Analysis on temporal and spatial differences of cultivated land pressure and driving factors in Guangxi

ObjectiveThe present study was conducted to analyze time-space evolution of cultivated land pressure and its driving forces in Guangxi in order to provide references for related authorities in Guangxi to formulate cultivated land protection policies. MethodCultivated land pressure evolution in Guangxi was studied based on related statistics during 1980-2014. With municipal administrative division as evaluation unit, temporal and spatial variations of cultivated land pressure were researched by establishing cultivated land pressure index model, and driving forces of cultivated land pressure were studied through principal component analysis. ResultAmong thirty-five years from 1980 to 2014, cultivated land pressure indexes in Guangxi were at grade one in twelve years, at grade two in nineteen years and at grade three in four years. Taking the average value of cultivated land pressure during 2005-2014 in city as the average municipal culti-vated land pressure, the average cultivated land pressure of Chongzuo, Baise, Laibin, Liuzhou, Nanning, Hechi, Fangcheng-gang and Guigang were lower than Guangxi average level during the same period. Driving forces affecting cultivated land pressure index include urbanization rate, Engel’s coefficient of rural households, GDP per capita, total population, per capita net income of rural residents, grain yield level and per capita cultivated land. SuggestionThe following sugges-tions are proposed: increasing income of rural residents, decreasing Engel’s coefficient of rural households to raise per capita GDP; boosting science and technology input to increase grain yield level; strictly controling the cultivated land area to ensure certain coverage of per capita cultivated land.