Grain Production Space Reconstruction and Its Influencing Factors in the Loess Plateau

Abstract

Grain production space, ecological service space and urban–rural development space are the classifications of land systems from the perspective of the dominant function of the land system. Grain production space reconstruction concentrates on the principal contradictions of land system changes, and is the key to exploring the transformation of land system. Therefore, the pathways, process and influencing factors of grain production space reconstruction in the Loess Plateau of Chian from 1980 to 2018 was explored from three dimensions of quantity–quality–spatial pattern in this study. Results showed that the quantity of grain production space showed a slight downward trend with a net decrease of 9156 km2 between 1980 and 2018, but its total quality showed a fluctuating growth trend under rain-fed conditions. Due to the intensification of human activities, grain production space was gradually fragmented, and the distribution tended to be decentralized, and the shape gradually became regular. Meanwhile, both the quantity and quality gravity center of grain production space moved to the northwest by 8.32 km and 86.03 km, respectively. The reconstruction of grain production space in the Loess Plateau was mainly realized through four pathways: Grain for Green, Urban Expansion, Deforestation and Reclamation, and Land Consolidation. The grain production space was mainly reconstructed through the pathway of Grain for Green after 2000. The four reconstruction pathways were the result of a combination of natural environment and socio-economic factors, but influencing factors had different strengths and directions for each reconstruction pathway. From the perspective of social economy–land use–ecological environment coupling, in order to maintain the sustainable development of the land systems, it is necessary to reduce the trade-offs of the functions of land systems as much as possible and strive to coordinate the relationship among grain production, ecological protection and high-quality development.