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The rice–crayfish co-culture system, a representative of Agri-aqua food systems, has emerged worldwide as an effective strategy for enhancing agricultural land use efficiency and boosting sustainability, particularly in China and Southeast Asia. Despite its widespread adoption in China's Jianghan Plain, the exact spatiotemporal dynamics and factors influencing this practice in this region are yet to be clarified. Therefore, understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics and influencing factors of the rice–crayfish fields (RCFs) is crucial for promoting the rice–crayfish co-culture system, and optimizing land use policies. In this study, we identified the spatial distribution of RCF using Sentinel-2 images and land use spatiotemporal data to analyze its spatiotemporal dynamics during the period of 2016–2020. Additionally, we used the Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression model to explore the key factors influencing RCF's spatiotemporal changes. Our findings reveal that (1). the RCF area in Jianghan Plain expanded from 1216.04 km2 to 2429.76 km2 between 2016 and 2020, marking a 99.81% increase. (2). RCF in Jianghan Plain evolved toward a more contiguous and clustered spatial pattern, suggesting a clear industrial agglomeration in this area. (3). The expansion of the RCFs was majorly influenced by its landscape and local agricultural conditions. Significantly, the Aggregation and Landscape Shape Indexes positively impacted this expansion, whereas proximity to rural areas and towns had a negative impact. This study provides a solid foundation for promoting the rice–crayfish co-culture system and sustainably developing related industries. To ensure the sustainable development of rice–crayfish co-culture industries in Jianghan Plain, we recommend that local governments optimize the spatial layout of rural settlements, improve transportation infrastructure, and enhance regional agricultural water sources and irrigation system construction, all in line with the national strategy of rural revitalization and village planning. Additionally, promoting the concentration and contiguity of RCF through land consolidation can achieve efficient development of these industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context and background: A common challenge in many agricultural systems in African states is extreme land fragmentation and declining opportunities for economies of scale in production. This study uses the case of farm tenure and support system in Kenya rice schemes to show how the country's National Irrigation Authority has not only stemmed fragmentation but also increased area under cultivation through targeted supply of collectivized infrastructure. Goal and objectives: The study sought to examine and account for sources of better productivity gains in irrigated rice farming in Kenya, compared to other major cereals such as maize and wheat. Methodology: The study is a case study that examines the relative importance of producer prices in sustaining land size and usage for a given crop even when ownership/or leasehold of that piece of land might change. Question one utilizes data from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAOSTAT) to conduct a Producer Price Index (PPI) and production increases correlation analysis. The data for production volumes is obtained from, the annual Kenya Economic Survey 2008-2022. The quantitative data is complemented with expert interviews from institutions involved in rice production in Mwea rice irrigation scheme in Kenya. Results: In spite of increasing farmers and farms under the rice growing scheme (suggesting continued small-scale holdings) area under rice farming has expanded by 40% from 20,000 acres to 30,600 acres while productivity has risen from 4.1 in 2013 to 6.7 tons per ha by 2023. The expansion 10,600 acres has occurred around contiguous small-scale freehold farmers outside of the initial scheme. Within African small scale holder contexts, crop-focused statutory government bodies such as the National Irrigation Authority thus provide useful models in maneuvering and balancing land ownership autonomy and overall national productivity for small scale farm holders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystems that offer several ecosystem services can be used as green infrastructure for human well‐being. In recent years, human activities have substantially engineered ecosystems to produce the desired ecosystem services. However, such efforts could lead to losses of other ecosystem services. Paddy fields are a seminatural ecosystem that can provide several ecosystem services other than rice production. Land consolidation in paddy fields aim to increase the efficiency of food production as a provisioning service, but it could depress the quality of wetland habitat as a supporting service. Recently, the Japanese government aimed to agricultural production with biodiversity conservation. Therefore, prioritizing a control strategy for future land consolidation is needed. Land consolidation work is effective for large areas and may incorporate the paddy field, previously a floodplain wetland that played a crucial role in regional biodiversity. However, land consolidation could result in the loss of this function. In this study, I investigated the spatial overlapping between land consolidation and paddy fields, which were previously natural floodplain wetlands in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Here, terrain parameters and flow accumulation value (FAV), that can reflect wetland potential, along with the latest land use map, were used. The consolidation records in 1‐km cell for the whole of Kanagawa prefecture were used to test the hypothesis. Results showed that high FAV area with high wetland potential has large paddy fields and was heavily consolidated. Thus, there is need for drastic policy changes to align both food production and biodiversity in paddy fields in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Irrigation agriculture has become integral to global food production because it drastically improves productivity. In the past 20 years, driven by food demand and policy guidance, China has carried out large-scale cropland improvement projects on the land consolidation of dryland-to-paddy conversion (LC-DtPC). However, the unclear spatial pattern and the suitability of LC-DtPC have limited the adaptive management of LC-DtPC and the scientific protection and sustainable utilization of arable land. Therefore, this study used 30 m×30 m remote sensing data for five periods from 2000 to 2020 to reveal the spatial pattern of LC-DtPC of cropland in China and its conversion characteristics and then constructed a suitability evaluation system of LCDtPC by selecting 11 indexes from four dimensions, namely, topography, climate, soil, and tillage, to assess the spatial matching effect of LC-DtPC project implementation and explore adaptive management zoning and strategies. The results showed that the area of LC-DtPC in China from 2000 to 2020 amounted to 1 297.04×104 hm², accounting for 7.31% of the total cultivated land. The LC-DtPC was mainly concentrated in the Sanjiang Plain, Jianghan Plain, Central Henan Province, East of Sichuan Province, and Central Jiangsu Province. There was a large increase in the LC-DtPC area in 2005-2010 and 2015-2020. In general, the suitability of the implementation of LC-DtPC in the drylands of China was not favorable. Among them, 5.14%, 10.49%, 17.34%, 30.66%, and 36.37% of the national dryland area was suitable, more suitable, generally suitable, barely suitable, and unsuitable, respectively. In terms of spatial perspective, the suitability of LC-DtPC was better in Southeast China and Northeast China. Among them, terrain and irrigation water sources were the main influencing factors. Then, the raster superposition analysis was used to overlay the results of the LC-DtPC with the suitability evaluation to analyze the effect of spatial matching for the implementation of LC-DtPC. Through the spatial matching statistics, it found that the overall effect of LC-DtPC in China from 2000 to 2020 was unsatisfactory. The areas of LC-DtPC that were fully matched, more matched, generally matched, barely matched and unmatched were 88.13×104, 373.13×104, 456.43×104, 229.62×104 and 149.71×104 hm², respectively, and their percentages were 6.80%, 28.77%, 35.19%, 17.70% and 11.54%, respectively. Therefore, adaptive management of LC-DtPC was important. This study attempted to analyze the mechanism of adaptive management of LC-DtPC and proposed a hierarchical zoning management method for LC-DtPC to guide the implementation and management of LCDtPC. In the future, government departments can divide different adaptive management zones for LC-DtPC based on suitability priority levels, such as priority remediation zones, key adjustment zones, reserve restriction zones, and orderly withdrawal zones. At the same time, according to the regional characteristics, the government can formulate differentiated LC-DtPC management strategies from planning, implementation, evaluation, and monitoring. This study can provide a scientific basis for arable land protection, ecological protection, and restoration planning of national land space, and the delineation of the two zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shape irregularity, a sub-factor of parcel fragmentation is a problem that hinders sustainable agriculture and is solved using land consolidation projects. Determination of the parcel shape degree contributes significantly to spatial prioritization where there is also a high probability of achieving positive effects of consolidation projects. This study aims to determine the shape degree of the agricultural parcels both at singular and rural county scales in Tekirdag Province, Turkey in 2020 by combining the parcel shape index (PSI) with the minimum bounding geometry index (MBG) to improve parcel scores. Hot-spot zones of the highly irregular and near optimum parcels were also determined using Getis-Ord Gi* statistic. The parcel degrees were classified into four categories, namely highly irregular, irregular, regular and near optimum. The obtained unweighted scores of the parameters exhibit deviations from the expected values. After weighting by pairwise comparison, the values approached ideal scores. Among 346 740 parcels, 53% were highly irregular and irregular and 47% were regular and near optimum shapes after weighting whereas these were 70% and 30%, respectively before weighting. The average parcel degree of 63 rural counties was regular while the average parcel degree of the remaining 264 rural counties was irregular. The combined use of PSI and MBG index improved the correctness of the parcel shape score. It could be suggested to use as a tool in land consolidation prioritization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article starts from the practice of land consolidation in Shanghai metropolitan area, systematically reviews and sorts out the key practices of land consolidation, and analyzes and summarizes its role in maintaining the red line of cultivated land protection, optimizing the spatial