Spatial disparity pattern of land consolidation projects in Hubei province

Abstract: Analyzing and evaluating spatial pattern and the spatial disparity of land consolidation projects scientifically is of great theoretical and practical value for improving land consolidation scientific decision-making. Based on the data of the land consolidation projects from 1999 to 2010 at the district or county-level in Hubei Province, this article explores empirically land consolidation differences in time, space, and autocorrelation with four indexes: land consolidation investment scale, land consolidation construction scale, the newly-added cultivated land area, and the number of land consolidation projects. The spatial disparity of land consolidation projects was studied with the methods of the standard deviation index, the coefficient of variation, and a spatial autocorrelation analysis. The conclusions can be summarized as following: (1) Utilizing the data of land consolidation projects every year in Hubei Province, we find that land consolidation projects grow rapidly in Hubei Province and land consolidation investment scale and land consolidation construction scale showed a rising trend in the wave-like characteristics. The scale of the newly-added cultivated land area increased from 1999 to 2008 and started to fall since 2008. The number of land consolidation projects increased year by year. Utilizing the data of land consolidation projects data in each space unit, we found that land consolidation investment scale and land consolidation construction scale were present in large scale in the middle of Hubei Province, and in small scale in the east and west ends. The scale of the newly-added cultivated land area also showed a high value in the middle area. The spatial pattern of the number of land consolidation projects was scattered and ruleless. (2) By calculating the standard deviation index and the coefficient of variation of land consolidation projects by year, we found that the absolute difference of land consolidation projects among each district or county showed an expansion trend from 1999 to 2010, and that the absolute scale of land consolidation projects among each district or county showed a pronounced increasing tendency, and the relative difference showed a decreasing tendency, which indicated a balanced development trend among each district or county. (3) With the of calculating Moran's I and local Moran's I in three time periods (1999－2010, 1999－2005 and 2006－2010), we found that the spatial patterns of land consolidation projects showed strong spatial autocorrelation characteristics and that spatial autocorrelation was becoming stronger. We also found that the spatial patterns of the LISA maps showed similar characteristics as the distribution of cultivated lands and fit in with the key construction direction of important land consolidation projects in Hubei Province. The patterns of the LISA maps of land consolidation investment scale and land consolidation construction scale were developing and becoming steady. The patterns of the LISA maps of the newly-added cultivated land area and the number of land consolidation projects were changing greatly. (4) Based on the previous analysis, we suggested that Hubei should continue to insist on focusing on farmland rearrangement in the future 5-10 a. The central plain area of Hubei Province should continue to insist on focusing on the high criterion basic farmland construction, that the east and southeast area of Hubei Province should advance the low-hilly land construction, that western Hubei Province should promote a slope cropland renovation project, and that north Hubei Province should put particular emphasis on the mid-low yield land construction and the low-hilly land construction.