Agricultural Land-Use Changes and Soil Quality: Evaluating Long-Term Trends in a Rural Mediterranean Region

Land-Use Changes (LUCs) are the result of interacting environmental and socioeconomic factors. Although in southern Europe traditional agroforestry systems are an important component of the Mediterranean landscape, intensification and simplification of the rural space coupled with the increasing sensitivity to soil degradation are potentially harmful for the integrity of natural resources and biodiversity stock. The present study introduced a quantitative assessment of rural LUCs that occurred in a region devoted to agriculture and experiencing a progressively higher human impact from both urbanization and land abandonment. The assessment was carried out at the municipality scale along forty years (1970–2010) using data collected every ten years in the framework of the National Census of Agriculture. The Maximum potential Water Capacity (MWC) in the soil, taken as a proxy for agricultural soil quality, and an index of crop intensity have been introduced in the analysis as supplementary variables. A Multiway Factor Analysis (MFA) was developed to evaluate stability or dynamics in the investigated land-use classes. Results illustrate relevant changes in the rural landscape by identifying the classes “moving” towards better soils. An integrated evaluation of rural LUCs and soil resources based on long-time inventories available at an adequate spatial scale is a tool informing policies against soil degradation.

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A Visual Typology of Abandonment in Rural America: From End-of-Life to Treading Water, Recycling, Renaissance, and Revival

Land ◽

10.3390/land9030094 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 94

Author(s):

Jason Holcomb ◽

Paul Frederic ◽

Stanley Brunn

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Population Change ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Recent Change ◽

Rural Landscape ◽

Agricultural Land Use ◽

Built Environments ◽

Rural America ◽

Economic Changes

The contemporary American rural landscape reflects a mix of ongoing economic changes in agricultural land use, population change, and built environments. The mix depends on past and recent change which represent landscapes of memory and silence to those experiencing economic and demographic renaissance. We develop a typology of five stages that reflect the contemporary rural scene and conduct field transects in Northwest Iowa and Central Maine. Features of the dynamics in rural America are evident in photographs of residences, land use changes, and commercial structure. The study calls for additional studies on rural settlement populations, economies, and society in different environmental settings.

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After a Long March: the Results of Two Decades of Rural Restructuring in Hungary

Eastern European Countryside ◽

10.2478/eec-2018-0005 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 81-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Bernadett Csurgó ◽

Imre Kovách ◽

Boldizsár Megyesi

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Rural Development ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Rural Landscape ◽

State Farm ◽

Development System ◽

Rural Restructuring ◽

Urban Rural

Abstract This paper aims to show the main processes of rural restructuring of Hungary after the change of political system and EU integration. It describes the changes of agricultural land-use, new dynamics of urban rural relations and rural development of the last 25 years. In the paper, we argue that the most dynamic changes happened in the era of post-communism, ended by EU-accession and the era of consolidation. A characteristic phenomenon of these changes was the urban demand for providing facilities related to rural landscape and culture. Therefore, permanent and temporary migrations into rural areas have become the most important element of development for rural places in the last decades. The introduction of a new Europeanised rural development system has shaped these processes and reconfigured local power relations, economic and social networks. These turbulent changes occurred at the same time with the collapse of the socialist-type co-operative and state farm system, along with the restitution and reprivatisation of land, resulting in the concentration of land use and agricultural production. The paper aims at analysing these processes by discussing the dynamics of urban-rural relationships and the new rural development system, while the final part focuses on land-use changes and its impacts on rural society.

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Agroforestry Systems of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley: Land Use for Biocultural Diversity Conservation

Land ◽

10.3390/land8020024 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 24

Author(s):

