Analysis of the Changes of Cultivated Land and Its Factors on Hantai District of Shanxi Province from 1978 to 2006
陕西省汉台区1978年至2006年耕地数量变化及驱动力分析

Han Tai is a typical demonstration zone of adjustment of agricultural structure in Shaanxi Province. Due to the agricultural structure adjustment, "Grain-for-Green Project", the occupation of cultivated land, Han Tai has witnessed drastic reduction in the area of arable land and the contradiction between cultivated land supply and demand aggravated. We have used long sequence statistics and data of detailed land investigation and change for nearly nine years to study the status and structural changes of land use, analyze the basic process and spatial differences of cultivated land, and discuss the main driving force for area change of arable land. The results show that: 1) In 1978~2006, the area of arable land has reduced by 5 600hm2, with an average reduction speed of 200hm2 per year and 0.027hm2 per capita. The declining rate of arable land as a whole share the same trend with that of per capita rate; 2) the occupation of cultivated land for building, withdrawal of farmland for forests and grasslands, agricultural structure adjustment and other factors directly affect four types of cultivated land area of obvious differences in changes. Generally, agricultural structure adjustment is the dominant factor leading to the reduction of arable land. Cities and towns with faster economic development speed often consume more farmland for construction; 3) correlation coefficient of arable land area and various factors concerning socio-economic development is less than that of aumulative arable land area and those factors. Such fact indicates that farmland reduction and socio-economic development of Han Tai are temporally mismatched. In other words, economic and social development lags behind the occupation degree of farmland resources.