Multiscale analysis of factors affecting food security in China, 1980–2017

Abstract

Food security is an important issue affecting people’s lives and social stability. Clarifying levels of food security and the factors affecting it (social, economic, agricultural, climatic) can help improve regional food security. The spatiotemporal patterns and driving factors of food security vary at different scales. There is, however, a lack of research that considers the various factors affecting food security at multiple scales. This study, therefore, analyzed dynamic spatiotemporal changes in food security at small (city), medium (province), and large (country) scales; identified hot and cold areas of food security; and revealed the main factors affecting food security at different scales. A food security index (FSI) was built based on the coupling of grain yield, population, and GDP, and spatial analysis was used to evaluate dynamic spatiotemporal changes in China’s food security from 1980 to 2017. Further, the relationship between food security and its driving factors was quantitatively analyzed using stepwise regression. The results showed greater heterogeneity in food security at the smaller scale than at the larger scale. The key factors affecting food security varied substantially at different scales: the added value of tertiary industry dominated the prefecture level, and gross agricultural output value was the main factor at the provincial and national levels. Multiple-scale research can reveal the status and primary factors of food security and provide a decision-making basis for improving regional food security.

Spatiotemporal Evolution of Cultivated Land Non-Agriculturalization and Its Drivers in Typical Areas of Southwest China from 2000 to 2020

“…However, the fragmented topography of Southwest China has resulted in a shortage of cultivated land suitable for farming and difficulties in popularizing the use of large farm machinery, eventually leading to low agricultural production efficiency. Furthermore, the expansion of cities and towns in the past few years has taken up a large amount of high-quality cultivated land resources, and the quantity and quality of cultivated land have continued to decline, resulting in a weak increase or even decrease in grain production [29]. Currently, very little research has been done on the non-agriculturalization of cultivated land in southwest China.…”

New Insight into the Coupled Grain–Disaster–Economy System Based on a Multilayer Network: An Empirical Study in China

“…In Ethiopia, policy evolution and recent changes that have led to significant progress in addressing grain insecurity are assessed, and the implications and lessons for other developing countries are discussed [25]. As a typical agricultural country, for the sustainable development of China's agricultural economy and grain security, the government should invest more funds in disaster prevention and mitigation, strengthen scientific and technological research, adjust the agricultural structure, improve the effective use of agricultural resources and the grain distribution system, balance the grain demand between grain use and indirect use, and achieve grain self-sufficiency and overall grain security [26,27]. The above studies mainly focus on the interaction mechanism, methodological diversification, and influencing factors between grain, disaster, and the economy, but few studies have analyzed their integration from a systemic perspective with a coupled multilayer coordination; therefore, it is important to explore the spatial association and coupled relationship between grain, disaster, and economy.…”

Global Food Security Assessment during 1961–2019

“…Proper assessment of food security is of great assistance to planners and administrators [22][23][24]. Many studies have constructed evaluation indexes for food security at various scales and from different perspectives [24][25][26][27][28]. At the global scale, the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) provides a common framework for understanding the root causes of food insecurity by looking at the dynamics of food systems around the world, which is produced by The Economist Intelligence Unit and supported by Corteva Agriscience [25].…”

“…A limitation of GHI is the upward bias it induces due to the use of proxy indicators involving undernutrition and under-five mortality [27]. At the national scale, Lv et al [28] built a food security index (FSI) based on the coupling of grain yield, population, and GDP to evaluate dynamic spatiotemporal changes in China's food security. There are regional differences in food output, economic development, and population size, among other aspects in the world.…”