Assessment of Value Changes and Spatial Differences in Land Use Based on an Empirical Survey in the Manas River Basin

Abstract

Land integration is an important means of increasing the multifunctional value of arable land. The scientific measurement of the integrative value of arable land before and after land consolidation can improve farmers’ overall understanding of the value of arable land, increase their awareness of arable land protection, and encourage them to implement arable land protection policies. Additionally, it can provide a theoretical basis for the formulation of reasonable compensation standards for arable land in various areas of the Manas River Basin and effectively promote the use of the “Shawan model”. In this paper, the sample used for the survey was made up of 380 farmers from 10 villages in three different regions of Shawan City (county-level city). The participatory farmer assessment (PRA) method was used to conduct a detailed investigation of the integration of farmers’ cultivated land, while the landscape pattern index method was used to analyze the intensity of the cultivated land integration pattern. By constructing a measurement system for the integrative value of cultivated land and adding up the economic, pro-ecological, and social values before and after the integration of the cultivated land, estimated using the income reduction method, the equivalent factor method, and the shadow engineering method, we found that the cultivated land in each region of Shawan City (county-level city) was more effectively integrated, the scale of the field expanded, the shape of the patches tended to be more regular, and the field surface more flat. However, the degree of integration varied from region to region, with the degree of integration from the largest to the smallest as follows: oasis agricultural zone > oasis/desert ecological zone > hilly zone. We found that the integration of cultivated land has a significant effect on the integrated value of cultivated land, and the value of cultivated land in different regions showed different degrees of improvement after integration. The cultivated land of villages located in the oasis/desert ecotone showed a significant overall improvement after integration, followed by cultivated land in the oasis agricultural area. The value of cultivated land increased significantly, while the value of cultivated land in the hilly area showed less improvement after integration. The value of cultivated land integration in different regions is related to the intensity of the cultivated land integration, the per capita cultivated land area, the ecosystem biomass, and the crop planting area. The purpose of this paper is to effectively diagnose and promote the “Shawan Model” (land integration), formulate reasonable compensation standards for cultivated land in different regions of the Manas River Basin, and implement cultivated land protection policies.