pattern of urban and rural land, anchoring the bottom line of urban and rural ecological security, and promoting rural revitalization and urban-rural integration. Based on the new situation and new requirements of China-style modernization construction in the new era, we further analyze the problems and challenges faced by land consolidation in metropolitan Shanghai, propose its future development direction and response strategies, and clarify that in the future, land consolidation in Shanghai will promote natural The starting point and goal of high-quality utilization of resources, meeting the people's high-quality life needs, and realizing high-efficiency governance of land and space are gradually moving towards modern spatial governance with spatial reconstruction, resource reallocation, functional reorganization, and quality reshaping as the core. It provides strong support for the construction of ecological civilization in the Shanghai metropolis and the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land consolidation in rural areas is greatly influenced by a number of social, agricultural, and economic factors. They extend the time and complicate activities related to the implementation of this project. Land consolidation is a huge investment, requiring a good and up-to-date map. Up-to-date data that reflects reality are the basis for good and efficient land consolidation in rural areas. To improve the creation of a land consolidation project, the most appropriate solution would be to place all the necessary data to create a land consolidation project on "geoportals" websites. Providing data on the websites of geoportals in Poland and Finland in the form of a map portal would enable both visual and substantive analysis of spatial changes in rural areas. Therefore, this article pursues two main scientific goals. The first purpose of this article is to analyze the history and scope of land consolidation in Poland and Finland in order to learn the specifics of land consolidation in a given country. Comparisons and analyses were made on the basis of the authors' experience in Poland and Finland with land consolidation in the areas described. The second scientific goal of the article is to compare the availability of geospatial data in the context of the methodology of performing land consolidation in rural areas, which leads to increased energy efficiency in agricultural production by reducing the need for energy, especially fuel for agricultural machinery. The results from the table with a list of geoportals in Poland and Finland are a summary of the data available for free. Thanks to it, land consolidation contractors around the world will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with and perhaps use this data when creating a rural land consolidation project. Good land consolidation planning will lead to effective and economical use of rural space. This is part of the 2030/2050 strategy. Reducing agricultural production costs, lower fuel consumption, and a smaller carbon footprint. This is what Poland and Finland are striving for as countries belonging to the European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

【Objective】The present paper aimed to reveal the characteristics and changes in soil fertility during the initial stages of land consolidation and provide scientific insights for urban land consolidation, land resource preservation, and sustainable integrated management of agricultural resources.【Method】Surface soil samples from traditional farmland and high-standard farmland at the initial stages of land consolidation were collected and analyzed. Soil physical properties such as bulk density, particle composition, moisture content, and porosity, as well as soil chemical indicators including pH, organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, alkaline hydrolysis nitrogen, available phosphorus, and cation exchange capacity, were assessed. An improved Nemero index method was employed to evaluate changes in soil fertility after land consolidation, and principal component analysis（PCA） was used to identify the primary influencing factors on soil fertility changes.【Result】Urban land consolidation had no significant impact on soil physical properties（P＞0.05）, but it significantly reduced the pH, organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and total phosphorus content of surface soil（P＜0.05). After land consolidation, the comprehensive soil fertility index for cultivated land was 1.17±0.57, with soil fertility predominantly classified as grade III. Soil phosphorus was identified as the primary limiting factor affecting the improvement of soil fertility during the initial stages of land consolidation.【Conclusion】During the initial stages of land consolidation, urban farmland exhibited a decreasing trend in soil physicochemical indicators and soil fertility. Strengthening soil nutrient management and fertilization during the early phases of land consolidation is crucial for enhancing urban land productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The aims of this study are to identify the spatial layout of land use in the black soil area, grasp its spatial and temporal evolution patterns, discover potential problems in the temporal evolution of black soil, and explore the path of comprehensive land remediation in the black soil area. [Methods] Based on the 2000 and 2020 Landsat series ETM/TM/OIL remote sensing interpretation data of Bin County, a typical black soil area in Heilongjiang Province, the ecology-production-living of Bin County were identified. The methods of land use transfer matrix and landscape pattern index were employed to grasp the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics and functional trends of the ecology-production-living space in the black soil area, and improve the path of comprehensive land remediation in the black soil area. [Results] From 2000 to 2020, there were dynamic changes of different magnitudes in the area of ecological-production-living spaces in the black soil area of Bin County, but the area was still dominated by production space, accounting for 90.86% and 89.54% of the area, respectively. The ecology-production-living function had changed, the production function had turned to the life function and the ecological function obviously, and the life function and the ecological function had kept a balance. With the strengthening of urbanization, the land encroachment problem was increasing, and the landscape fragmentation degree of different spaces, mainly living space, was constantly increasing, and the landscape complexity was increasing. [Conclusion] The black soil area was dominated by production space, and different spaces and functions were transferred to each other. Black soil land remediation should fully grasp the coupled and coordinated relationship between land use, functional demand and service supply, and realize comprehensive land regulation in the black soil area based on policy comprehensiveness, planning diversification and technology synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the long history of planned water and landscape management in China, focusing on the Tai Lake Basin located in the southern part of the Yangtze River Delta. To position this polder landscape within the broad spectrum of water heritage in China, the paper examines the historical perceptions and symbolism of water and its decisive role in shaping Chinese outlooks on empire, urban settlements and landscapes. It then delineates the evolution of polder landscapes in the Tai Lake Basin, which has been recurrently transformed since the fifth century BCE through to their contemporary condition. Despite changing material forms, the polder landscapes in the region evidence continuous endeavour to manage water for both productive (food) and preventive (flood) purposes. The latter part of the paper considers to what extent these polder landscapes might now be considered as a 'continuing landscape' – an organically evolved cultural landscape reflecting the changing needs of society, economy, government as well as flood prevention. Today, with few features that are materially historical, their continued existence has been threatened by urbanization, land consolidation and agricultural modernization. The paper advocates historically informed landscape planning to safeguard these dynamic and adaptive agricultural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing land fragmentation can theoretically curb cropland abandonment, thus ensuring food security. However, few studies have quantified this relationship using large‐scale survey data at the household level. This study adopts a two‐way fixed‐effects (TWFE) model to examine the effect of land fragmentation on cropland abandonment using nationally representative panel data from the China Rural Household Panel Survey (CRHPS). The panel data set contains 15,138 households across 29 provinces in 2017 and 2019. We find that land fragmentation has a significant and positive relationship with cropland abandonment. The mechanism analysis reveals that this relationship is due to high labor costs and difficulties in renting out the fragmented land. The heterogeneity analysis indicates that farmers with poor human capital and those living in non‐plain areas are at a higher risk of abandoning their cropland due to land fragmentation. Furthermore, the association between land fragmentation and cropland abandonment tends to vary across different land rent‐in scenarios. For instance, an increase in the number of plots in the case of land rent‐in is not necessarily associated with cropland abandonment. These findings are conducive to correcting the underestimation of the role of land fragmentation in cropland abandonment, and their implications may be extended to various countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research background: In the last few years, e-commerce market has increased in population shares, but the situation has changed dramatically since the Covid-19 pandemic. Electronic marketplaces have changed due to rapid digitalization and shopping. Online services offer the possibility to choose a different delivery method such as home delivery or out-of-home delivery. This aspect of the e-commerce market faces an increased interest among practitioners and academia in the field of sustainable last mile deliveries. Interestingly, the subject literature consists of papers analyzing the e-commerce impact on the last-mile delivery. However, the identification of factors for choosing a delivery method and factors that motivate e-customers to choose an eco-friendly delivery method is still an unrecognized field of research. Purpose of the article: The authors of the paper focused on the e-customer perspective on sustainable deliveries in cities. Thus, the main purpose of the paper is to compare factors among the generations that motivate e-customers for choosing a delivery method. Methods: The research was conducted among 1.110 e-customers in Poland in 2021. The paper aims to answer the following research question: what factors motivate each generation for choosing a delivery method? To answer the above-mentioned question, the correspondence