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Arid Land Geography ›› 2025, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (6): 1006-1019.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2024.460

• Population and Urban Studies • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Analysis of grid distribution characteristics of agricultural population in China based on land use data

MI Ruihua(), NI Shilong, LIU Shumin   

  1. School of Economic and Management, Yan’an University, Yan’an 716000, Shaanxi, China
  • Received:2024-07-30 Revised:2024-10-12 Online:2025-06-25 Published:2025-06-18

Abstract:

This study addresses the critical need for precise agricultural population distribution data to inform modern agricultural system development and policy formulation. We integrated country-level demographic data from the Seventh National Population Census with the China Land Use Remote Sensing Monitoring Dataset to develop a novel grid-based spatial distribution model. This methodological approach enabled the first comprehensive visualization of China’s agricultural population density at a 1 km resolution, with validation metrics confirming the high statistical reliability of the results. Our spatial analysis revealed three significant geographic patterns: (1) The Hu Huanyong Line (Hu Line) presents a profound demographic divide, with southeastern regions exhibiting an average agricultural population density (30.57 persons·km-2) nearly 15.9 times higher than northwestern regions (1.92 persons·km-2). (2) Agricultural population distribution follows China’s three-tiered topographical gradient, with densities increasing significantly from the western plateau (0.98 persons·km-2) through the central highlands (11.27 persons·km-2) to the eastern plains (30.76 persons·km-2). (3) Environmental determinants strongly influence agricultural settlement patterns, creating a clear dichotomy between densely populated warm, humid, low-altitude agricultural zones, and sparsely distributed cold-arid plateau and hilly agricultural regions. These findings provide an empirical basis for targeted agriculture development strategies: Prioritizing digital agriculture technologies in high-density regions like the Huang-Huai Plain; developing integrated agritourism models in ecologically sensitive areas; and implementing specialized training programs to cultivate a professional agricultural workforce adapted to regional conditions.

Key words: agricultural population, land use type, population gridding method, Hu Huanyong Line, three tiered terrain ladder, accuracy verification