Possibilities and requirements for introducing agri-environment measures in land consolidation projects in China, evidence from ecosystem services and farmers' attitudes

Pengyao Li; Yajuan Chen; Wenhao Hu; Xiang Li; Zhenrong Yu; Yunhui Liu

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.051

Possibilities and requirements for introducing agri-environment measures in land consolidation projects in China, evidence from ecosystem services and farmers' attitudes

Sci Total Environ. 2019 Feb 10;650(Pt 2):3145-3155. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.051. Epub 2018 Oct 6.

Authors

Pengyao Li¹, Yajuan Chen², Wenhao Hu¹, Xiang Li¹, Zhenrong Yu³, Yunhui Liu⁴

Affiliations

¹ College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
² College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; School of Economics, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot 010022, China.
³ College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Beijing Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
⁴ College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China. Electronic address: liuyh@cau.edu.cn.

PMID: 30373091
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.051

Abstract

The reductions of ecosystem services (ES) initiated by land consolidation towards intensive agriculture has been recognized in many parts of the world. Land consolidation in China is experiencing a transformation towards sustainability, which may be promoted by learning the experience of Europe to introduce agri-environment measures (AEM). This paper focused on the typical engineering works of land consolidation projects (LCP) to discuss the requirements and possibilities of introducing AEM in LCP in China. Evidence was sought through the ES changes and farmers' attitudes. Based on a database collected from the literature, the changes of ES under LCP across China were evaluated. Household interviews were conducted to identify farmers' perception of ES changes under LCP and their preference of AEM in LCP. In consisted with our expectation, our study demonstrated the negative impacts of LCP on the environment, that the present agricultural-focused LCP in China have typically generated increases in the arable land but decreases in non-crop habitats, and extensively caused growths in food supply ES but reductions in biodiversity maintenance ES. This tendency would threaten the provision of multiple ES and the ultimate sustainability of agriculture. It reflected the urgent requirements of environment integration in LCP in China, for which AEM are efficient instruments. Our results further illustrated the high possibilities of introducing AEM in LCP based on the evidence that the AEM welcomed by the majority of farmers involved all the engineering works, although the farmers selected AEM mainly due to their pursuit of aesthetic instead of biodiversity consideration. To promote land consolidation in China towards sustainability, it is essential to integrate ES into the goals of land use policy, set up the quantitative parameter controlling for non-crop habitats, and introduce AEM in LCP guidelines.

Keywords: Agricultural landscape; Agriculture intensification; Biodiversity; Sustainability; farmers' perception.

MeSH terms

Agriculture*
Attitude
China
Conservation of Natural Resources / methods*
Ecosystem*
Farmers / psychology*
Perception