Analysis of the Coordinated Development Mechanism Between

Urbanization and Arable Land Resource Quantity Changes in

Underdeveloped Mountainous Areas: A Case Study of Meizhou City

Yiman Chen

, Wenchang Yang

and Yaqiu Yin

3,4,5,6,*

Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510520, China

China Institute of Geo-Environment Monitoring, Beijing 100081, China

Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Center, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing 100035, China

Land Science and Technology Innovation Center, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing 100035, China

Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing 100035, China

Key Laboratory of Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing 100035, China

Keywords: Urbanization Level, Arable Land Resource Quantity, Coordination, Meizhou City.

Abstract: This study examines the urbanization level and changes in arable land resources in Meizhou City, Guangdong

Province, from 1999 to 2020. It analyzes the coordination between urbanization and arable land resources,

explores their interactive relationship, and investigates the impact of coordination on economic growth. The

study employs entropy analysis and regression models to provide a scientific basis for achieving the

coordinated development of urbanization and arable land resource protection in Meizhou City.

1 INTRODUCTION

Arable land resources are fundamental and crucial for

human development, playing a vital role in the

sustainable development of regional economies

(Zhan, 2014). In China, as a populous country,

achieving self-sufficiency in food is of utmost

importance for ensuring stable development

(He et al.,

2018). Therefore, preserving arable land resources is

significant (Cheng et al., 2022). Urbanization serves

as a crucial indicator of a country's economic progress

(Chan et al., 2023). Ensuring the harmonious

development between urbanization and arable land

resources becomes a driving force for sustainable

development (Liu et al., 2022).

Meizhou City, as an underdeveloped mountainous

region, should prioritize the implementation of the

national policy of valuing and utilizing land and

protecting arable land. It should transform land use

patterns, allocate land resources efficiently, maintain

a balance in the total amount of arable land, and

facilitate the rapid development of various

construction projects (Zhao et al., 2023; Zhang,

2019). This will maximize economic, social, and

https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5468-036X

ecological benefits, achieving sustained and

coordinated development within the local economy

and society (Liang et al., 2019).

2 DATA AND METHODOLOGY

2.1 Study Area Introduction

Meizhou City is located in the northeastern part of

Guangdong Province, China. It is a prefecture-level

city situated at the intersection of Fujian, Guangdong,

and Jiangxi provinces. Meizhou shares a border with

Longyan and Zhangzhou in Fujian Province to the

east and is adjacent to Chaozhou, Jieyang, and

Shanwei in the south. It also connects with Heyuan in

the west and Ganzhou City in Jiangxi Province to the

north. Meizhou City holds the distinction of being a

renowned national historical and cultural city, often

referred to as the "hometown of culture" and

"hometown of overseas Chinese." Geographically,

Meizhou spans from 115°18′ to 116°56′ east

longitude and 23°23′ to 24°56′ north latitude. It falls

within the subtropical monsoon climate zone,

152

Chen, Y., Yang, W., Yin and Y.

Analysis of the Coordinated Development Mechanism Between Urbanization and Arable Land Resource Quantity Changes in Underdeveloped Mountainous Areas: A Case Study of Meizhou

City.

DOI: 10.5220/0013587800004671

In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Environmental Science and Civil Engineering (ICESCE 2024), pages 152-157

ISBN: 978-989-758-764-1; ISSN: 3051-701X

characterized by high temperatures, significant

temperature variations, ample sunshine, and

concentrated rainfall. Traditional agriculture has long

occupied a significant position in Meizhou's

economy, with the primary sector playing a

prominent role in its industrial structure. Compared to

other cities in the province, Meizhou faces the

challenges of a dense population and underdeveloped

economy, placing it in the category of a poverty-stricken

mountainous region.