Mariana Vallejo ◽

M. Isabel Ramírez ◽

Alejandro Reyes-González ◽

Jairo López-Sánchez ◽

Alejandro Casas

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Agroforestry Systems ◽

World Heritage Site ◽

Biocultural Diversity ◽

Semiarid Region ◽

Agricultural Land Use ◽

Visual Interpretation ◽

Natural Ecosystems ◽

Human Settlements

The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico, is the semiarid region with the richest biodiversity of North America and was recently recognized as a UNESCO's World Heritage site. Original agricultural practices remain to this day in agroforestry systems (AFS), which are expressions of high biocultural diversity. However, local people and researchers perceive a progressive decline both in natural ecosystems and AFS. To assess changes in location and extent of agricultural land use, we carried out a visual interpretation of very-high resolution imagery and field work, through which we identified AFS and conventional agricultural systems (CAS) from 1995 to 2003 and 2012. We analyzed five communities, representative of three main ecological and agricultural zones of the region. We assessed agricultural land use changes in relation to conspicuous landscape features (relief, rivers, roads, and human settlements). We found that natural ecosystems cover more than 85% of the territory in each community, and AFS represent 51% of all agricultural land. Establishment and permanence of agricultural lands were strongly influenced by gentle slopes and the existence of roads. Contrary to what we expected, we recorded agricultural areas being abandoned, thus favoring the regeneration of natural ecosystems, as well as a 9% increase of AFS over CAS. Agriculture is concentrated near human settlements. Most of the studied territories are meant to preserve natural ecosystems, and traditional AFS practices are being recovered for biocultural conservation.

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Rural-Spatial Restructuring Promoted by Land-Use Transitions: A Case Study of Zhulin Town in Central China

Land ◽

10.3390/land10030234 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 234

Author(s):

Dong Han ◽

Jiajun Qiao ◽

Qiankun Zhu

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Rural Development ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Central China ◽

Rural Space ◽

Spatial Restructuring ◽

Local Actors ◽

The Impact

Rural-spatial restructuring involves the spatial mapping of the current rural development process. The transformation of land-use morphologies, directly or indirectly, affects the practice of rural restructuring. Analyzing this process in terms of the dominant morphology and recessive morphology is helpful for better grasping the overall picture of rural-spatial restructuring. Accordingly, this paper took Zhulin Town in Central China as a case study area. We propose a method for studying rural-spatial restructuring based on changes in the dominant and recessive morphologies of land use. This process was realized by analyzing the distribution and functional suitability of ecological-production-living (EPL) spaces based on land-use types, data on land-use changes obtained over a 30-year observation period, and in-depth research. We found that examining rural-spatial restructuring by matching the distribution of EPL spaces with their functional suitability can help to avoid the misjudgment of the restructuring mode caused by the consideration of the distribution and structural changes in quantity, facilitating greater understanding of the process of rural-spatial restructuring. Although the distribution and quantitative structure of Zhulin’s EPL spaces have changed to differing degrees, ecological- and agricultural-production spaces still predominate, and their functional suitability has gradually increased. The spatial distribution and functional suitability of Zhulin are generally well matched, with 62.5% of the matched types being high-quality growth, and the positive effect of Zhulin’s spatial restructuring over the past 30 years has been significant. We found that combining changes in EPL spatial area and quantity as well as changes in functional suitability is helpful in better understanding the impact of the national macro-policy shift regarding rural development. Sustaining the positive spatial restructuring of rural space requires the timely adjustment of local actors in accordance with the needs of macroeconomic and social development, and a good rural-governance model is essential.

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Changes in Coastal Agricultural Land Use in Response to Climate Change: An Assessment Using Satellite Remote Sensing and Household Survey Data in Tien Hai District, Thai Binh Province, Vietnam

Land ◽

10.3390/land10060627 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 627

Author(s):

Duong H. Nong ◽

An T. Ngo ◽

Hoa P. T. Nguyen ◽

Thuy T. Nguyen ◽

Lan T. Nguyen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Land Use ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Household Survey ◽

