Innovative trend analysis of main agriculture natural hazards in China during 1989–2014

China is a country where the agricultural areas are frequently affected by natural hazards, and comprehending the change trends of natural hazards is of great significance to sustainable development in agriculture. Innovative trend analysis (ITA) is a new and important trend detection method. In this study, the ITA method was used to analyze five kinds of natural hazards in agricultural areas of China during 1989–2014: wind and hail, forest fire, drought, flood, and freezing hazard. The ITA method was compared with two traditional trend analysis methods, i.e., the Mann–Kendall (M–K) test and linear regression analysis (LRA). The results showed that the areas affected by wind and hail, forest fire, drought, and flood in China are showing significant decreasing trends ( p