The prominence of traditional agriculture in

Meizhou's economy has initially mitigated the

contradiction between land supply and demand for

construction purposes. However, since 1995, the rapid

socio-economic development of Meizhou has

accentuated the imbalance between land supply and

demand for construction purposes. Guangdong Province

has set the goals of achieving modernization and a well-

off society, thereby highlighting the urgent need for

Meizhou to expedite its urbanization process while

ensuring harmonious development between humans and

the environment. Consequently, conducting an analysis of

the patterns of urbanization development and arable land

resource quantity changes in Meizhou City, and reflecting

upon them, will facilitate the alleviation of the land

supply-demand contradiction for construction purposes.

This, in turn, will contribute to achieving sustainable

development in society, population, resources, and the

environment, while propelling Guangdong Province

towards comprehensive modernization and the attainment

of a well-off society.

2.2 Data Sources

To facilitate rigorous scientific research and ensure

the smooth progression of the study, the data utilized

in this paper primarily derives from authoritative

sources such as the "Meizhou Statistical Yearbook",

"Guangdong Rural Statistical Yearbook", "Overall

Planning of Meizhou City", "New Urbanization

Planning of Meizhou City" and "Overall Planning of

Meizhou City's Land and Space".

2.3 Research Content and

Methodology

The degree of coordination (C

) between changes in

the amount of arable land resources and the level of

urbanization is a quantitative description of the

coupling degree between arable land carrying

capacity and the level of urbanization in the study

area. It is an important indicator for measuring the

relationship between arable land resources and the

level of urbanization at different stages of

urbanization development (Yu, 2019; Xu et al., 2023).

𝐶



(𝑚 +𝑛)

√

𝑚



+𝑛





(1)

In equation (1), m represents the rate of

improvement in the level of urbanization in the study

area during the urbanization process, n represents the

rate of change in the amount of arable land resources

in the study area during the urbanization process, and

represents the degree of coordination between

urbanization and arable land resources in the study

area during the urbanization process, where -1.414 ≤

≤ 1.414. Based on the variations in the values of

m and n, a classification table of the degree of

coordination between the level of urbanization and

changes in the amount of arable land resources is

constructed (Table 1).

Table 1: The coordination characteristics between the

arable land resources change and urbanization level.

Level

m,n T

Ⅰ

1.414

m = n and m＞

0, n＞0

Coordinated

Ⅱ

1.2 ≤C

＜

1.414

m≈n

coordinated

Ⅲ

1.0 ≤C

＜

1.2

m＞0, n＜0

and m＞n

Basic

coordination

Ⅳ

0.8 ≤C

＜

1.0

m＞0, n＜0 Harmonious

Ⅴ

0.5 ≤C

＜

0.8

m＞0, n＜0

Harmonized

Ⅵ

0 ≤C

＜

0.5

m＞0, n＜0

Barely

harmonized

Ⅶ

-1.414

≤C

＜ 0

m＞0, n＜0 or

m＜0, n＜0

Not in tune

3 RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

3.1 Dynamics of Urbanization

Development

During the study period, Meizhou City demonstrated

relatively moderate fluctuations in its level of

urbanization compared to other cities in the province,

yet it consistently exhibited an upward trend (Figure

1). The urbanization level in Meizhou City increased

from 23.25% at the beginning of the study period to

48.09% at the end, representing a substantial growth

of 24.84% with an average annual increase of 0.83%.

Specifically, the proportion of the urban population

rose from 14.37% to 40.18%, indicating a remarkable

Analysis of the Coordinated Development Mechanism Between Urbanization and Arable Land Resource Quantity Changes in

Underdeveloped Mountainous Areas: A Case Study of Meizhou City

153

increase of 25.91% with an average annual growth of

0.86%. Moreover, the proportion of non-farm GDP

(i.e., the contribution of the secondary and tertiary

sectors to the total GDP) experienced a significant

rise from 58.75% to 79.72%, reflecting an impressive

increase of 20.97% with an average annual growth of

0.70%.

Figure 1: The urbanization level changed status.

