Agricultural transformation and ecosystem services: A case study from Shaanxi Province, China

Song, Bingjie; Robinson, Guy M.; Zhong-xue, Zhou

doi:10.1016/j.habitatint.2017.09.008

Cited by 25 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…When calculating the value of ESS, a standard evaluation method was employed as set out in Song et al [42]. This involved calculating changes relating to environmental health, atmospheric regulation, climate regulation, leisure and tourism, and the agricultural production function.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transforming the Peri-Urban Fringe in China: The Example of Xi’an-Xianyang

Robinson

Song

2018

Sustainability

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Rapid urbanization in the past four decades has transformed the hinterlands of China’s major cities. While urban growth has consumed large quantities of farmland, many of the remaining farms in the country’s peri-urban fringes have responded to the nearby presence of a fast-expanding and wealthier urban market by changing the farm enterprise to cater directly for this market. The various responses are exemplified herewith, for the metropolis of Xi’an-Xianyang (13 million population), in north-west China’s Shaanxi Province. Based on participant observation and structured interviews with a sample of farmers from three peri-urban fringe villages, the study charted changes in ecosystem services as a quantitative measure of change between 1986 and 2017. An additional Delphi approach focused on the chief technological innovations during this period. The survey revealed the growing multi-functionality of those villages that had switched from traditional grain production to horticulture, supported by various government-funded programs. A significant development has been the introduction of farm-based tourism catering for urban-based tourists. The physical appearance of the fringe now resembles the so-called desakota landscape associated with south-east Asian cities, as massive new urban-industrial complexes sit alongside villages amidst islands of intensive farmland. The conclusion addresses key issues regarding the overall sustainability of agriculture within this fast-changing process of rapid urbanization.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transforming the Peri-Urban Fringe in China: The Example of Xi’an-Xianyang

Robinson

Song

2018

Sustainability

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“…The switch from grain to fruit production is only one aspect of a 'new' countryside emerging on the Guanzhong Plain. Whilst the value of ecosystem services in Duling Village increased nearly eight-fold between 1985 and 2015, this is not the entire story as we can also consider separately the changes relating to the growth of leisure/tourism, which rose by a factor of 40 (see Song et al, 2017 for details of these calculations). This compares with a ten-fold increase to the agricultural production function.…”

Section: An Emerging Multifunctional Countryside?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wider aspects of the 'cherry story' to be investigated in future research include the need to focus more on farmer decision making. Some interviews with farmers have been conducted with cherry growers and other horticulturalists on the Guanzhong Plain (Song 2018;Song et al, 2017). However, corresponding interviews need to be undertaken in the Adelaide Hills.…”

Section: Future Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rural transformation: Cherry growing on the Guanzhong Plain, China and the Adelaide Hills, South Australia

Robinson

Song

2019

J. Geogr. Sci.

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This paper echoes a tradition in agricultural geography by focusing on a single crop: cherries. It illustrates how developments associated with globalisation and growing urban markets are reshaping rural areas. The interplay between global and local is investigated in two different contexts. A Chinese example reflects transformations affecting the countryside following national economic reforms. Focusing on the hinterland of Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, it examines farmers' responses to the changing socio-political context and the rising size and wealth of the local market. Individual initiatives backed by government support have spawned localised concentrations of cherry growing and increased horticultural production. Farm-based tourism is creating new relationships between farmers and consumers, with farms becoming more diversified and multifunctional. The second example is the Adelaide Hills, South Australia, where cherry growing is increasingly combined with direct sales to consumers and gastronomic tourism. The paper addresses contrasts and similarities between the two examples in the interplay between global and local, and a 'multifunctional transition' in farming. Concluding remarks include reference to new economic links forged between China and Australia through relaxations on cherry imports to China and new patterns of Chinese foreign direct investment into Australian cherry production. A research agenda for future research is suggested.

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“…The rapid population growth has brought up severe food need and therefore have a most important influence on agricultural production, resulting in transformations in agricultural systems in order to answer the demands of growing markets (Rigg, 1998;Robinson & Carson, 2015;Theobald, 2001;Zasada, 2011;Song et al, 2017). These changes have main pressures on agro-ecological systems, often changing the ecosystem services they prepare.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These changes have main pressures on agro-ecological systems, often changing the ecosystem services they prepare. These services can be affected by transforms in agricultural production (Song et al, 2017). Agricultural influences usually roots in inappropriate treatment of agricultural producers who use chemical fertilizers, poisons and other agricultural inputs inappropriately that causes destruction of ecological environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prioritize Agri-Environmental Measures of Water-Related Ecosystem Services: The Case of Mashhad

Firoozzare¹,

Ghorbani²,

Karbasi³

et al. 2018

JSD

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Current structure of agricultural input consumption eventually influences bases of natural environment and ecosystem services (especially water related) from which human communities benefit. This research aims at assisting decision making and prioritizing ecosystem services and their improvement measures according to interconnection of different ecosystem services and agri-environmental schemes of improving these services with help of fuzzy analytic network process (FANP) in Mashhad plain. Results show that among water-related ecosystem services, water quality and having healthy products, are first priorities. Providing needed water for agriculture section stands in the second rank with minor difference. Third and fourth places go to soil conservation and biodiversity relatively and agricultural tourism which is categorized under cultural services is placed in the last place. Also, based on this study results, among the seven agri-environmental water-related ecosystem services improvement, integrated pest management (IPM) ranks first. The second and third priorities belong to proposed crop pattern and conservative tillage implementation.

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Agricultural transformation and ecosystem services: A case study from Shaanxi Province, China

Cited by 25 publications

References 58 publications

Transforming the Peri-Urban Fringe in China: The Example of Xi’an-Xianyang

Transforming the Peri-Urban Fringe in China: The Example of Xi’an-Xianyang

Rural transformation: Cherry growing on the Guanzhong Plain, China and the Adelaide Hills, South Australia

Prioritize Agri-Environmental Measures of Water-Related Ecosystem Services: The Case of Mashhad

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