaiming farmland as areas for forests and grasslands (FRFG) is another way. Successful implementation of FRFG in China is the result of comprehensive effect of the multi-scales driving forces. This paper analyses the driving forces of FRFG in China on a national (country) –regional (province) – local (county) – household (farmer) level scale, and the results are: driving forces at the national scale include ecological and food security and the western development of China; at the regional scale, ecological and economic benefits become the main factors to influence the dimension of FRFG under the same policy. The driving forces can be divided into 6 types: industrial structure adjustment, water source protection, flood prevention, the Three-Gorge Project protection, reduction of the amount of sediment flowing into the Yellow River and wind erosion desertification prevention. The driving forces at the local scale can be divided into 12 types with developing leading industries, increasing farmers’ income and improving agricultural production conditions as the main types; at the household scale, the nationalpolicy meeting farmers’ demands and the optimization of individual interests are all driving forces.

Research on Environmental Impact Assessment Methods of Farmland Improvement along Coastal Areas of Jiangsu Province

[ Objective] The study aimed to assess the impact of farmland improvement on ecological environment along coastal areas of Jiangsu Province. [ Method] Taking the coastal farmland improvement of Sheyang County, Jiangsu Province as an example, an indicator system of environ- mental impact assessment （EIA） for coastal farmland improvement was established based on data collection, field survey and monitoring results, expert consultation, literature study and other methods, including four subsystems （biological resource, soil, vegetation and water environment） and 12 indicators. [ Result] The weights of soil, biological resource, vegetation and water environment were 0.614, 0.219, 0.118 and 0.049, and the top weight of soil showed that farmland improvement had a great influence on soil. Among the 12 indicators, the most important indicators with higher weights were reclamation rate of the land （weight 0.389）, population density （weight 0.164） and the content of soil organic matter （weight 0.088）. Therefore, in EIA of such kind of projects in the future, we should give prominence to the identification, evaluation and monitoring of the main characteristic factor above. [ Conclusion] The research could provide scientific references for the sustainable utilization of resources and estab- lishment of environmental management policies along costal areas of Jiangsu Province.

冬春季生态沟渠对农田径流污染物的净化效果分析

为有效提高冬春季沟渠的净化效率,在原有土质沟渠中增设耐寒植物黑麦草浮毯与填料透水坝构建生态沟渠,分析生态沟渠对农田径流中主要污染物的削减率,对比沿程不同处理段对污染物的净化效果,估算植物吸收对于污染通量降低总量的贡献。结果显示:在冬春季节,生态沟渠对总氮(TN)、硝氮(NO_(3)^(-)-N)、总磷(TP)、化学需氧量(COD)和悬浮物(SS)的总削减率均值分别为29.06%、54.93%、20.76%、54.08%和49.85%。透水坝段的TN和NO_(3)^(-)-N沿程削减率最高;植物浮毯+透水坝段的TP和COD沿程削减率最高;植物浮毯段的SS沿程削减率最高,其对NO_(3)^(-)-N、TP和COD也有较好的净化效果。在降水量达到10 mm以上的9 d内,TN和TP的污染通量降低总量分别为11.43和0.27 kg;黑麦草吸收的氮、磷量分别约占污染通量降低总量的20.6%和55.6%。大雪融化后气温降至0℃以下,可能引起土壤冻融作用,雪水径流中的氮、磷浓度显著升高,此时生态沟渠对径流中氮、磷的净化效果不明显,可利用周边河塘暂存雪水径流,后续结合生态措施对污染物实施强化处理。

