DYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF
PRESENT PRODUCTIVTTY FOR CULTIVATED LAND IN THE FARMING-PASTORAL

ZONE OF INNER MONGOLIA

Wang
Jing’ai

Department
of Resources and Environmental Science

Beijing Normal University,
Beijing 100875

People’s
Republic of China

Abstract：In this article,
the distribution of cultivated land, the changes of present productivity in the
Farming-Pastoral Zone, Inner Mongolia are
discussed. Then the close relationship between dynamic characteristics division
and atmospheric circulation systems is revealed. Finally, based on dynamic characteristics,
four regions are divided, including the northeastern area, the eastern, the
western area, and the middle area.

Keywords: Farming-Pastoral
Zone, Present productivity, cultivated land, dynamic characteristics division

Introduction

Situated in the northern, and
southern Daxing’anling (Great Hinggan)-Yinshan mountains, the
Farming-Pastoral Zone (interlocking area of farming and pasturing) in Inner Mongolia, with an area of 300,506.6km2,is
correspondent with the farming-pastoral-forest area in the region. This area is
mainly devoted to no irrigated farming. Under different natural and social
conditions, productivity of cultivated land shows obviously area
differentiation and dynamic change. So it is important in theory and practice
to research into the productivity of cultivated land and its change, as well as
to reveal the spatial and temporal coordination pattern of land resources—environment　—land reclamation.
Based on research of general land use planning in Inner
Mongolia and statistical data of the production of grain from 1979
to 1998, the distribution and present productivity of cultivated land, changes
of the productivity, as well as regionalization for dynamic changes are
discussed.

I. Distribution and quantitative characters of cultivated land in
the farming-pastoral zone

The main character of landuse in the farming-pastoral zone of Inner
Mongolia is that cultivated land, grassland, and forest land are dispersed over
the area. In the study area, cultivated land accounts for 15.44 percent of the
total area, grassland 47.71 Percent, forest land 23.19 percent, and the others
13.66 percent. Compared to other areas in Inner Mongolia (Table1), the ratio of
cultivated land in the study area is much higher than that in the pastoral area
and the forest area, but less than in the farming area, grassland is less than
the pastoral area, but more than that in the other two areas; forest land is less
than that in the forest area, but more than that in the other areas. The ratios
of different types of land reveal that the quantitative structure of landuse in
the study area is characterized by equal importance of cultivation, animal
husbandry and forestry.

In the study area, cultivated land distribution is controlled firstly by
topography, then by ground material. According to land resources, there are
four types of regions, i.e. the mountain region, the soil-rock hilly region,
the loess hilly region, and the sandy region. In all these regions, cultivated
lands form patches mingled with grasslands and forestlands. But in different
regions, there is great difference in the mingling patter In the mountain and
hilly regions, the distribution of cultivated land depends on altitude and
slope; in the sandy regions, is depends on the stability of sand hills, water
condition of lands between hills, as well as construction of shelter forest.
With mountains taken as boundaries, spatial structure of cultivated land can be
divided into northern foot of Yinshan Mountain—western foot of Daxing’anling
Mountain rock-soil hilly pastoral-farming—forest—pastoral—farming
region, and the front Yinshan Mountain-- southeastern to Daxing’anling
loess hill and rock-soil hilly farming—pastoral—forest region. The
main objective to the research into spatial structure of cultivated land is to
grasp spatial extent and the best position of the dynamic changes of cultivated
land, as well as to make plans for shelter—forest network distribution
and its constriction.

Figure 1 Location of the study area

In the study area, the area of cultivated land is 6833.8 thousand
ha, which accounts for 15.44 percent of the total land area, among which no
irrigated farmland accounts for 88.00 percent, while irrigated land, 11.14
percent. Affected by precipitation, topography, surface material and human
activities, both quantity and structure of cultivated land shows obvious
regional differentiation, Cultivated land accounts for 25-35 percent of the
total area in loess hilly region, 20-25 percent in rock-soil hilly region,
10-15 percent in sandy region, and less than 10 percent in mountain region. In
eastern Daxing’anling and back Yinshan Mountains, the ratio of irrigated
land is the least, accounting for 3.75 percent and 4.04 percent of the
cultivated land respectively. In the former region, with mean annual
Precipitation of 450-500mm and relatively low temperature, harvest of dry-land
crops are always good, but there is still high potentiality for irrigated land.
However, in the latter region, with mean annual precipitation of 300-500mm and
deficient surface runoff, irrigated land is severely limited, but with
relatively high moisture, the harvests of crops are quite stable. From east to
west to the middle, the ratio of irrigated land descends. Precipitation is
quite high in the eastern area; therefore, the ratio of irrigated land to
cultivated land is about 20 percent. In western area, the precipitation is
deficient, so the ratio of irrigated land to cultivated land is only about 15
percent. In the middle region, there is moderate precipitation, undulation
hills, and deficient runoff, so irrigated land is limited, and the production
of dry-land crops is slightly more stable than that in the western region.
Controlled by topography, precipitation and heat, quantity and structure of
cultivated land is not stable.