analysis (MCA) is prepared that help to identify and compare factors in each generation. Findings & value added: The original research procedure focused on the use of multivariate statistical methods in the study of e-customers' preferences. The analysis revealed three clusters of e-customers in terms of pro-sustainable factors: (a) aged 65+ without pro-sustainable tendency, (b) aged 18-64 with pro-sustainable attitudes, and (c) mixed with no identified delivery preferences. As a result of the research, it can be concluded that the parcel price and the possibility of free return are still the most important factors in choosing the delivery method. From a business/practical perspective, the research results can be used by companies that are the main stakeholders in last mile deliveries, including mainly forwarders and transport companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional studies suggest that administrative division adjustment (ADA) is an effective way to facilitate domestic regional integration, but the process and mechanisms of regional integration led by a top-down ADA have not been fully investigated. Using a data set including millions of land transactions and manually coded city–county consolidation records in China, this paper documents that the layout of land development moves closer to the city center after city–county consolidation. In comparison with industrial and commercial land, residential land is more sensitive and generates approaches to city center in the short term. Only after the formation of population agglomeration over a long period does layout change occur for commercial land. This dynamic process shows that regional integration featuring resource layout is more easily achieved through state-manipulated resource allocation, while integration that features economic activities requires a longer-term shift of population. We test two mechanisms, namely, county push factors and urban district pull factors, and we find that the county push factors are more likely to be the reason for layout change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land consolidation is one of the essential tools to increase productivity in agricultural production. The most important, complex, and time-consuming step is land allocation among the land consolidation stages. For these reasons, it is inevitable to use computer technology to optimize this process. This study used reallocation models based on PESA-II and NSGA-II optimization algorithms to solve the reallocation problem. The methods were compared with the optimization algorithms in the literature and the conventional method obtained by the technician. The applied algorithms have achieved successful results by parcel number, average parcel size, and reallocation cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gully control and land consolidation project is a major ecological environment management project implemented by Yan'an City for increasing the area of cultivated land, ensuring food security, and protecting the ecological environment. A study on the change of land use and ecosystem service value in Yan'an City underlying this project has important implications for scientific assessment of ecological benefits of this project as well as ecological protection and high quality development of the Loess Plateau. Based on the Landsat TM/OLI images in 2010 and 2018, the unit area value equivalent factor method was employed to quantitatively analyze the variation of land use and ecosystem service value in Yan'an City from 2010 to 2018. Results showed that the land use types in Yan'an City mainly included grassland, forest land, and cultivated land. During the study period, the land use types remained relatively stable with limited interchangeable transformation among cultivated land, forest land, and grassland. The ecosystem service value of Yan'an City increased by 0.28% from 95.591 billion yuan in 2010 to 95.856 billion yuan in 2018. Grassland and forest land were the key factors contributing to ecosystem service value. Sparse forest land, high covered grassland and water area were the main contributing factors and sensitive factors of ecosystem service value change. The regulation service was the most important of all the ecosystem service functions in Yan'an City, among which the climate regulation had the greatest value. The range of variation for the value of each ecosystem service was <1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land consolidation is one of the most important measures to increase the amount of cultivated land for grain security in China. Newly increased cultivated land (NICL) can then be fully utilized to promote rural vitalization. Therefore, it is very necessary to explore the utilization direction of NICL by land consolidation, particularly with the decrease in rural population and the giant change in residents' dietary structure. Taking Yanchuan County located at the Loess Plateau as an example, this study aims to analyze the land use changes and quality distribution of NICL under different geomorphic types, including the loess tableland, beam, gully, and slope. The results show that 20.69% of NICL was converted into non-cultivated land so far. Specifically, the NICL was mainly transformed into forest and grassland. Three reasons were attributed to making the NICL change into the forest or grassland. Firstly, the benefit of orchard farming was much greater than that of grain crop farming. Secondly, orchard farming was a labor-intensive agricultural production activity that required a lot of labor time. Thirdly, rural labor was limited in the process of urbanization. Correspondingly, much less time was spent using the NICL for grain production. The NICL was then converted into forest land in the loess gully, whereas, the grassland was distributed mainly in the loess gully, tableland and beam. Among them, the apple orchard land that was converted from NICL was distributed in the loess tableland and beam. The converted area was 156 062 m 2 from the NICL into the forest land in the loess gully, accounting for 82.27% of the total area of converted NICL into the forest land. Meanwhile, the converted areas from the NICL into the grassland in the loess gully, tableland and beam were 30 528, 37 358 m 2, respectively, accounting for 44.97%, and 55.03% of the total area of converted NICL into grassland, respectively. The converted area was 9871 m2 from the NICL into the apple orchard land in the loess tableland and beam, accounting for 92.62% of the total area of converted NICL into apple orchard land. Water resource dominated the differences in the transformation types of NICL at different geomorphic types. Even the high-quality NICL was converted into the forest land in the loess gully. Furthermore, 25.64% of the total area of the converted NICL into forest land was shared with a physical quality score of [700, 900) in the loess gully. It inferred that the NICL failed to use for the grain production in the loess gully, even with better water resources and high quality under the high benefit of orchard farming. But the NICL was abandoned and then converted into the forest land. Conversely, the NICL in the loess tableland and beam was used for orchard farming for more economic benefit. Anyway, the full utilization of NICL by land consolidation should be determined according to local conditions, as the rural population decreased and residents' dietary structure changed in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automatic determination of shape parameters is still a current issue due to the dynamic development of technologies requiring image or geometric data analysis. The research described in this paper presents a new approach to the estimation of shape elongation and the calculation of lengths of shapes whose boundaries may be represented by polygons. The proposed algorithm is based on the Delaunay triangulation. The new approach may play a significant role in practical applications concerning spatial pattern analysis, land fragmentation and efficiency of projects focused on land consolidation and landscape fragmentation analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Along with colonization, land consolidation was the other great instrument of Francoist socio-structural policy. Land consolidation policy began with the 1952 legislation. It addressed land fragmentation into small plots whose extension, according to the Law, was uneconomic while creating notable obstacles to the development and modernization of agriculture. Land consolidation is a restructuring of territory into fewer and larger plots that allow roads or paths between them. In contrast to the Second Republic (1931–1936) agrarian reform, it avoided the matter of large-scale land ownership and its necessary redistribution. Through a micro-historical approach, this paper aims to investigate changes in the developmental model of the dictatorship, by incorporating the local actors and their resistances in the historical interpretation. This perspective will reveal the conflict between subaltern and dominant reasons. We will rely on the analysis of documentary sources of a legislative and regulatory nature, local documentation, as well as oral interviews with peasants and agricultural technicians who worked in Galizan rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use monitoring data and statistical yearbook in Fushan District from 2011 to 2019 were selected as the data sources. GIS technology, transfer matrix, principal component analysis, standard deviation ellipse and geo-informatic spectrum were used to study the LUCC and its driving forces in Fushan District in recent 10 years. By calculating the potential of suitable ploughing reserve land resources and land reclamation potential, the reasonable way of new rural construction in Fushan District is studied from the perspective of LUCC. The study showed that the total land area had increased from 710.87 km² to 713.56 km², and the dynamic degree of land use had been 0.04% under the influence of coastline change and reclamation over the past 10 years. The land use types in Fushan District changed greatly, in which cultivated land, garden land, grassland, water land and other land area showed a decreasing trend, while forest land, residential, industrial and mining land and transportation land showed an increasing trend. In space, the aggregation degree of land use types was enhanced, and it had a strong centripetal nature. According to the principal component analysis, the LUCC in Fushan District was mainly affected by regional economic development and population change. The suitable ploughing reserve land resources and land reclamation resources in Fushan District were scarce, and the spatial distribution was uneven. This paper will provide reference for rural land renovation and new rural construction, and provide an important scientific basis for land spatial planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land consolidation (LC) is a widely used spatial land management tool. The most essential stage of the LC process is land reallocation, which comprises the exchange of property rights. For this reason, land reallocation may be a potential