1216 | 297 | Gully agricultural production transformation in the Chinese Loess Plateau: A case study of loess hilly and gully region in Yan’an City

Exploring the variation characteristics and influencing factors of gully agricultural production transformation (GAPT) in the Loess Plateau can provide scientific reference for the evolution of rural human-land relationship and agricultural multi-functional development in the context of green high quality development. In this paper, Taking Yan’an City of loess hilly and gully region (LHGR), which has a rapid development of gully agriculture, as the research area, 30 Landsat TM/OLI data in periods of 1995-2018 were selected, and kernel density estimation and geographic detector model are used to analyzes the process of GAPT, and to explore the driving force of GAPT in the Loess Plateau and its spatial-temporal differentiation pattern. The results show that: (1) In the past 20 years, the gully agricultural production in the Yan’an hilly and gully area of the Loess Plateau has shown a divergent distribution and phased expansion, and the overall trend of fluctuating shrinkage. The gully agricultural production transformation center of gravity in the Yan’an Loess hilly and gully region has shifted from the middle-altitude to the low-altitude area. (2) The gully agricultural production in the study area is transforming to agglomeration at small spatial scales. GAPT mostly occurs in the water supply belts near river waters, and in the area close to roads and areas near rural settlements which are closely related to human activities. (3) The process of GAPT mainly driven by socio-economic factors and policy factors, and it presents three evolution characteristics» contiguous distribution of traditional agricultural production, transformation of modern gully agricultural production functions, and modern agricultural and tourism multi-functional three-industry integration». The essence is the functional transformation of gully agricultural land.

Lulu Qu
Chongqing University

ID Abstract: 297