The Spatial and Temporal Evolution of the Coordination Degree in Regard to Farmland Transfer and Cultivated Land Green Utilization Efficiency in China

In many parts of the world, the shortage of cultivated land and the food crisis are worsening on a continued basis. Hence, the central and local governments of the PRC have successively issued various related policies to encourage the practice of farmland transfer, promote the eco-friendly utilization of cultivated land, and ameliorate the efficiency of cultivated land utilization. Under the context of large-scale farmland transfer and rural revitalization strategy in China, it is significant to ensure agricultural sustainability through the coordination of farmland transfer and the amelioration of cultivated land green utilization efficiency (CLGUE). In the present study, 30 Chinese provinces were taken as the research object, with the super-efficient SBM model, the coupling coordination degree model and the spatial analysis model applied in combination. Based on the measurement of CLGUE, a thorough analysis was conducted to explore the evolution of coordination degree in regard to farmland transfer and CLGUE in China from both spatial and temporal perspectives. The conclusions drawn from this study are as follows. Firstly, the overall CLGUE exhibited an upward tendency in the PRC, from 0.440 in 2005 to 0.913 in 2019, with a yearly growth rate of 5.47% on average. However, there were significant spatial disparities in CLGUE between different regions and provinces. Secondly, there was a steady increasing trend shown by the level of coordination degree regarding farmland transfer and CLGUE across China. Further, due to the variation in natural and economic conditions, there were significant spatial–temporal disparities in the coordination degree among these 30 provinces. Lastly, there were obvious spatial aggregation patterns at the provincial level regarding the coordination degree in farmland transfer and CLGUE across China. However, there was a declining trend in the level of spatial aggregation patterns for coordination degree.