source of dissatisfaction among farmers, and thus, optimization techniques are continually being developed to minimize these dissatisfactions. The goal of this study was to develop a novel preference‐based artificial‐bee‐colony (ABC) algorithm for use in the land reallocation project for DOT village. In the study, the farmer preferences were prioritized. Specifically, 70% of the lands were preference‐based, with the remainder being random. Furthermore, the ABC algorithm's performance was assessed using three limit parameter (LP) values and two probability functions. The best success was attained when the LP was set to 50 and the roulette‐wheel probability function was employed. The success of land reallocation was defined by the occupancy rate in the blocks and the reallocation rates based on the preferences of the farmer's lands. The occupancy rate in all the blocks using the ABC algorithm was 95.54%, the full occupancy rate of blocks according to farmer preferences was 38%, and the land reallocation rate based on the farmers' preferences was 73%. The remaining lands were distributed to the block areas at random using the ABC method. Moreover, the success of the preference‐based population surpassed that of randomly formed populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social aspects of miscanthus cultivation have been investigated in a limited way in the scientific literature. Adopting existing frameworks for social life‐cycle assessment enables assessments to include numerous social aspects; however, the relevance of these aspects depends on the local context. This study aims to identify the most relevant social aspects from the farmers' perspective using a previously proposed framework for the assessment of the stakeholder 'farmer'. It is based on a case study for miscanthus production in Sisak Moslavina in Croatia. The existence of abandoned lands in Croatia presents an opportunity for the cultivation of miscanthus as a potential source of biomass for the production of bio‐based materials and fuels. The study seeks to assess the feasibility of cultivating miscanthus in the region, taking into account potential challenges and opportunities, as well as farmers' willingness to adopt the crop, and to understand the reasons behind land abandonment. We conducted a survey among 44 farmers in the region and used a scoring method to identify the most relevant social aspects. The aspects most valued by the farmers were health and safety, access to water, land consolidation and rights, income and local employment, and food security. Responses to the question of whether they would adopt the crop highlight the importance of an established market, good trading conditions and profitability of cultivation. The survey also enabled an understanding of farmers' preferences with respect to the production conditions of crops. The farmers regarded the provision of subsidies as one of the main factors that render a crop attractive. Opportunities for the adoption of the miscanthus cultivation include high yields and low input requirements. Barriers include land conflicts and land availability. Despite the opportunities for miscanthus development in the region, there are important challenges to consider for successful implementation of the crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marketization of rural idle homesteads can be promoted for “three rights separation” of rural homesteads. The perceived risk can be one of the most important identification factors in the farmers’ homestead marketization in the reform of the homestead system. In this study, an evaluation system was constructed to identify the risk of homestead marketization from the perspective of farmers’ risk perception, including the risk of the farmers’ equity, cultivated land protection, collective return, social stability, ecological environment, and cultural inheritance risk. Taking Chongqing Dazu, Yongchuan, and other typical homestead system reform pilots as empirical areas, a Variable Fuzzy set was adopted to evaluate the risk level of farmers’ homestead marketization. Subsequently, an efficient machine learning model (called Random Forest, RF) was employed to identify the risk of farmers’ homestead marketization. Finally, risk prevention and control strategies were proposed under different marketization patterns. The results showed that: 1) An inverted “U” shaped fluctuation trend was found in the risk level of farmers’ homestead marketization. Specifically, the risk probability of direct marketization (43.38%) and green indicators marketization (32.14%) were significantly higher than that of marketization of reclamation indicators (13.73%), and marketization of planning adjustment (12.99%). 2) There were some differences in the various risk factors for the four types of marketization patterns. The farmers’ equity risk (46.74%) was higher in the direct marketization, whereas, the cultural inheritance risk (4.76%) was lower. The social stability risk (35.66%) was higher in the marketization of planning adjustment, while the ecological environment risk (5.85%) was lower. The cultivated land protection risk (29.13%) was higher in the marketization of reclamation indicators, while the collective return risk (2.05%) was lower. The farmers’ equity risk (34.24%) was higher in the green indicators marketization, while the ecological environment risk (1.20%) was lower. 3) There were some differences in the risk mechanism. The same risk factor also shared the heterogeneity in the homestead marketization of four types. 4) The differentiated prevention strategies of marketization risks were considered the timing, and the cooperation of various participants, such as farmers, collectives, and governments. The government, the collective, and the farmer were united to focus on the “prevention in advance” in the direct marketization. The collective was supposed to focus on the “prevention in advance” in the marketization of planning adjustment, while the government was on the “prevention afterward”. By contrast, the government was supposed to focus on the “prevention in the event” in the marketization of reclamation indicators, while the collective was on the “prevention afterward”. Only the government was supposed to focus on the “prevention in advance” in the green indicators marketization. In conclusion, the reform of homestead marketization should set the tone of “steady and prudent promotion”. It was different from the complete marketization of state-owned land. But the marketization was limited using “three rights separation”. Meanwhile, future homestead marketization should avoid homogenization patterns. More importantly, it is urgent to establish an income distribution mechanism and risk aversion system, in order to share the benefits and risks by farmers, collectives, and governments. The findings can provide the decisionmaking on rural residential land consolidation. The homestead risk database can be expected to deepen the reform of the homestead system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study adopted a scientific method to perform land comprehensive consolidation zoning based on the particularity of mountainous and hilly regions and promote land comprehensive consolidation via differentiation. In this study, the Jiangjin District of Chongqing City was used as the research area, and the built index system of the comprehensive evaluation of“production-livingecological”functional index was used. The comprehensive evaluation of“production-living-ecological”functional index and the model of coupling coordination degree were used to build a matrix of land comprehensive consolidation zoning. Thereafter, the differentiated land comprehensive consolidation strategies, combined with terrain conditions, were presented according to the zoning results. The results showed that the space difference characteristic of the comprehensive index of“production-living-ecological”function were obvious, presenting a zonal distribution that is high in the north but low in the south. The high – high, low – low, and random type distribution accounted for 34.53%, 38.32%, and 26.01%, respectively. The average value of coupling coordination degree of“production-livingecological”function was 0.55, indicating the overall coordination of land use. The coordinated areas accounted for 56.29%. The dysregulated areas accounted for 43.71%. The land in the study area was divided into four types, which included land of key-consolidation type, select-consolidation type, protected-consolidation type, and unsuitable-consolidation type, which accounted for 39.84%, 14.24%, 22.68%, and 23.24%, respectively. The land comprehensive consolidation strategies based on topographic differentiation features and according to the zoning results were presented. This study combined comprehensive index of“production-living-ecological”function coordination with coupling coordination degree, and it can be used to guide land comprehensive consolidation zoning. In addition, the differentiated land comprehensive consolidation strategies can clarify the objectives and direction of land comprehensive consolidation for mountainous and hilly regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land consolidation is the rearrangement of small, fragmented, and scattered land owned by agricultural enterprises. The data of the research was collected from the lawsuit files related to the land consolidation works carried out in Yüreğir district of Adana province on 23/11/2012, records of the 6th Regional Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI) which carried out the consolidation and academic studies related to the subject. It is aimed to use less time, labour, and capital, increase agricultural production and productivity, and raise living standards. However, it is important to ensure satisfaction of farmers to provide these benefits. This study evaluated the problems caused by land consolidation from a legal point of view. This research found that the number of parcels of enterprises decreased, the size of the parcels increased, and the parcels received road, water, and drainage services. However, a significant number of producers were not satisfied with the land consolidation and filed lawsuits in the administrative courts. This study revealed that attentive consolidation and careful use of authority can increase satisfaction and prevent unnecessary busying of the courts, saving time and expense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the study is to reorganize agricultural business management's owning small, fragmented, and dispersed lands according to modern agricultural business management thus ensures less usage of time, labour force and fund, take advantages of production factors and increase in productivity of agricultural business managements, increase agricultural production, and ameliorate life standards of inhabitants in the rural area. The paper is based on a large literature in the field and information from TVK about land consolidation. The results reflected that Turkey has implemented Land Consolidation activities for 1 million hectares per year to correct the unfavorable situation caused by inheritance traditions and other reasons. In the first years of the program, inheritance regulations were not perfectly organized, so applications encountered issues. In 2014, new regulations were implemented to prevent land division but did not have a beneficial effect on the development of enterprises. To ensure compensation for land value when they move away, Land Banking applications are needed. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock developed a GIS based web portal named "TVK" to track and monitor all the activities performed during the management of Land Consolidation Projects. TVK ensures following content to be executed: Contract Management, Project Management and Monitoring, Schedule Planning and Monitoring, Operation Management and Monitoring, Data Management (Textual and Geographical), Estimated Cost Calculation for a LCP by using unit price pool, Progress Payment Management and Monitoring, Final Account Calculation, Interim and Final Acceptance Procedures, Official Letters, Official Reports, Project Statistics, Geographical Data Marking, Correction, Comparison, Redlining, Mobile applications and E-government integration. TVK has instant and online access to governments Land Registry and Cadastre Information System, Central Population Information System, Address Registration System, Agricultural Information System and Agricultural Parcel Information System. TVK is developed with open-source technologies and compatible with OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) and ISO standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultivated land pressure represents a direct reflection of grain security. Existing relevant studies rarely approached the spatiotemporal pattern of cultivated land pressure or the spatial heterogeneity of its influencing factors from the level of economic zones. Taking the Huaihai Economic Zone (HEZ), China for case analysis, this study investigated the spatiotemporal pattern of cultivated land pressure in diverse periods from 2000 to 2018 based on a modified cultivated land pressure index and spatial correlation models. On this basis, it explored the influencing factors of the spatial differentiation of cultivated land pressure in the late stage of the study using geographical detector as well as multi-scale geographically weighted regression model. The results indicated that: 1) in the study period, the global cultivated land pressure index of the study area decreased gradually, but cultivated land pressure increased locally in a significant way, especially in the central and southern Shandong Province; 2) the spatial pattern of cultivated land pressure manifested global clustering features. Hot and secondary-hot spots presented a narrowing and clustering trend, whereas cold and secondary-cold spots manifested a spreading and clustering trend; 3) average slope, the proportion of non-grain crops, population urbanization rate, and multiple cropping index have significant effects on the spatial differentiation of cultivated land pressure. The former three factors were positively correlated with cultivated land pressure, and the last factor was negatively correlated with cultivated land pressure; and 4) the amount of cultivated land has increased in the central and southern Shandong Province through land consolidation which, nonetheless, failed to improve the grain production. In regards to major grain producing areas similar to the HEZ in China, the authors suggest that great importance should be given to the balance of the quality and quantity of cultivated land, the optimization of agricultural production factors and the rational control of non-grain crops, thus providing a powerful guarantee for grain security in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In land reclamation projects, the scheme of dredged clays with a multiplicity of horizontal drains is often adopted to shorten the vertical drainage path for seepage flow of pore water, but studies of consolidation theory on layered clay–sand reclamation are relatively inadequate. In this investigation, a novel semianalytical solution is obtained, applying the boundary transform technique based on the plane-strain consolidation theory. The correctness of the presented solution is investigated by comparing against results obtained from finite-element analyses and field tests. Subsequently, a detailed parametric analysis is conducted to explain how the consolidation efficiency is affected by geometric and physical parameters of soft soils and horizontal drains. It is revealed that the rate of consolidation increases with the horizontal permeability of dredged clay but decreases with the width of reclaimed land. For the effect of horizontal drains, the consolidation efficiency increases with the thickness, horizontal permeability coefficient, and layout number. Moreover, the optimal design method of layered horizontal drains is described in detail, and a figure considering the optimal thickness, layout number, and position of horizontal drains is provided as theoretical guidance for use in design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of a standard system is advantageous and favorable for the development of land consolidation informatization in Shanghai. Based on the related work and planning for land consolidation in Shanghai, 147 technical objects were selected to form the technical standard system table for Shanghai's comprehensive land consolidation. To revamp the current standard system, corresponding suggestions for revising and creating new technical standards were made, providing a reference and guidance for the development of Shanghai land consolidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the impact of land reclamation on soil microorganisms, microbial diversity and population structure in the reclaimed cultivated soil were analyzed using Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology, with the original quality cultivated land as the control. The results showed that, in terms of microbial diversity, the diversity of soil bacteria and fungi in the reclaimed farmland significantly improved (p<0.05). The bacterial Chao1 index of XZ2 was 4164.17 points higher than that of ZL (4.45%) and the fungal Chao1 index of XZ2 was 585.49 points higher than that of ZL (41.06%). Anaeromyxobacteria, Bacillus, Sporocytophaga, and other bacterial genera were highly abundant in reclaimed farmland, and the genera with high fungal abundance included Leucosporidium, Pichia, Purpureocillium phanerochaete, etc. SOC, AN, NH4+ -N, AP, and CEC are important environmental factors affecting the soil bacterial community. AK and NO3 - - N are important environmental factors affecting the soil fungal community. The diversity and composition of the soil microbial community were significantly related to land remediation and soil environmental factors, and the bacterial community was sensitive to these changes. Land consolidation can effectively improve soil microbial diversity and functionality by merging plots and reclaiming cultivated land, and it plays an important role in improving soil quality. The results also provide a scientific basis for land consolidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately predicting the reclamation potential of rural settlements is critical for optimizing regional land use patterns. However, many existing approaches lack reliable verification of their predictions. This study proposes a potential prediction model for decision-making on rural settlement reclamation, using Gradient Boosting Regression Tree (GBRT) and spatiotemporal land-use data. Because the reclamation potential of rural settlements is influenced by a complex interplay of physical and socio-economic factors. A systematic analysis was conducted to identify the influencing factors on the release of land reclamation potential in rural areas, integrating them into a system of 35 factors, including topography, location, urban-rural development, government financial pressure, agricultural development, food security, and distribution characteristics of rural settlements and cropland. The spatiotemporal land use data were selected to create the training and test samples for the model. The GBRT also presented the high accuracy, efficiency, and resistance to overfitting. The improved model was used to automatically identify the potential release characteristics of rural settlements under the comprehensive influence of multiple socio-economic factors. A case study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and performance of the improved model in the Hunan Province of the South-Central China. The data used in the case study was collected from the 102 county-level units in Hunan, where 70% for training and 30% for validation. The cross-validation experiments show that the better performance was achieved in the improved model, with the determination coefficient of R²=0.976 5 and an average absolute percentage error of 11.64%. The relative error was about 6.6% between the predicted and the actual potential between 2009 and 2019. Therefore, the prediction accuracy of the improved model was fully met the requirements of the planning decisions. According to the prediction, the total reclamation potential of rural settlements from 2020 to 2035 in Hunan was approximately 36 050.26 hm², equivalent to 4.58% of the current rural construction land area in 2020. The predicted potential characteristics and distribution were in line with the actual reclamation potential from 2009 to 2018, indicating the feasibility of the predicted model. The areas with the greatest potential were primarily located in the “Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan” area, while the areas around Dongting Lake and the central Hunan Basin presented relatively fast economic development and urbanization, indicating a large contradiction between the demand and supply of land for construction. Therefore, the rural settlements to be reclaimed were in plain areas with convenient transportation and low difficulty of reclamation, where contiguous operation with surrounding arable land after reclamation could yield better economic benefits. These regions can serve as the major area for comprehensive land consolidation from 2020 to 2035. The improved model can provide accurate and reliable guidance for comprehensive land consolidation and land use planning, benefiting provincial and local governments. In conclusion, the accurate prediction achieved in the reclamation potential of rural settlements will help optimize land use patterns and promote the sustainable development of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After large-scale land consolidation in hilly loess region of the Loess Plateau in China, land subsidence has a wide affecting area and considerable difficulty of prevention. Hence, large-scale, stabilized, and continuous deformation monitoring is urgently needed for slopes. In this study, land consolidation zone in the loess platform area of Weinan, China, was selected as the object, and the 30-scene Sentinel-1A data in Jan, 2018 to Dec, 2019 were analyzed. The mean annual velocity of ground deformation was from -6.19 mm∙a-1 to 3.86 mm∙a-1, and Accumulated deformation velocity was within -8.49 mm∙a-1 to 7.24 mm∙a-1. Accumulated