Table 1 Land use structure of
different land use regions in Inner Mongolia

(Areal ratio of land with
different utilization types to total land)

Region
Area
Cultivated
Orchard   Forest land
Grassland

(km2)      land(%)
(%)
(%)
(%)

Farming
46640.96
28.00
0.20
14.78
38.05

Pastoral
667478.69
0.98           <0.01     2.67
67.43

Forest
130025.31
1.83
<0.01
67.82
18.99

Farming-pastoral   300506.60     15.44
0.07
23.19
47.71

Total
1144651.56
5.97
0.03
15.89
55.47

*Financially supported by the
Doctoral Fund of National Education Commission People’s Republic of China

II. Present Productivity of Cultivated Land and Its
Distribution

In this study, present productivity of cultivated land refers to the
mean productivity of grain and bean in cultivated land from 1979 to 1988. In
seeded area, the present average productivity attains to 1215kg/ha, while in
cultivated area, it only attains to 530.25kg/ha. The present productivity
(Table 2) is much lower than that in the farming and forest areas, and similar
to that in pastoral area. Within the study area, the differentiation of present
productivity is quite clear. In the eastern area, the present productivity is
quite high, with 1900kg/ha in cultivated land and 900kg/ha in seeded land. In
western area, the present productivity is 1800kg/ha in cultivated land and
500kg/ha in seeded land. In middle area. Productivity is 1200kg/ha and
300-500kg/ha respectively.

Table 2
Present productivity of cultivated land in Inner Mongolia (1979-1988)
(kg/ha)

Region
Total productivity/               Total
productivity/

Seeded area
cultivated area

Farming
4575.45
1195.35

Pastoral
1487.85
433.05

Forest
3094.95
647.40

Farming-pastoral-forest
1220.55
530.25

Total
2046.60
700.35

Present productivity and its distribution patterns are mainly
controlled by precipitation. With precipitation increasing from west to east,
the present productivity of cultivated land increases. Compared to mean climate
productivity of the study area, the present productivity only attains to 50
percent or so, and still has quite high potentiality. With similar
precipitation, topography-caused redistribution of water and heat amplifies
regional differentiation of land productivity and controls the forms and
tendency of landuse. Within a region, there are usually 3 or 4 levels of
productivity, i.e., the productivity of paddy field, irrigated land, dry
terraced field, and dry slope land, with a productivity ratio of 10:5:2:1.

The ratio also reflects the difference of human input level. At present,
the main cause of low productivity is land degradation, especially water and
soil loss and sandification. It has been reported [5] that: the study area is
affected by the most extensive and severest land degradation in Inner Mongolia,
and is one of the regions with the severest land degradation all over the
country. An area of 203,558. 16km2 of soil erosion accounts for
67.73 percent of the land area, while 57,407.46km2 of sand erosion
for 19.10 percent. In back Yinshan Mountains, improperly cultivated land can be
easily sandified Up to now, about 70 percent of land has been sandified, and
the module is more than 2000/(a.km2).The Eastern Odors, where the highest
erosion module attains to 15000t/(a.km2), suffers from the severest
soil erosion in Inner Mongolia. Serious erosion causes decrease of productivity
of cultivated land, especially dry cultivated land. It is obvious that
preventing land degradation is an important way to raise present present productivity
of cultivated land.

III.Dynamic Change Pattern of Present Productivity of
Cultivated Land from 1979 to 1988

As an outcome of coordination between the nature and the society,
present productivity of cultivated land reflects progress of the society and technology;
on the other hand, its fluctuation depends upon climatic change. In order to
raise present productivity of cultivated land and prevent land degradation, it
is necessary to focus on research into the temporal process as well as spatial
pattern.

From the curves of grain productivity of Inner Mongolia covering the
period of 1979 to 1988, we selected typical counties from different regions and
compare the study area with farming area and pastoral area, and to search for
fluctuation patterns in different regions. The main results are as follows
(Figure 2):

1.All regions share a general dynamic trend. Grain productivity
rises in fluctuation, as reflects climatic changes and technological
development. Farming area has the greatest increasing rate with a narrower
fluctuation range. In pastoral area and the Farming-Pastoral Zone, productivity
rises with a wide fluctuation range. This conclusion is identical with the one
that precipitation rises in fluctuation since the 1980s[3].

2.Types of the curves show obvious regional differentiation. In
irrigated area, curves have no clear peaks and valleys [Figure 2 (2), (8)]. In
dry cultivated area, curves have complex types such as single-peak, double peak,
and multi-peak. This differentiation reflects regional patterns of stability of
water condition.

3.Eastern, middle and
western regions own different fluctuations. In eastern [Figure 2 (3), (6)] and
western [Figure 2 (5)] regions, the curves mainly belong to single-peak type,
while curves in the middle region [Figure 2 (4), (7)], double-peak. Except a
common valley in 1980, there are phase differences in the curves. Curve
patterns in typical regions are related to precipitation change and circulation
system. According to some research works [4], Jining-Erlian Line is a dividing
one. In the eastern and western regions, precipitation is controlled by the
southeastern and the southwestern monsoons respectively, and the middle region
is jointly influenced by the two systems.

