Dynamics and driving factors of agricultural landscape in the semiarid hilly area of the Loess Plateau, China

Poor vegetation cover as a result of irrational land use is generally considered to be the major factor of soil erosion in the Loess Plateau in China. However, there is lack of knowledge concerning the dynamics of land use and the complex role of socio-economic policy factors in inducing changes in land use, especially at detailed scale levels such as in individual small catchments. This study analyzes the process of human-induced landscape change in a small catchment in the northern part of the Chinese Loess Plateau from 1958 to 1999. During this period, a significant reduction of the area of farmland on steeper slopes and an increase in woodland took place. Household questionnaires among the local farmers, a review of the historic events and literature allowed the assessment of socio-economic and policy forces that caused these changes. The research showed that the changes of agricultural landscape pattern are mainly the result of the dissolution of People’s Communes in 1979 (established in 1956), the introduction of a Household Responsibility System (in 1978), the implementation of the Family Planning policy (in 1978), and the adoption of a market-directed economic system (in 1992), as well as the execution of an integrated soil erosion control project (begun in 1981). The changes of the agricultural landscape show the benefits in both ecological and economic respects.