Scientifically revealing the spatiotemporal patterns of cultivated land quality (CLQ) is crucial for increasing food production and achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger. Although studies on the evaluation of CLQ have been conducted, an effective evaluation system that is suitable for the macro-regional scale has not yet been developed. In this study, we first defined the CLQ from four aspects: soil fertility, natural conditions, construction level, and cultivated land productivity. Then, eight indicators were selected by integrating multi-source remote sensing data to create a new CLQ evaluation system. We assessed the spatiotemporal patterns of CLQ in Guangzhou, China, from 2010 to 2018. In addition, we identified the main factors affecting the improvement of CLQ. The results showed that the CLQ continuously improved in Guangzhou from 2010 to 2018. The area of high-quality cultivated land increased by 13.7%, which was mainly distributed in the traditional agricultural areas in the northern and eastern regions of Guangzhou. The areas of medium- and low-quality cultivated land decreased by 8.1% and 5.6%, respectively, which were scattered throughout the whole study area. The soil fertility and high productivity capacity were the main obstacle factors that affected the improvement of CLQ. Simultaneously, the obstacle degree of stable productivity capacity gradually increased during the study period. Therefore, the targeted improvement measures could be put forward by applying biofertilizers, strengthening crop management and constructing well-facilitated farmland. The new CLQ evaluation system we proposed is particularly practical at the macro-regional scale, and the results provided targeted guidance for decision makers to improve CLQ and promote food security.

Whether China can achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) largely depends on the ability of main food-producing areas to cope with multiple land use change challenges. Despite the fact that the Yangtze River basin is one of the key regions for China’s food security, the spatiotemporal dynamics of cropland abandonment and recultivation remain largely unexplored in this region. The present study assesses the evolution of the agricultural system within the Yangtze River basin between 2000 and 2020 by mapping cropland abandonment and recultivation using MODIS time series and multiple land cover products. The results highlight a widespread cropland abandonment process (i.e., 10.5% of the total study area between 2000 and 2020), predominantly in Western Sichuan, Eastern Yunnan, and Central Jiangxi. Although 70% of abandoned cropland is situated in areas with slopes less than 5°, the highest rates of abandonment are in mountainous regions. However, by 2020, 74% of this abandoned cropland had been recultivated at least once, whereas half of the abandoned croplands got recultivated within three years of their initial abandonment. Hence, as this is one of the first studies that unravels the complex interaction between cropland abandonment and recultivation in a spatiotemporal explicit context, it offers (i) scientists a novel methodological framework to assess agricultural land use issues across large geographical entities, and (ii) policy-makers new insights to support the sustainable transition of the agricultural sector.