Suitability Evaluation and Engineering Matching for Agricultural Development of Barren Grassland in Mountainous Area: A Case Study of County Scale

Barren grasslands are an important reserve resource of cultivated land in mountainous areas. The exploitation of barren grassland for agricultural use has played a role in ensuring food security and people’s livelihood in many countries and regions. The suitability evaluation of agricultural-use development, based on the conditions of barren grassland itself and the engineering matching, can not only ensure the sustainable development of agriculture but also avoid the ecological negative effects caused by excessive engineering. According to the research, the agricultural development of barren grassland needs to be evaluated from the two angles of natural suitability and engineering suitability, and an innovative “index level serial number summation method” is proposed. The suitability of barren grassland for agricultural use development was divided into three categories: barren grassland suitable for cultivation, barren grassland suitable for forestry, and barren grassland suitable for prataculture. The barren grassland suitable for cultivation was selected for type division and engineering-accurate matching. Taking Tang County as a research area, an example was provided through a combination of theoretical research. According to the characteristics of barren grassland in Tang County, the evaluation indexes of natural suitability and engineering suitability were selected, and the suitability of barren grassland for agricultural development was evaluated and graded. A classification system for the utilization of barren grassland suitable for cultivation is constructed, the required engineering types are explored to eliminate the main limiting factors, and the utilization types are matched with the engineering combination types. The barren grassland suitable for cultivation in the study area can be divided into 37 types, which can match eight engineering combinations. This study proposes a systematic method for the identification, classification, rating, and engineering matching for arable land reserve resources. The study can provide the basis for the effective utilization and accurate development of land resources.