Title: Identification of cost-effective spatial priorities for cultivated land supplementation using an integrated framework
Abstract: The identification of spatial priorities for cultivated land supplementation is crucial for improving the implementation efficiency of the cultivated land balance policy (CLBP) and ensuring food security. Previous studies have rarely considered supplementation costs or achieved cost-effective spatial priority allocation while also satisfying given policy target constraints. To address this gap, we propose a policy-constrained spatial prioritization framework that integrates a multidimensional cost assessment system with a spatial optimization model to identify cost-effective supplementation priorities. The framework was applied in Qingyuan, a typical region characterized by complex topography and diverse land supplementation sources. The results indicated that the framework enables cost-effective spatial optimization by significantly reducing costs while satisfying the dual constraints requiring balance in cultivated land quantity and quality, with selected units across the entire study area exhibiting a total cost index (TCI) per unit area that was only 39.82 % of that for unselected units, and a productivity index (PI) per unit area that increased by 15.44 %. Furthermore, implementing supplementation within cultivated land agglomeration zones (CLAZs) can further reduce the TCI per unit area by 30.92 %, decrease the number of selected units by 32.54 %, and further enhance the spatial contiguity of future cultivated land. Overall, this paper presents a framework that serves as an effective decision-support tool for targeted investment under the new round of the CLBP and offers valuable guidance for the formulation of cultivated land supplementation policies and plans in regions with comparable resource conditions or policy constraints.
Keywords: Cultivated land supplementation;Spatial priorities;Cost assessment;Quality balance;Policy target constraints
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103630