3.2 Development of Arable Land

Resources

During the study period, the amount of arable land

resources in Meizhou City exhibited distinct patterns

divided into three phases (

Figure 2), characterized by

relatively stable and minor changes compared to other

cities in the province. The first phase, spanning from

1990 to 1999, displayed a downward trend as the

arable land area decreased from 1415.00 km

in 1990

to 1346.66 km

in 1999, resulting in a decline of 68.34

with an average annual decrease of 7.59 km

. The

second phase, covering the period from 2000 to 2020,

witnessed a significant surge in arable land resources

due to the adoption of a new statistical method for

assessing arable land area in various cities across

Guangdong Province. In 2000, the arable land area

reached a peak of 1665.29 km

. Subsequently, the

amount of arable land resources in Meizhou City

continued to experience a gradual upward trend,

reaching 1682.66 km

in 2005. Within this phase, the

increment amounted to 9.31 km

, with an average

annual increase of 1.86 km

. The third phase, from

2006 to 2020, mirrored the characteristics of the first

phase, displaying a gently declining trend as the

arable land area decreased from 1675.45 km

1611.53 km

. Consequently, the arable land resources

witnessed a reduction of 63.92 km

with an average

annual decrease of 4.57 km

. The graphical

representation reveals discernible fluctuations in the

per capita arable land area in Meizhou City from 1990

to 2020, with the lowest point of 2.83 km² per 10,000

people observed in 1999 and the highest point of 3.43

km² per 10,000 people recorded in 2000.

3.3 Analysis of the Relationship

between Urbanization Level and

Changes in Arable Land Resources

3.3.1 Changes in Urbanization Level and

Amount of Arable Land Resources

During the period from 1990 to 2020, Meizhou City

experienced notable fluctuations in the quantity of

arable land and the level of urbanization. The study

period witnessed a substantial variation in arable land,

with a change in the quantity of 196.53 km

corresponding to an annual change rate of 6.55 km

reflecting intensity of change of 13.89% and a

dynamic attitude of 0.46%. The urbanization level

exhibited a rise of 24.85% and an average annual

growth rate of 0.83%. Furthermore, the urbanization

occupancy factor in Meizhou City between 1990 and

2020 was determined as 7.91 km

, indicating that

each one-percentage-point increase in the

urbanization level necessitated the utilization of 7.91

of arable land resources (Table 2). The findings

from Table 2 underscore the significant changes in

both arable land and urbanization levels during the

period from 1990 to 2020, aligning with China's "8th

Five-Year Plan" to "13th Five-Year Plan" periods.

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

Urbanization level(%)

Proportion of urban population Proportion of non-farm GDP

ICESCE 2024 - The International Conference on Environmental Science and Civil Engineering

154

Figure 2: The arable land amount changed status.

Table 2: The Arable Land amount change status and urbanization evolution process.

Amount of arable land resources Urbanization level

UOF* (km

)

Changes

(km

)

Speed of

change

(km

/year)

The

intensity of

change(%)

Change of

dynamic

attitude(%)

Changes

(%)

Average

annual

speed(%)

The 8th Five-Year Plan -56.69 -11.34 -4.00 -0.80 3.23 0.65 -17.54

The 9th Five-Year Plan 310.14 62.03 22.89 4.58 2.35 0.47 131.95

The 10th Five-Year Plan 16.37 3.27 0.98 0.20 4.21 0.84 3.89

The 11th Five-Year Plan -26.97 -5.39 -1.61 -0.32 0.42 0.08 -64.29

The 12th Five-Year Plan 0.75 0.15 0.05 0.01 10.01 2.00 0.07

The 13th Five-Year Plan -18.54 -3.71 -1.14 -0.23 3.39 0.68 -5.47

1990-2020 196.53 6.55 13.89 0.46 24.85 0.83 7.91

*Urbanization occupancy factor:The amount of arable land resources occupied in the process of urbanization.

