The Evolution Characteristics and Planning Regulation of the Population-cultivated land-food (PCF) system in Rural Counties of China

Abstract

Industrialization and urbanization have profoundly transformed China’s county-level population structures, land-use patterns, and food production systems. Variations in natural conditions and urbanization levels have resulted in uneven spatial distributions of population, cultivated land, and food production. Exploring the dynamic evolution of this system in China’s counties and formulating targeted planning and regulatory strategies hold significant theoretical and practical value. This study aimed to reveal the internal dynamics of the PCF system through an analysis of its evolution across 1,848 county-level units (excluding urban areas) during 2000, 2010, and 2020. After evaluating system coordination and classifying rural areas into distinct types based on coupling modes though an indicator system, the study proposed targeted planning and regulation strategies for counties with differing coupling modes, emphasizing system coordination.