Extreme Weather Events ◽

Agricultural Land Use ◽

Landsat 8 ◽

Land Uses

We analyzed the agricultural land-use changes in the coastal areas of Tien Hai district, Thai Binh province, in 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020, using Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 data. We used the object-oriented classification method with the maximum likelihood algorithm to classify six types of land uses. The series of land-use maps we produced had an overall accuracy of more than 80%. We then conducted a spatial analysis of the 5-year land-use change using ArcGIS software. In addition, we surveyed 150 farm households using a structured questionnaire regarding the impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity and land uses, as well as farmers’ adaptation and responses. The results showed that from 2005 to 2020, cropland decreased, while aquaculture land and forest land increased. We observed that the most remarkable decreases were in the area of rice (485.58 ha), the area of perennial crops (109.7 ha), and the area of non-agricultural land (747.35 ha). The area of land used for aquaculture and forest increased by 566.88 ha and 772.60 ha, respectively. We found that the manifestations of climate change, such as extreme weather events, saltwater intrusion, drought, and floods, have had a profound impact on agricultural production and land uses in the district, especially for annual crops and aquaculture. The results provide useful information for state authorities to design land-management strategies and solutions that are economic and effective in adapting to climate change.

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Impacts of agricultural land use changes on pesticide use in French agriculture

European Journal of Agronomy ◽

10.1016/j.eja.2016.07.004 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 80 ◽

pp. 113-123 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Nicolas Urruty ◽

Tanguy Deveaud ◽

Hervé Guyomard ◽

Jean Boiffin

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Agricultural Land Use ◽

Pesticide Use

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Identification of sensitive indicators to assess the interrelationship between soil quality, management practices and human health

SOIL ◽

10.5194/soil-1-173-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 173-185 ◽

Cited By ~ 122

Author(s):

R. Zornoza ◽

J. A. Acosta ◽

F. Bastida ◽

S. G. Domínguez ◽

D. M. Toledo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Human Health ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Management Practices ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Health Indicators ◽

Nutrient Content ◽

Sustainable Land Use ◽

Soil Quality Index

Abstract. Soil quality (SQ) assessment has long been a challenging issue, since soils present high variability in properties and functions. This paper aims to increase the understanding of SQ through the review of SQ assessments in different scenarios providing evidence about the interrelationship between SQ, land use and human health. There is a general consensus that there is a need to develop methods to assess and monitor SQ for assuring sustainable land use with no prejudicial effects on human health. This review points out the importance of adopting indicators of different nature (physical, chemical and biological) to achieve a holistic image of SQ. Most authors use single indicators to assess SQ and its relationship with land uses – soil organic carbon and pH being the most used indicators. The use of nitrogen and nutrient content has resulted sensitive for agricultural and forest systems, together with physical properties such as texture, bulk density, available water and aggregate stability. These physical indicators have also been widely used to assess SQ after land use changes. The use of biological indicators is less generalized, with microbial biomass and enzyme activities being the most selected indicators. Although most authors assess SQ using independent indicators, it is preferable to combine some of them into models to create a soil quality index (SQI), since it provides integrated information about soil processes and functioning. The majority of revised articles used the same methodology to establish an SQI, based on scoring and weighting of different soil indicators, selected by means of multivariate analyses. The use of multiple linear regressions has been successfully used for forest land use. Urban soil quality has been poorly assessed, with a lack of adoption of SQIs. In addition, SQ assessments where human health indicators or exposure pathways are incorporated are practically inexistent. Thus, further efforts should be carried out to establish new methodologies to assess soil quality not only in terms of sustainability, productivity and ecosystem quality but also human health. Additionally, new challenges arise with the use and integration of stable isotopic, genomic, proteomic and spectroscopic data into SQIs.

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Assessing the Opportunity Cost of Carbon Stock Caused by Land-Use Changes in Taiwan

Land ◽

10.3390/land10111240 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 1240

Author(s):

Ming-Yun Chu ◽

Wan-Yu Liu

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Land Use ◽

Carbon Storage ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Opportunity Cost ◽