耕地保护补偿制度的定位反思与规范重构

研究目的:探析耕地保护补偿制度的立法定位,准确把握耕地保护补偿制度的调整范畴,为正在制定的《耕地保护法》关于“国家建立耕地保护补偿制度”提供具体的立法建议。研究方法:规范分析法和制度目标分析法。研究结果:(1)耕地保护补偿制度在认识论层面,耕地权利设限与补偿的法权基础模糊;在本体论层面,耕地保护补偿的内涵外延尚存争议;在价值论层面,生态供益与增益的激励属性无从彰显。(2)耕地具有资源利益和生态利益一体两面共存的属性,《耕地保护法(草案)》相关条款仍是在“资源—管制”立法理念下的产物,存在显著构造缺陷。(3)以补偿目的为基准,该制度涵盖耕地资源存续补偿与耕地生态保护补偿;以补偿属性为基准,该制度包括耕地保护填平补偿与耕地保护奖励补助。研究结论:建议通过“一般规定+具体制度群”的立法模式在《耕地保护法》中完善耕地保护补偿制度,从而实现该制度维护粮食安全和生态安全的目标定位、价值导向和功能预设。

粮食安全视域下耕地生态补偿的法治化进路研究

耕地生态补偿的法治化契合了粮食安全和生态文明法治保障体系建设的内在要求。我国尚未制定耕地生态补偿专门性法律法规,《耕地保护法(草案)》对于耕地保护补偿制度的设计还存在诸多疏漏,未对耕地生态补偿制度予以明晰表达。为推动耕地保护,进而保障粮食安全及可持续发展,需要着眼于耕地生态补偿制度建构的权利基础,证成耕地生态补偿制度构造的正当性,厘定耕地生态补偿制度的属性特质,进而着眼于补偿请求权主体、补偿标准、补偿方式、补偿监督等多维度,对耕地生态补偿予以法治构造。

中国式现代化视域下习近平生态文明思想整体系统观及其方法论

党的十八大以来,在推进中国式现代化建设的伟大征程中,以习近平同志为核心的党中央坚持系统观念,基于对西方现代化道路的深刻反思和对自然界作为有机系统整体的精准认识,赓续与拓新马克思主义和中华优秀传统文化关于人与自然真实图景的系统辩证思想,形成和确立了丰富完备、逻辑严密的习近平生态文明思想整体系统观。秉持山水林田湖草沙是生命共同体的系统理念,这一整体系统观锚定生态文明建设和环境治理的目标任务,坚持推进中国式现代化生态文明建设与环境治理的系统层级观,坚持共同体构架的国内外合作治理的系统联动机制,对其内核“是什么”的问题作了精要而又深邃的回答。习近平生态文明思想层层追问中国式现代化生态文明建设之道,彰显了其整体系统思维在回答生态文明建设根本性问题上的强大方法论功能;以系统工程方式“全方位全地域全过程”推进生态文明建设与环境治理的全面系统展开,立体呈现了习近平生态文明思想整体系统观鲜明的方法论特质,为中国式现代化新征程上全面推进美丽中国建设提供了科学思想方法,开拓了中国式现代化恢宏壮丽的生态篇章。

农田排水沟除草护坡及生态净化研究综述

对农田排水沟除草护坡及生态净化等方面的研究进行了综述,并对目前主要使用的除草技术,生态护坡技术,以及发展前沿的生态净化技术等方面的国内外相关成果进行总结归纳。然而这些方法都存在技术单一、影响环境等缺点,在对各影响因素的协同作用进行综合系统分析的基础上,提出新的解决思路。对沟道运行面临的问题与需解决的科学问题进行了探讨,旨在为现代农业灌溉排水区域建设提供参考。

耕地生态补偿问题研究进展:运行机制与政策实践

耕地生态系统是全球最重要的生态系统之一。耕地生态补偿作为调节耕地保护相关者利益关系的公共制度安排,在保护耕地生态系统、促进耕地可持续利用、保障粮食安全方面具有重要作用。论文从耕地生态补偿的概念与内涵、补偿机制构建、补偿实践探索三个方面对相关文献进行梳理,认为现有研究存在耕地完全价值体现不充分、补偿标准与补偿年限判定不明确、补偿资金来源不丰富、补偿主体利益分配不清晰的突出问题,并在此基础上提出以法制化、多元化、市场化、信息化为核心的未来研究方向。