3.3.2 Correlation between Urbanization

Level and Amount of Arable Land

Resources

To examine the coherence between the urbanization

level and the amount of arable land resources in

Meizhou City, a correlation analysis was conducted

using the SPSS software, and a fitted curve graph was

generated (

Figure 3). The analysis revealed a

correlation coefficient of 0.4121, indicating a

moderate correlation between the urbanization level

and the amount of arable land resources in Meizhou

City. This finding highlights the need for further

quantitative analysis to delve deeper into the

relationship between these two factors.

3.3.3 Coherence between Urbanization

Level and Amount of Arable Land

Resources

From 1990 to 2020, Meizhou City witnessed

significant fluctuations in the coherence between its

urbanization level and the amount of arable land

resources, displaying a pronounced tendency towards

concentration. During the study period, 10 years

exhibited a state of "Harmonized" or higher (C

≥

0.8), accounting for approximately 33.33% of the

total years analyzed. Among these, 5 years (1991,

2003, 2004, 2005, 2014) were categorized as "More

coordinated" (1.2≤C

＜1.414), and 3 years (2000,

2001, 2009) were classified as "Basically

coordinated" (1.0≤C

＜1.2). The remaining 2 years

(2002, 2015) fell into the "Harmonized" category (0.8

≤ C

＜ 1.0). Moreover, within the 12 years

classified as "Not in tune" (C

＜ 0), a strong

2.00

3.00

4.00

1300.00

1400.00

1500.00

1600.00

1700.00

1990

1993

1996

1999

2002

2005

2008

2011

2014

2017

2020

Arable land per capita

(10

-4

km²/per)

Amount of arable land

resources (km²)

Amount of arable land resources Arable land per capita

Analysis of the Coordinated Development Mechanism Between Urbanization and Arable Land Resource Quantity Changes in

Underdeveloped Mountainous Areas: A Case Study of Meizhou City

155

continuous trend was observed during the periods of

1992-1996 and 2006-2013. In the remaining years, 3

years were deemed "Barely harmonized" (0≤C

＜

0.5), while 5 years were considered "Basically

harmonized" (0.5 ≤ C

＜ 0.8). Overall, Meizhou

City exhibited a relatively high coherence level in the

early stages of the study period, followed by

increased fluctuations and a distinctive pattern of

periodic variations, reflecting a strong phase-

aggregated characteristic (Figure 4).

By employing the coherence evaluation model for the

urbanization level and the amount of arable land resources,

a comprehensive calculation and analysis of the

coherence level between the urbanization level and the

amount of arable land resources in Meizhou City from

1990 to 2020 were conducted, resulting in the coherence

variation curve. The analysis indicates that as the

urbanization process accelerates, the coherence between

the urbanization level and the amount of arable land

resources in Meizhou City experiences more frequent

fluctuations, highlighting the urgent need for more

comprehensive measures to promote their coordinated

development.

Figure 3: The fitting curve of the Arable Land change and urbanization.

Figure 4: The coordination degree between the Arable land amount change and urbanization level.

4 CONCLUSIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the comprehensive analysis conducted, it is

evident that the accelerated pace of urbanization in

Meizhou City has intensified the conflict between

urban development and the preservation of arable

land resources, leading to a significant supply-

demand imbalance. To address these challenges

effectively, the following recommendations are

proposed:

y = 1200.5x + 1146.8

R² = 0.4121

500.00

1000.00

1500.00

2000.00

2500.00

3000.00

20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

Amount of arable land

resources

km²

Urbanization level(%)

-1.6

-0.8

0.8

1.6

Meizhou coordination degree

ICESCE 2024 - The International Conference on Environmental Science and Civil Engineering

156

a) Emphasize Sustainable Development: Meizhou

City should prioritize sustainable approaches in

urbanization endeavors, focusing on environmentally

friendly practices and strategies. This includes

promoting the optimization of construction land

resources and encouraging their efficient and

responsible use.

b) Enhance Land Intensity and Resource

Efficiency: Measures should be taken to improve the

intensity and efficiency of land utilization in Meizhou

City. This can be achieved through the refinement and

strict implementation of land-use standards,

particularly for industrial land, along with effective

management and planning practices.