deformation of land consolidation changed with the seasons changing. The interrelationship between the spatiotemporal variations in ground subsidence and the precipitation, ground water, loess engineering properties was also discussed. Accumulated deformation of land consolidation changed with the seasons changing. The precipitation accelerated the subsidence by unexpected strong precipitation reflects that the infiltration of rainwater can lead to compacted loess deformation which caused by moistening effect. Under varying ground water environment, external loads may lead to soil collapse, resulting in non-uniform land subsidence. Co-compression deformation of original loess and compacted loess is main influencing factors of subsidence. These findings have important implications and significant positive effects on the prevention of potential hazard such as subsidence and side slope slip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cropland productivity can be greatly improved to ensure national food security in China, particularly under the quantitative constraints of farmland resources. Among them, land consolidation can be an important way for the high cropland productivity in recent years. But, the spatial differentiation patterns of land consolidation can pose a great impact on cropland productivity in large-scale regions. Taking the Yangtze River Economic Zone as an example, this study aims to determine the impact of land consolidation on cropland productivity change using MODIS-EVI remote sensing data. The S-G filtering and threshold were used to extract the cropland productivity (i.e., single-crops productivity, the first and second season productivity of double crops) in the study area from 2001-2017. Then, 80 920 projects of land consolidation were collected (including land development, consolidation, and reclamation projects) with the location and attribute information using the national rural land consolidation monitoring and supervision system. The contribution rate of land consolidation was further analyzed for the cropland productivity in counties using a geographically weighted regression model, together with the spatial differentiation of the impact degree. Finally, the impact of land consolidation was spatially partitioned on the cropland productivity using the hierarchical clustering model. The optimization strategies of land consolidation were also proposed for each zone, according to the cropland utilization characteristics. The results showed that: 1) There was a significant spatial divergence trend of cropland productivity. Specifically, the productivity of single-crops and double-crops in the first and second seasons presented a decelerating increase, an accelerating increase, and an increase followed by a decrease, respectively, with the largest increase in the productivity in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. There was a significant decrease in the productivity of the single-crops and the second season productivity of double-crops in the lower reaches; 2) The average contribution of land development, allocation, and reclamation to the change of single-crops productivity were 7.38%, 4.44%, and 2.80%, respectively; the average contribution to the change of first season productivity of double-crops were 6.21%, 5.04%, and 3.34%, respectively; and the average contribution to the change of second season productivity of double-crops were 7.10%, 7.15%, and 3.69%, respectively. 3) The Yangtze River economic belt was divided into the consolidation areas of the southwest mountain, the Sichuan basin, the southern hilly, and the lower Yangtze River plain, according to the cropland productivity and the impact mechanism of land consolidation. A better optimization was also provided for the land consolidation of each region. In addition, some findings were also needed to further explain: firstly, the land allocation was the least effective to promote cropland productivity improvement among all types of projects. The reason behind this issue can be expected to continue. Another phenomenon is that the second season productivity of double-crops was generally negatively correlated with the land consolidation indicators, has the implementation of land consolidation accelerated the phenomenon of “double to single”? What is the mechanism behind this phenomenon? Finally, it is very necessary to improve the efficiency of the causal inference using a geographically weighted regression model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of the study was to develop a tool that automatically calculates the basic parameters describing the efficiency of land consolidation work, especially consolidation projects and analysis of the optimal location of parcels. Efficiency is usually determined by basic spatial parameters such as size, number and dispersion of plots. To calculate the spatial dispersion of parcels in a registration unit, the use of a convex envelope (convex hull) is proposed. This is one of the basic functions of a Geographical Information System (GIS). It provides a simple way to estimate the dispersion of land, taking into account its area and its belonging to a particular registration unit. The ModelBuilder application available in ArcGIS software was used to build the efficiency assessment tool. The tool was tested on three consolidation areas -- Ilkowice, Rajsko-Niedzieliska-Szczurowa and Łukowa. The best results in terms of optimal distribution of plots were obtained on the Rajsko-Niedzieliska-Szczurowa site. In this case, the average area of plots increased more than threefold. The number of parcels in the entire site and in the registration units has more than threefold decreased. The average dispersion of plots in the units decreased here by almost four times. The other two sites did not score as well, but the analysis of the parameters indicates that there has been an improvement in the distribution of plots compared to the initial state. The average area of plots in Ilkowice increased by about 25% and in Lukowa by about 48%. The number of plots decreased in Ilkowice by about 25% and in Lukowa by about 48%. The average dispersion of plots in the units decreased in Ilkowice by 20% and in Lukowa by about 22%. It should be mentioned here that the Rajsko-Niedzielska-Szczurowa site consisted exclusively of agricultural plots, so it was definitely easier to achieve such good results. The Ilkowice and Łukowa sites also contained developed plots, which were not consolidated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the characteristics of agricultural production in Jiangxi Province, China, the changes of agricultural carbon emission and carbon fixation in various cities were estimated for the whole process of soil respiration, agricultural production, and crop output from 2010 to 2020. Then, a linear regression model was established based on the significant correlation between rice paddy planting and net agricultural carbon storage. By collecting and sorting out the geographic coordinate data of the agricultural land consolidation projects in Jiangxi Province, this study explored if the agricultural land consolidation could improve net agricultural carbon storage by increasing vegetation productivity, and ecosystem service value (ESV) by changing land use types. Also, relevant paths and evaluation methods were discussed, and a quantitative analysis was made. It could be concluded that, from 2010 to 2020, agriculture in Jiangxi Province realized net carbon sink, although there were ups and downs every year. In terms of land use types, cultivated land contributed the most to agricultural carbon sources and sinks in Jiangxi Province. As the key component of crop carbon storage in Jiangxi Province, rice paddy production accounted for 60% of the sown area, 90% of total crop output, and 93% of carbon storage among all the crops. Low-carbon rice farming was the best solution to the low-carbon development of agriculture in Jiangxi Province. By improving the cultivated land and plant production capacity, agricultural land consolidation projects in Jiangxi Province increased the net agricultural carbon storage by 709,600 tons of carbon (t C) per year, while increased the ESV by ¥230 million (CNY) per year through changing the land use types, such as converting the construction land into agricultural land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land consolidation (LC) is an important tool for the improvement of agriculture and rural development, which also includes environmental issues in most of the countries in Europe. This paper presents the most important results of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of land consolidation, conducted in the municipality of Vršac through a pilot project based on the EU methodology set within the project: "Strengthening Municipal Land Management in Serbia", supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. During the summer of 2018, field survey was carried out at 90 locations, documenting the natural, semi-natural and man-made landscape elements of ecological or cultural values, assessing their quality and estimating the potential harmful environmental impacts of the land consolidation. The already existing negative impacts of intensive agriculture were also registered, such as abandonment or overgrazing of pastures and meadows, converting grasslands into arable land, soil erosion and habitat fragmentation. Although the area of LC is without natural forest and extremely poor in semi-natural elements of rural landscape, the existing entities were revealed as refuges for protected species. Some of the grassland fragments belonged to protected habitat types. The final categorization of the landscape elements was conducted in three levels. Category I landscape elements had to remain undisturbed; Category II landscape elements could be removed with obligatory ecological compensation, while the Category III landscape elements could be removed without environmental compensation. Recommendations were given pointing out the possibilities for improving the environmental characters of the area by the land consolidation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the road network in Poland has undergone significant development, meeting the objective of creating a coherent network of roads to ensure the efficient functioning of passenger and freight transport. Linear investments, such as the construction of motorways, expressways or bypasses, are an important element that improves the safety and comfort of the life of residents, and has a significant impact on the economic and regional progress. In addition to the undoubted benefits of constructing a bypass, its possible negative impact on the surrounding agricultural and forest areas should be emphasised. Poor planning and construction of the bypass itself, without prior programming of survey and management works, can lead to disturbances in the spatial structure of neighbouring villages. This study attempts to analyse and evaluate the impact of the construction of the Tomaszów Lubelski bypass on the spatial structure of rural areas located in the eastern part of Tomaszów County (Lubelskie Voivodeship), which is a 9.58 km long section