Protection of Cultivated Land Resources and Grain Supply Security in Main Grain-Producing Areas of China

Abstract

Land is a main factor in food production, and cultivated land resources provide opportunity for the national food security. This study empirically estimates the impact of farmland protection on the security of grain supply in major grain-producing areas of China. For this purpose, from 2010 to 2019, panel data was collected from 13 main grain-producing provinces of China. The results revealed that the protection of cultivated land resources in the main grain-producing areas with direct means, incentives, and technological progress, significantly and positively impacted the security of grain supply. Furthermore, a mismatch was found between resource conditions and their use for grain production in the Northern region, and the lack of protection of cultivated land resources in the Southern region, which leads to the insignificant positive promotion of grain supply security. The results of the study strongly suggest that central and national governments of China need to provide a proper policy for the protection of cultivated land resources with equal emphasis on quantity, quality, and sustainability to ensure food security.