Research on scale and spatial distribution of regional virtual land retirement

Based on the analysis of current situation of cultivated land utilization in China and the research findings on land retirement from abroad, this paper suggests that land retirement could be an alternative for future cultivated land protection in China. Land retirement as a way of sustainable land use, can improve the quality of cultivated land and regional ecological environment, and ensure national long-term grain productive capacity and food security. Virtual research on land retirement of Tongzhou City of Jiangsu Province was carried out under different development scenarios. The results show that the practical scales of land retirement in Tongzhou City ranged from 661 hm² to 6410 hm² under different scenarios; the land retirement areas were mainly distributed in Shigang Town, Qian Town and Chuanjiang Town, etc. The virtual research provides useful references for future land retirement policy making in China.