c) Encourage Intensive Land Use Policies:

Meizhou City should formulate and implement

policies that incentivize and support the intensive use

of land resources. This can involve providing

incentives for enterprises to revitalize existing

construction land resources and actively engage in

sustainable land utilization practices.

d) Strengthen Land-Use Regulations: Rigorous

enforcement of land-use regulations is essential to

protect arable land in Meizhou City. It is imperative

to establish and refine a comprehensive legal

framework for land utilization, ensuring strict

adherence to land-use purposes and the

implementation of necessary safeguards to protect

arable land.

e) Implement Dynamic Land Monitoring: Regular

monitoring of land-use patterns is crucial for

identifying and addressing issues such as inefficient

land use and underutilization. Meizhou City should

establish a robust system for dynamic land

monitoring to detect and prevent such occurrences.

In summary, Meizhou City must prioritize

sustainable and responsible urban development

practices to effectively manage the conflict between

urbanization and the preservation of arable land

resources. By embracing sustainable development

principles, optimizing land allocation, promoting

efficient land use, and enforcing strict land-use

regulations, Meizhou City can successfully tackle

these challenges and achieve a harmonious balance

between urbanization and the preservation of arable

land resources.

REFERENCES

Zhan, J. 2014. Research on the coordinated development of

urbanization and farmland protection in the perspective

of ecological civilization -- taking Ningde City, Fujian

Province as an example. China's Agricultural

Resources and Regionalization, 35 (4): 13-19.

He, L., Li, W., Tian, S., et al. 2018. The impact of rapid

urbanization in the Yangtze River Economic Belt on

farmland protection. Journal of Ecology, 38 (21): 7782-

7789.

Cheng, X., Gao, G., Liu, Q., Tao, Y., Huang, C., Ou, W.

2022. Spatial pattern, impact mechanism and

governance path of cultivated land abandonment in

rapid urbanization areas. Journal of Agricultural

Engineering, 38 (24): 218-227.

Chan, S., Jiang, H., Yuan, X., Zhao, Y. 2023. Spatial

temporal analysis of coupling and coordination of

urbanization and Ecological efficiency of cultivated

land use in Shaanxi Province. Research on Water and

Soil Conservation, 30 (04): 338-346.

Liu, C., Wang, Y., Cao, J. 2022. The impact of urbanization

on the utilization efficiency of arable land in grain

producing areas. Agricultural Modernization Research,

43 (05): 803-813.

Zhao, X., Liu, B., Ding, Y., Zeng, W., Zou, J., Liu, G. 2023.

Measurement of the Coordination Degree between

Urbanization Level and Cultivated Land Resource

Change: Taking Guangdong Province as an Example.

Industry and Technology Forum, 22 (03): 35-38.

Zhang, Y. 2019. Research on optimal allocation of water

and soil resources for cultivated land use in Naoli River

Basin. Northeastern University, Shenyang.

Liang, H., Yan, S., Li, H. 2019. Study on the spatiotemporal

coupling relationship between urbanization and arable

land resources in China: based on data from 2001 to

2016. Journal of Hubei University of Economics, 17

(04): 79-89.

Yu, G. 2019. Research on evaluation of comprehensive

carrying capacity of water and soil resources in

Shandong Province from the perspective of human land

coordination. Shandong Normal University, Jinan.

Xu, Y., Yi, Y., Fang, X., Zhao, X., Liu, G. 2023. A

comparative study on the coordination between the

urbanization level of Resource depletion and the

changes in the quantity of cultivated land resources --

Taking Shaoguan, Guangdong Province as an example.

China's Comprehensive Utilization of Resources, 41

(03): 52-57.

Analysis of the Coordinated Development Mechanism Between Urbanization and Arable Land Resource Quantity Changes in

Underdeveloped Mountainous Areas: A Case Study of Meizhou City

157