Cultivated Land Use and Policy Implications in Chinese Main Grain Producing Areas with Different Urbanization Levels
不同城市化水平下中国粮食主产区耕地集约利用差异及其政策启示——以江西省和江苏省为例

The main grain producing areas in China contribute 75% of total national grain output and are important to China's food security. We analyzed Jiangxi and Jiangsu provinces, main grain producing areas with different urbanization levels, using cultivation data from 2001 to 2010. Rice planting inputs and outputs were calculated to measure the level of cultivated land use (intension, extensification and over-use). We found that total input, yield-increasing input and labor-saving input in Jiangxi (low urbanization levels) are lower than that in Jiangsu (high urbanization level), but the gap is narrowing. Rice yield per hectare, especially net profit of rice cultivation, in Jiangxi is behind that of Jiangsu. Labor-saving input in Jiangxi is larger than for Jiangsu. The labor costs of rice planting in Jiangxi declined from 2001 to 2009, while labor costs in Jiangsu increased in 2006, exceeded Jiangxi in 2009, and was 101.80 CNY/ha higher than Jiangxi in 2010. Outputs of cultivated land in both provinces, especially Jiangxi, are lagging behind inputs. To improve cultivated land intensity and protect food security, Jiangsu should carry out agricultural modernization and Jiangxi should increase the input of cultivated land. We discuss severl policy implications arising from our findings.