of the S17 Warsaw -- Hrebenne expressway. The study undertook a detailed analysis of only those factors that adversely affect the spatial structure of rural areas. On the basis of research on the subject, factors affecting and significantly changing the spatial structure of rural areas were identified, which allowed to formulate final conclusions regarding the problem of realising linear investments in relation to shaping the space of rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 2011 to 2013, a mega project, known as the Gully Land Consolidation Project (GLCP), was implemented in the hilly gully region atop China's Loess Plateau. However, the GLCP involved large-scale slope excavation and gully backfilling that changed the local geological environment, which led to serious geohazards, such as erosion, soil salinization, and dam failure. In this study, various geohazards caused by the GLCP in the Gutun watershed (GTW) were investigated by combined remote sensing analysis, geophysical exploration, and field surveys, and the relationships between the hazards were also explored. According to the achieved results, increased soil erosion with an average doubling from 2018 to 2020 is widely distributed in the GTW. Furthermore, 195 areas containing clear evidence of salt precipitates were observed in some of the newly created arable lands, especially downstream of the dam. This was mainly attributed to the high water table, evaporation, and soluble salt concentration of the loess. Fifty-nine newly built silt dams, primarily located in the branch channels and at the gully mouth of the Gutun channel, broke in 2020. The osmotic damage and softening caused by the combined effect of the incomplete compaction of the dam body and concentrated heavy rainfall were the main reasons of the dam breaks. The different types of disasters in the GTW after the implementation of the GLCP show a strong spatial relationship that follows the surface water flow path and forms a disaster chain consisting of slope erosion, silt dam breaks, and the soil salinization of near-dam farmlands downstream. This disaster chain amplifies disaster risks and losses. These findings can guide the improvement of the GLCP and inform geohazard mitigation strategies in areas impacted by the GLCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological restoration zoning has been one of the most important prerequisites for the efficient ecological restoration in recent years. An accurate identification can be determined the key ecological restoration areas and developing engineering projects. Taking the Hechi areas of Guangxi Province in China as an example, this study aims to build a zoning framework of “natural conditions-dominant ecological functions-ecological stress problems” using the concept of mountains-rivers-forests-farmlands-lakes-grasses-deserts. The quantitative evaluation and qualitative zoning were combined to delineate the ecological restoration zones. Firstly, the natural regions were the basic components for the ecological restoration, the integrity of the natural elements, and the continuity of geographic pattern. The natural regions were divided according to natural conditions such as watershed distribution, geomorphological classification, fractional vegetation cover, and vegetation type distribution. Secondly, the ecological evaluation was carried out on the ecosystem in the study area, in order to determine the objectives and tasks of ecological restoration. Both ecological functions and ecological stress problems were considered during evaluation. According to the restoration needs, five indicators were selected from the ecosystem service function, including the habitat quality, water conservation, carbon storage and oxygen release, soil and water conservation, food production. Six indicators were set as the ecological stress problems, including the stony desertification, soil erosion, mine geological hazards, ecological degradation, restoration potential of water environment, and potential of comprehensive land consolidation. After that, 11 indicators were evaluated and graded to obtain the distribution pattern of dominant ecological functions and ecological stress problems using the K-means cluster analysis and ArcGIS visualization function. Finally, the comprehensive analysis was weighed via the dominant ecological functions and ecological stress problems of the natural regions. Six natural regions were divided into 15 ecological restoration subregions using sub-watershed boundaries and township administrative boundaries. The results showed that: 1) The strong functions of ecological service were observed in the mountainous and hilly ecological restoration subregions in the northwest and northeast. Ecological stress problems were mainly geological disasters, such as historical mines, soil erosion, as well as stony desertification. One suggestion was proposed that these subregions can be expected to focus on the protection and mine restoration for the disaster prevention in small watershed. 2) The weak functions of ecological service were found in the ecological restoration subregions in the Longjiang Plain and hilly region or the Panyang River mesa region. The comprehensive and relatively serious problems were posed the ecological stress on the heavy task of ecological restoration. One suggestion was addressed to carry out the comprehensive regulation of multiple ecological systems in these subregions. 3) An important karst area was found in the Duyang Mountain mountainous and hilly region in the south, with the serious problems of soil erosion and stony desertification. Correspondingly, the special ecological restoration should be carried out for the ecological restoration subregions. Quantitative ecological evaluation can provide a scientific and objective basis to delimitate the restoration zoning. By dividing and adjusting the ecological restoration zones with the boundaries of sub-watersheds and townships, the problems of separate protection and individual restoration of each element can be solved, ensuring the feasibility of restoration implementation. The finding can provide a strong reference for the comprehensive, systematic and holistic implementation unit delineation of mountains-rivers-forests-farmlands-lakes-grasses-deserts, together with the scientific basis for the delineation and implementation of key areas and key projects for the ecological restoration in Hechi of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After a brief historical overview, the paper discusses two basic types of natural and cultural heritage in the territory of the "Hungarian corner" of Moravia. For 300 years, this area called a Campus Lucsco in the southeast of today's republic was disputed territory between the Czech and Hungarian states. Settlement therefore proceeded slowly in waves depending on the political situation. The present international border was established around the year 1333. Numerous documents of the ancient landscape, probably of medieval origin, have been preserved in the current landscape. They are the ground plans of the cores of municipalities, whether they were founded by Czech or Hungarian landlords on one hand, and the remains of ancient land distribution in the form of narrow strips of agricultural land on the other hand. Other areas succumbed to land consolidation during land reforms in the 20th century. While the ground plans of the village cores are only subject to minor changes, the small-scale use of land is still threatened by further merging. The ground plans of the municipalities and land division at the present time (in colour orthophoto maps) were visually compared with the situation documented by the stable cadastre maps from the 1820s-1830s (see Figure 3). Only identical areas in both sources represent urban and rural segments of the pre-industrial landscape, whose roots go back to the dated Medieval Ages. They are documented on selected representative examples well-preserved ground plans of village cores, probably of integrated Hungarian and Czech origin. Similarly, well-preserved examples of the ancient division of agricultural land in flat and dissected terrain both with poly-functional and mono-functional land use are demonstrated. The best-preserved remnants of the ancient pre-industrial landscape are equal in value to protected areas of nature and cultural monuments. Their number and quality these remnants are threatened by economic pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational planning of soil resources based on their capabilities are needed for the sustainable use of agricultural lands. Land suitability classification is an important evaluation tool for the management of soil resources. This study aimed to evaluate the land suitability for wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivation using an approach that integrates multi-criteria decision making (MCDA) analysis and geographic information systems (GIS). The study area cover 21146 ha land and is located within the land consolidation area in the Çumra Plain, located in Central Anatolia of Turkey, The physical, chemical and fertility properties of the soil samples collected from 342 points in the study area were used as parameters in the wheat suitability assessment. The relative weight values of the soil parameters were determined by the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Literature and expert opinion were used in the creation of the AHP matrices and the determination of the sub-criteria. The criteria with the highest weight values or which have the highest impact on wheat growth were soil texture (0.30) and pH (0.16), while the lowest weight values were given for micro elements (0.02). Land Suitability Assessment was applied to the maps of soil variables using weighted overlay analysis in the GIS environment by using the relative weights. Thus, the suitability of the study area for wheat cultivation was mapped. The results revealed that 74% of the study area was highly suitable (S1) and 24% was moderately suitable (S2) for wheat cultivation. The coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.81, which indicated a successful prediction of the GIS-MCDA hybrid approach for wheat suitability assessment. Integration of land suitability analyzes specific to plant variety in land consolidation projects can provide a more detailed perspective on the land in the design of planning studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decades, growing crop production across China has had far-reaching consequences for both the environment and human welfare. One of the emerging questions is "how to meet the growing food demand in China?" In essence, the consensus is that the best way forward would be to increase crop yield rather than further extend the current cropland area. However, assessing progress in crop production is challenging as it is driven by multiple factors. To date, there are no studies to determine how multiple factors affect the crop production increase, considering both intensive farming (using yield and multiple cropping index) and large-scale farming (using mean parcel size and number of parcels). Using the Logarithmic-Mean-Divisia-Index (LMDI) decomposition method combined with statistical data and land cover data (GlobeLand30), we assess the contribution of intensive farming and large-scale farming changes to crop production dynamics at the national and county scale. Despite a negative contribution from MPS (mean parcel size, −25%), national crop production increased due to positive contributions from yield (+77%), MCI (multiple cropping index, +27%), as well as NP (number of parcels, +21%). This allowed China to meet the growing national crop demand. We further find that large differences across regions persist over time. For most counties, the increase in crop production is a consequence of improved yields. However, in the North China Plain, NP is another important factor leading to crop production improvement. On the other hand, regions witnessing a decrease in crop production (e.g., the southeast coastal area of China) were characterized by a remarkable decrease in yield and MCI. Our detailed analyses of crop production provide accurate estimates and therefore can guide policymakers in addressing food security issues. Specifically, besides stabilizing yield and maintaining the total NP, it would be advantageous for crop production to increase the mean parcel size and MCI through land consolidation and financial assistance for land transfer and advanced agricultural infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that biopolitical infrastructures have been central features of Turkey's ongoing colonization of Kurdish territories and populations and that the Green Revolution, despite its promise of progress and abundance, needs to be understood as part of this history of racialized state-making. In doing so, it joins recent literature that uncovers the local roots of the Green Revolution in domestic politics and land struggles in the global south, also revealing the entwined histories of accumulation and colonial and racial dispossession with agricultural norms and practices. Drawing on research in the records of the Economic Cooperation Administration, US Agency for International Development, Rockefeller Foundation Archives, Turkish parliamentary debates, and contemporaneous journals, I show how the Green Revolution can in fact be retold as an episode in a longer history of struggles over the distribution and use of land, the construction of agricultural infrastructures, and how these questions have been complicated by class, ethnic, racial, gender, and political divisions. The paper thus situates Turkey in a transnational history of agrarian development, while also relating the adoption of high yield seeds, pesticides, and grain cultivation to projects of land consolidation, internal colonialism, and racialized methods of state formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land consolidation is an essential tool for public administrations to reduce the fragmentation of land ownership. In particular, parcel exchange shows promising potential for restructuring parcel holdings, even more when the number of parcels and owners involved is large. Unfortunately, the number of possible exchange combinations grows very quickly with the number of participating landowners and parcels, with the associated challenge of finding an acceptable solution. In this paper, we present a high-performance solution for parcel exchange based on genetic algorithms. Our proposal, using Apache Spark framework, is based on the exploiting of distributed-memory systems with effortless access in order to reduce the execution time. This also allows increasing the search width through multiple populations that share their advances. This can be achieved without compromising the search depth thanks to the higher amount of resources available from using distributed-memory systems. Our proposal is capable of achieving better solutions in lower amounts of time compared to previous works, showing that genetic algorithms on a high performance system can be used to propose fair parcel exchanges under strict time constraints, even in complex scenarios. The performance achieved allows for fast trial of several options, reducing the time usually needed to perform administrative procedures associated with land fragmentation problems. Specifically, our proposal is capable of combining the benefits of both depth-focused and width-focused multithreaded parallelization. It matches the speedup gains of depth-focused multithreaded parallelization. The width-focused parallelization provides local minimum resilience and fitness value reduction potential. In this paper, multithreading solutions and Spark-based solutions are tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracting useful information from a large number of policy texts is a challenging and insufficiently discussed topic. Utilizing large sample policy texts and a method of machine learning, this study contributes to the research gap by systematically analyzing the temporal evolution and spatial differentiation of China's land policy from 1998 to 2018. A framework comprising six major themes of land policy, namely, "land development, land acquisition and demolition, cultivated land protection, land planning, land consolidation and utilization, and land confirmation and transfer" is first established, according to the theoretical and institutional background of land management. Based on this framework, the Latent Dirichlet Allocation analysis of more than 20,000 policy documents at different levels of government shows that, (1) temporally, the priority of land policy evolves with the spirit of the central document and the macropolitical and economic conditions and, (2) spatially, there are significant differences in land policies among provinces. Overall, the analysis of land policy documents shows the tradeoff between cultivated land protection and land development and also the emphasize on other topics, with the changes in land policy priorities in different periods and regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studied leasing algorithm of compulsory consolidation of agricultural land in Ukraine. The analysis revealed that fragmentation of land use is one of the main destabilizing factors which deteriorate the compactness of land massifs of the enterprise and cause growing production costs in the process of commercial activity. This situation leads to strip farming, and the non-use of such lands prevents rational management of the land plots being in the use of one person. The data regarding the normative monetary valuation of agricultural land plots outside the settlement was received through electronic services by the State Service of Ukraine for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre. The results reveal the algorithm of exchanging land plots as the main instrument of land consolidation in Ukraine. Development of the approaches to exchange of land plots along with redistribution of them enables immediate arrangement of land plots by making agreements. It facilitates simple consolidation of lands and creates conditions to solve the problems of land fragmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From Eastern bloc to European Union: comparative processes of transformation since 1990: edited by Günther Heydemann and Karel Vodicka, New York, USA and Oxford, UK, Berghahn Books, Berghahn Series Contemporary European History, 2020, xvi, 397 pp., $135.00/£99.00 (hardback), ISBN: 978-1-78533-317-0, $29.95/£23.95 (paperback), ISBN: 978-1-78920-821-4, $29.95 (eBook), eISBN: 978-1-78533-318-7 I From Eastern Bloc to European Union i tells the story of how Central and Eastern European countries bridged the divide to effect an unprecedented political and economic convergence with their Western neighbors. Between August and November 2020, twenty-seven years after the Maastricht Treaty came into force, the European Commission announced a series of vaccine procurement contracts signed on behalf of "all EU Member States". [Extracted from the article]

A precise object is the premise to orderly implement the homestead remediation of the whole land. Taking the administrative village as the unit, this study aims to investigate the confirmed homestead consolidation using “potential constraint- probability choice. The coefficient correction and multi-factor comprehensive evaluation were adopted to obtain the potential scale of homestead right confirmation consolidation. The economic, social, transportation, and land factors were comprehensively evaluated at the village level using multi-source survey data, such as land, homestead right confirmation, as well as social and economic survey. Taking the plot-scale homestead land as the basic renovation unit, the systematic evaluation was combined with the upper guidance, status driven, and willingness obstruction. The priority of the renovation unit was then selected from the consolidation probability of each land parcel with the right confirmation. The results showed that: 1) the gross average correlation coefficient was 0.580 1 for the homestead-construction land in the Maogudui town. A total of 56.25% of the potential theory of regulation was realized in the 208.32 hm2 confirmed homestead with the potential reality regulation of 117.17 hm². Correspondingly, there was the decrease in the 24.24% current area of confirmed homestead. The spatial distribution of real remediation potential was generally obtained under the influence of location advantage and future land demand. The larger the potential was, the farther it was from the market town. 2) The probability of housing land consolidation was the main judgment criterion for the priority. The total area of homestead was lower with the high consolidation probability, in terms of the confirmed homestead area corresponding to different probability intervals. However, the priority of renovation with the high and low probability was determined to preserve or renovate the homestead. An optimal selection was then made, according to the specific village conditions. 3) The iterative selection of consolidation units was carried out in the different villages using the potential constraints of various villages. A total of 4 512 consolidation units were selected with a consolidation area of 117.79 hm². The consolidation probability was greater than 0.5 in the selected units. Among them, the remediation units greater than 0.65 were a total area of 85.13hm², accounting for 72.27% of the target area. Therefore, the connectedness of spatial distribution in the regulated units, the priority of the hollowing and the non-central village area were beneficial to enhance the management efficiency and the cultivated land scale for the optimization of cultivated land resource. At the same time, the priority renovation of non-central villages was conducive to the planning objectives in the development of focused villages. In conclusion, the land-scale consolidation simulation can directly take the homestead land as the basic unit, corresponding to the owner of land tenure under the Spatial Planning of National Land. The finding can provide the specific and accurate decision-making reference to implement the comprehensive land consolidation in the planning period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]