Communiqué on Major Data of the Second National Agricultural Census of China (No.6)

Office of the Leading Group of the State Council for the Second National Agricultural Census
Ministry of Land and Resources
National Bureau of Statistics

February 29, 2008

Distribution and Classification of Cultivated Land

The Second National Agricultural Census adopted the results of Land Modificatory Survey of 2006 conducted by the Ministry of Land and Resource. Office of State Council for the Second Agricultural Census jointly with Ministry of Land and Resource and National Bureau of Statistics implemented post quality audit of the cultivated land area. Now the main results are published as follows:

The cultivated land refers to land for planting agricultural crops, including cultivated land, new developed, reclaimed and consolidated land, fallow land (containing shifting fallow land and shifting cultivated land); land mainly for planting crops (including vegetables), scattered with fruit trees, mulberry trees and other trees; cultivated sea-beaches ensured harvest at least once per year. The ditches, canals, paths and field banks with the width less than 1.0 meter in South of China, and 2.0 meters in North of China in the cultivated land; cultivated land temporarily for planting medical materials, turfs, flowers, nursery stocks and so on, as well as other land for temporarily purpose of change.

In 2006 (end of October 31, 2006), total area of cultivated land in China (excluding HK SAR, Macro SAR and Taiwan province) reached 121775.9 kilo hectares.

In terms of distribution by region: the cultivated land that distributed in western region took more proportion of 36.9 percent; while that of in eastern, central and northeastern regions respectively accounted for 21.7, 23.8 and 17.6 percent.

In terms of classification of cultivated land: the areas of dry land took 55.1 percent; while that of paddy field and irrigated land respectively occupied 26.0 and 18.9 percent. 

In terms of gradient: the cultivated land between 0 and 15 degree took 87.5 percent; while that of between 15 and 25 and over 25 degree respectively seized 9.2 and 3.3 percent.

Statistics on distribution and classification of cultivated land

Note:

Four regions: eastern region includes Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Guangdong, Hainan. Central region covers Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan. Western region includes Inner Mongolia, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Xinjiang. Northeastern region covers Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang.