Assessment of sustainable use of agricultural land resources based on DPSIR Framework

The “cause-effect relationship” is the core of the DPSIR (driving force-pressure-state-impact-response) framework, which provides an effective way to find the negative environmental effects caused by human activities. Based on the DPSIR framework, an indicator system comprising 25 indictors was designed, and applied to the case area of Shunyi District, Beijing. Firstly, main pressures on agricultural land resource were distinguished from different sectors in Shunyi District, and then, presented the application of the indicator system to the region and the results of assessment regarding each of the five aspects, i.e., the driving force, human pressure, agricultural state, environmental impact, and human response, for period from 1991 to 2002. The “driving force” and the “pressure” of agricultural land resource increased, while the “state” of agricultural system and the “impact” on other agricultural factors decreased anomalously as times went; the human “response” kept stable before 2000 while it increased obviously after that year; the integrated index of sustainability had a trend to decline. There is great difference in spatial distribution among the five indictor categories. In order to improve the sustainable development of agriculture, firstly, it needs a well-planned urbanization and industrialization planning to control the encroachment of built-up land to farmland, and thus reduces the pressure on the limited agricultural land resource; and secondly, fertilizer use and breed aquatics must be arranged scientifically to reduce its negative effects on agricultural land resource to an acceptable level. In addition, the local authorities should help to improve external conditions of agricultural development, to promote the restructuring of agricultural land use, and thus to improve the ability of profits from agriculture. This study demonstrate that the DPSIR framework is an effective way to diagnose regional problems, assess the sustainability of agricultural land use, and develop policy measures for alleviating the problems and pressures and promoting sustainable agricultural development.