Land fragmentation (LF) is widespread worldwide and affects farmers’ decision-making and, thus, farm performance. We used detailed household survey data at the crop level from ten provinces in China to construct four LF indicators and six farm performance indicators. We ran a set of regression models using OLS methods to analyse the relationship between LF and farm performance. The results showed that (1) LF increased the input of production material and labour costs; (2) LF reduced farmers’ purchasing of mechanical services and the efficiency of ploughing; and (3) LF may increase technical efficiency (this result, however, was not sufficiently robust and had no effect on yield). Generally speaking, LF was negatively related to farm performance. To improve farm performance, it is recommended that decision-makers speed up land transfer and land consolidation, stabilise land property rights, establish land-transfer intermediary organisations and promote large-scale production.

The multiple cropping index of farmland is a significant characterization of land use intensity. Based on the NDVI data, this paper calculated the multiple cropping index of farmland in China using the S-G filtering method, and proposed an optimized regionalization scheme for the farmland use. The findings reveal that from 2000 to 2018, the multiple cropping index of farmland in China underwent the fluctuation of rising first, then falling and rising continuously, which was closely associated with the agricultural support policies enforced in China. Counties whose multiple cropping indexes decreased from 2009 to 2018 were mainly located in areas primarily producing grain, which exerted a greater influence on food security. The gap between the multiple cropping index and potential multiple cropping index of farmland is increasingly widening from north to south in China. Accordingly, four types of grain producing zones were delineated: key development zone, potential growth zone, appropriate development zone, and restricted development zone. Some suggestions, such as rotation, fallow, determination of yield by water and offsetting the quantity balance of farmland by increasing the multiple cropping index, are put forward based on different zones.

The Grain-to-Fodder Crop Conversion Program (GCCP) in China mainly promotes the green and sustainable development of grain crops, economic crops, and silage crops by subsidizing livestock farms to encourage farmers to plant silage crops, such as corn silage and alfalfa silage. In this context, this study assesses the impact of planting silage crops on farm household income. Based on a survey of 495 households in Henan and Hebei Provinces, China, we first constructed a theoretical model of the program’s effect on farmers’ income, and then used an ordinary least squares (OLS) method to estimate the magnitude of the GCCP on farmers’ income. To identify endogeneity and further test the stability of the results, we adopted instrumental variable estimation, subsample estimation, and matching methods. The GCCP significantly increased smallholder farm income. Compared with growing corn grain, corn silage increased income by approximately CNY 101/mu. Meanwhile, corn silage reduced the capital input cost of farmers by 10.71% per mu and labor input by 26.6% per mu. Heterogeneity analysis revealed that farmers who plant corn silage on a large scale, closer to dairy farms, have higher incomes. Few scholars have empirically analyzed the impact of GCCP on farm household income from a micro-farm household perspective. This study enriches the empirical literature on the effects of the GCCP on farmers in China, which can help policymakers understand policy implementation.

Increasing feed grain supply, particularly domestic supply, is intended to guarantee feed grain security and, as a result, food security. Based on the Global Agro-Ecological Zones (GAEZ) model, the potential yield and actual yield of feed and food grain in China were estimated. According to the theory of factor endowment, the yield potential development coefficient and the yield efficiency advantage index were then constructed to determine whether the current spatial layout of feed grain is reasonable and how it could be adjusted. The results showed that: (1) There was an imbalance in feed crops production: yield loss in high-potential regions and excessive development in low-potential regions. The imbalances lead to a mismatch between feed production and resource endowment which causes productivity losses and ecological risks. (2) There was considerable potential for increasing the feed grain yield on the Northeast China Plain, the Loess Plateau and in the northern arid and semiarid region. The soybean yield can be increased by about 25%, and the maize yield can be increased by even more. (3) The feed grain should be planted in regions with sufficient potential yield but insufficient actual yield; 26.42% of China’s soybeans and 34.74% of its maize were planted in these regions. (4) Some 16.69% and 15.65% of wheat and rice planting areas could be adjusted to soybeans, respectively; 20.76% and 21.04% of wheat and rice planting areas could be adjusted to maize, respectively. Through agricultural technology research and development, infrastructure support, comprehensive planning design and policy design, the yield potentials of feed grain can be realized. This will redress the imbalance wherein a food grain surplus and a feed grain shortage coexist.

Farmland abandonment poses a significant threat to China’s food security by contributing to inefficient land use. Utilizing remote sensing data and the multiple cropping index extraction method, this study extracts abandonment cropland information and analyzes its spatiotemporal patterns across China, with its findings validated against the “China Rural Revitalization Survey” (CRRS) data. The results indicate that since the 21st century, China’s cropland abandonment rate has fluctuated around 5.86%, affecting an average of 7.6 million hectares annually. Spatially, cropland abandonment is more severe in southern China, with hotspots clustered around 25° N and 30° N latitudes. This southward shift exacerbates the spatial mismatch between water resources and cropland. Furthermore, abandonment is particularly pronounced in grain production—marketing balance areas and main marketing areas, intensifying pressure on national food self-sufficiency. Slope and fragmentation also drive abandonment, with steeper (>15°) and more fragmented plots showing higher susceptibility. These complex patterns are uncovered through the study’s systematic innovations—a dual-indicator quantification method, a multi-source validation framework, a dynamic spatiotemporal atlas, and a novel interpretation of abandonment multifunctionality, which also positions farmland reuse as a buffer against unemployment risks. We thus recommend addressing land fragmentation as a core strategy, through high-standard farmland construction, innovative contract rights certification, and expanded agricultural socialized services to promote moderate-scale farming. Finally, we urge the adoption of region-specific and category-based recultivation approaches, supported by clear governance priorities.

This study investigates the relationship between farmland scale and technical efficiency. Using a household-level dataset from 10 provinces in China, we employed a flexible Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) model to simultaneously estimate technical efficiency and evaluate its relationship with farmland scale. The results show that the average technical efficiency scores for the full sample, wheat, rice, and maize are 0.677, 0.708, 0.733, and 0.669, respectively, indicating substantial potential for improving China’s agricultural production efficiency. Furthermore, an inverted U-shaped relationship exists between farmland scale and technical efficiency; technical efficiency initially rises and subsequently declines as farmland scale increases. Additional analysis reveals that this inverted U-shaped relationship is moderated by the marginal cost of land transfer. Specifically, a lower marginal cost of land transfer corresponds to a larger optimal farmland scale. The marginal cost of land transfer was captured by proxy variables, including the relief degree of land surface, the slope degree of land surface, and the development level of the village-level land rental market. We conclude that flatter terrain and a better-developed land rental market lead to a larger optimal farmland scale for rural households.