4.Compared to
the farming area and the pastoral area, productivity curves in the study area
are much more complex. The fluctuation range is larger and the frequency is
higher The curves are controlled not only by of changes precipitation, but also
by temperature. Changes and unstable policy. The grain productivity curves in
the study area can be summarized as eight fluctuation types. In the western
region, the fluctuation curves are characterized by single-peak type 1. The
middle region can be divided into southem and northern types. The former
belongs to single-peak type 2, while the latter, double-peak. Single-peak type
2 is a transitional type between single-peak type 3 and type 4. In southeastern
part, there are multiple-peak type 8, type 7 and double-peak type 6 from east
to west. The objective to distinguishing peak types is to search for the
regions with a common change trend, and to carry out dynamic division.

Based on the differentiation of curve types, several dynamic change
regions are divided, including northeastern region, eastern region, middle
region and western region (Figure 3). Curves of the northern region show
significant trend of incensement with one peak. The curves of eastern region
are very complex. but they indicate a common trend the curves of the middle
region are standard double-peak type without clear trend of incensement. In the
western region, there is difference within the region and the curves are
single-peak type. Compared to land use boundaries. the dynamic regional
boundaries share about 40 percent with the former. The major differences are:
1) Dynamic division emphasizes on precipitation differentiation, while land use
division stresses topographic unit difference. 2) In the eastern region,
differentiation depends not only on topographic differentiation, but also on
north-south and east-west differentiation of water and heat. 3) Zhalute Banner
in the study area should be divided into farming area. Although it is only
based on a ten-year scale, the dynamic division of present productivity of
cultivated land can perfect land use division from a dynamic point of view.

Figure3 Regionalization of present
productivity of cultivated land in the study area

From the above-mentioned views, it can be concluded that the causes
of present productivity change of cultivated land are as follows: 1) the study
area is located in monsoon bordering zone. Deviation of precipitation in
monsoon area, as well as monsoon anomaly, amplifies the unstability of precipitation
in the area. Regional difference of the change comes from influence of
different circulation systems. The northeastern area is affected by westerly
system, the eastern area by southeastern monsoon, the western area by
southeastern monsoon, the western area by southwestern monsoon, and the middle
area jointly by the two systems. 2) Because of the rising trend of temperature
in the recent 10 years, as well as the advance of technology, productivity in
each area is increasing. 3) Cultivated in the study area is mainly dry land, so
productivity change is highly depended on precipitation change. 4) Unstable
precipitation, undulating topography, loess and sand, and historical development
cause land degradation.

IV. Conclusion

The major conclusions of this research are as follows:

1.With average productivity of
530.25kg/ha, the present productivity of cultivated land in the study area is
by far lower than that of farming area in Inner Mongolia. The present
productivity levels listed in a descending order are the eastern region, the
western region, and the middle region.

2.In recent decade, the present productivity of cultivated land
shows increasing trend with fluctuation, and the highest amplitude is in the
middle region Eight types of curves indicate time and intensity difference of
the fluctuation.

3.According to dynamic change of the present productivity, the study
area can be divided into the northeastern area, the eastern area, the middle
area and the western area. Compared to land use division depended on dynamic
changes emphasizes on change pattern of water and heat, and perfects landuse
division.

4.The dynamic change of present productivity is mainly caused by
climate change, related to circulation systems, so the study area is composed
of northeastern area affected by westerlies, eastern area affected by southeastern
monsoon, and western area affected by several circulation systems. On the other
hand, with rising temperature and advancing technology in the recent 10 years,
present productivity of cultivated land is increasing with fluctuation.

5.In the study area, for general cultivated land planning and land
use planning, we should stick to the idea of “dynamic coordination”
and “fluctuating agriculture and animal husbandry”. We should also
launch dynamic monitoring and prediction, and take on experimental research in
order to be more than self-sufficient in grain.

References

[1] Li Tianjie, Wang Jing’ai, Jia
Jiong et al., 1991: Remote sensing analysis and evaluation on ecologic benefit
of “Three North’s” shelter forest in Farming-Pastoral Zone in
Inner Mongolia. In : Remote Sensing Research on Regenerative Resources. Wanguo
Academic Press. 293-300.

[2] Shi Peijiun, 1989: Precipitation change
and “undulating agriculture and animal husbandry”. Resources and Environment
in Dry Area 3(3) (In Chinese)

[3] Wang Jing’ai and Shi Peijun,
1988: Land resources utilization and regional development strategy of
Farming-Pastoral Zone in Inner Mongolia. Regional Research and Development 7
(1)

[4] Zhao Ji and Wang Jing’ai, 1990:
Research into landuse and soil erosion of Farming-Pastoral Zone in Inner
Mongolia. In: Region. Environment. Natural Disasters Geographic Research.
Beijing: Science Press.

[5] Zhao Yu. Jin Zhengping, Shi Peijun and
Hao Yunchong, 1989: Research into Soil Erosion in Inner Mongolia. Beijing:
Science Press.