Spatial spillover effects of grain production efficiency in China: Measurement and scope

With the tightening of resource constraints and the increase in urbanization, China's grain production is facing a series of new challenges. The key to solving the current multiple dilemmas lies in the improvement of grain production capacity. This study investigates the efficiency of grain production in China by means of spatial measurement model and Markov chain, aiming to realise the sustainable development and guarantee food security. The results showed that China's grain production efficiency confronted with the dual challenge of insufficient driving force and limited space for growth.The gravity center of grain production moved northwest, which exacerbated the fragility and instability of the food production system.Spatial spillover of grain production efficiency from neighbouring provinces can lead to a convergence effect in the province, but it is faced with problems such as increasing marginalization of the strong, the degradation of efficiency and the low proportion of the hollow pattern. At the same time, provincial spatial spillover effect presents an inverted N type change path, which diffusion range is mainly concentrated in a 0-3500 km zone with a evolution process of ripple-scale-ripple. It's necessary to follow the laws of club convergence, gradually forming multiple overflow centres and reducing the spatial range of the cold point area. This study provides a new idea for improving grain production efficiency with the perspective of space, which has reference value in optimizing grain production. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Automated summary

This study investigates the efficiency of grain production in China using a spatial measurement model and Markov chain, revealing challenges such as insufficient driving force and limited growth space. The spatial spillover effect from neighboring provinces can lead to a convergence effect. Following the laws of club convergence, forming multiple overflow centers and reducing the spatial range of cold point areas is necessary for improving grain production efficiency.