Carbon Stock ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Market Price ◽

The Government

As compared with conventional approaches for reducing carbon emissions, the strategies of reducing emissions from deforestations and forest degradation (REDD) can greatly reduce costs. Hence, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change regards the REDD strategies as a crucial approach to mitigate climate change. To respond to climate change, Taiwan passed the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act to control the emissions of greenhouse gases. In 2021, the Taiwan government has announced that it will achieve the carbon neutrality target by 2050. Accordingly, starting with focusing on the carbon sink, the REDD strategies have been considered a recognized and feasible strategy in Taiwan. This study analyzed the net present value and carbon storage for various land-use types to estimate the carbon stock and opportunity cost of land-use changes. When the change of agricultural land to artificial forests generated carbon stock, the opportunity cost of carbon stock was negative. Contrarily, restoring artificial forests (which refer to a kind of forest that is formed through artificial planting, cultivation, and conservation) to agricultural land would generate carbon emissions, but create additional income. Since the opportunity cost of carbon storage needs to be lower than the carbon market price so that landlords have incentives to conduct REDD+, the outcomes of this study can provide a reference for the government to set an appropriate subsidy or price for carbon sinks. It is suggested that the government should offer sufficient incentives to reforest collapsed land, and implement interventions, promote carbon trading policies, or regulate the development of agricultural land so as to maintain artificial broadleaf forests for increased carbon storage.

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Determination of environmental problems of agricultural nature management based on modular geochemical indicators

RUDN Journal of Ecology and Life Safety ◽

10.22363/2313-2310-2020-28-1-57-64 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 57-64

Author(s):

Almobarak Falak ◽

Lidia A. Mezhova

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Natural Resources ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Arable Land ◽

Animal Husbandry ◽

Environmental Problems ◽

Nature Management ◽

The Impact

Central Chernozem is one of the largest agricultural regions in Russia. As a result of the long period of natural resources use the anthropogenic load on agricultural lands is increasing. The result of agricultural nature management is the increase of land degradation processes. Voronezh Region has a high agro-climatic potential, most of the territory is occupied by agricultural land, arable land prevails among them. Soil degradation is the most acute problem. There is a need to assess the impact of agricultural natural resources use on land resources of the region. Modular coefficients for assessment of geochemical impact of agriculture and animal husbandry on agricultural systems are proposed. The developed factor is a tool for identification of negative land use processes and environmental problems. The article deals with the issues of ecologically oriented, scientifically grounded strategy of agricultural nature management. Ecological approach to assessment of soil quality in the future will develop a strategy for balanced land use. The article has a scientific and practical character and is aimed at the development of methods of ecological assessment of soil quality. The proposed methodological approach identifies destructive processes in soils. For ecologically oriented strategy of development of regions it is important to define maximum allowable agricultural loads for preservation of sustainable environment.

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Effect of Land Use on Soil Quality in Afaka Forest Northern Guinea Savannah of Nigeria

Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology ◽

10.9734/cjast/2019/v37i230281 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

H. Haruna

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Fertility ◽

Bulk Density ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Available Phosphorus ◽

Cultivated Land ◽

Soil Fertility Management

Land use changes from forest into cultivated ecosystems result in negative impact on soil structure and quality. The purpose of this study was to determine effect of land use on soil quality in Afaka forest northern guinea savannah of Nigeria. Land use systems, including natural forest and cultivated land were identified. Eighteen (18) composite disturbed and undisturbed samples were collected from depth of 0-5 and 5-10 cm for analysis of pertinent soil properties in the laboratory using grid procedure. Most physical and chemical properties show relative variations in response to land use types and geomorphic positions. Results indicate that the soils had high degree of weathering potentials, low to moderate bulk density at 0-5cm depth values between 1.42 to 1.49 Mg m-3 in forest and cultivated land, bulk density of 1.34 and 1.46 1.Mg m-3at 5 -1ocm depth for forest and cultivated land respectively. The soil water at 0-5cm depth is from 4.20 to 2.63 cm3/cm3, while at 5-10 cm depth these values vary from 4.32 to 2.13 cm3/cm3 under forest and cultivation land use. The pH (H2O) is 6.9 to 7.16 with low electrical conductivity of 0.13 dS/m(forest) and 0.12 dS/m (cultivation). The CEC of soils is recorded as 8.60 cmol kg-1 (forest) to 8.54 cmol kg-1 (cultivated)whereas total nitrogen content of 1.21 g kg-1 and 1.11 g kg-1 and available phosphorus of 8.78 mg kg-1 (cultivated) and 5.47 mg kg-1 (forest).. Results indicate that soil fertility parameters were moderate to low for cultivated land and at all slope positions, suggesting that soil fertility management is required in order to make agriculture sustainable on Afaka area.

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