Evaluation of cultivated land ecological security and obstacle factor analysis in Anhui Province

The ecological security of cultivated land is a cornerstone for ensuring food security and ecological civilization construction. Through scientific evaluation, it is conducive to promoting realization of the coordinated goals of “preserving quantity, improving quality and protecting ecology” of cultivated land resources. This study constructs an ecological security index system for cultivated land using a pressure-state-response (PSR) model. By combining the combination weighting and comprehensive index methods, spatiotemporal changes in the ecological security of cultivated land in Anhui Province from 2010 to 2020 were evaluated. The obstacle degree model was used to divide the protection pattern zones of cultivated land ecological security and explore the obstructive factors affecting the ecological security of cultivated land in various cities in Anhui Province. The results showed that: 1) From 2010 to 2020, the pressure subsystem score of cultivated land ecological security in Anhui Province first decreased and then increased, the state subsystem score showed fluctuating improvement, whereas the response subsystem score showed a downward trend. Low scoring regions in each subsystem expanded to varying degrees. 2) The ecological security of cultivated land remained stable over time, with the score fluctuating slightly at approximately 0.48. Overall, this was a critical safety level. Regarding spatial scale, heterogeneity was distinct, showing a relatively significant “layered” pattern, that is, the ecological security status of cultivated land in the region centered around Hefei City was lower than that in other regions. 3) The primary obstacles in the pressure subsystem were the cultivated land area per capita, population density, and pesticide load per unit of cultivated land. The primary obstacles in the state subsystem were the multiple cropping index, land reclamation rate, and share of primary industry in GDP. The primary obstacles in the response subsystem were the proportion of agricultural fiscal expenditure, forest coverage, and disposable income of rural residents. In conclusion, Anhui Province should focus on adjusting its agricultural industrial structure, leveraging regional advantages, reducing the use of pesticides, increasing investment in agricultural development funds, promoting green agricultural development, and optimizing the ecological security service function of cultivated land, thereby achieving sustainable cultivated land resource development.