The effect of urbanization and farmland transfer on the spatial patterns of non-grain farmland in China

Rapid urbanization has accelerated farmland transfer in China, which in turn has increased the cultivation intensity of non-grain farmland (NGF). The aim of this paper was to analyze the spatial patterns of non-grain farmland (NGF) at municipal-level cities in China from 2000 to 2014, and explore the influence of urbanization and farmland transfer on the spatial patterns of non-grain farmland (NGF). The study found that both NGF area and share have a consistent variation trend which increased first, then decreased, and increased again. There were great differences between NGF area and share, which had various spatial patterns. Global Moran's I of NGF area and share had strong positive spatial autocorrelations in 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2014, and revealed remarkable clustered spatial patterns. Local spatial autocorrelation analysis found that the spatial agglomeration pattern of the NGF area and the share changed significantly from 2000 to 2014. The spatial patterns of NGF were significantly influenced by regional differences in urbanization and farmland transfer. These results provide critical insights for formulating differential farmland transfer policies and policies for sustainable development of agriculture and rural economy in China.