*Article* **The Non-Agriculturalization of Cultivated Land in Karst Mountainous Areas in China**

**Huiqing Han 1,\*, Huirong Peng 2, Song Li 3, Jianqiang Yang <sup>4</sup> and Zhenggang Yan <sup>1</sup>**


**Abstract:** When used for agricultural production, karst mountainous areas are susceptible to soil degradation due to the effects of soluble rocks and the climate. To mitigate the risk, the Grain for Green Project, a sizable initiative, was commenced to transition cultivated land away from agricultural use. This conversion of cultivated land to non-agricultural land has been significant. The study area considered in this research included four small towns in southwest China in karst mountainous areas with various morphologies. The investigation of the non-agriculturalization of cultivated land in the four sample areas revealed that the non-agriculturalization rate of cultivated land as a result of the Grain for Green Project has reached between 21.36% and 51.43% each decade. Thus, the Grain for Green Project has been advantageous for lowering the landscape ecological risk. Furthermore, because an increasing number of agricultural production materials have been introduced to the cultivated land, the conversion from cultivated land to non-agricultural land has not caused a staple food crisis on the national scale. However, it is impossible to observe all the potential drawbacks of the non-agriculturalization of cultivated land from satellite photos alone, and further social data collection is required. The findings of this study can offer precise information for policymaking in relation to the protection of rural cultivated land and rural spatial optimization in karst mountainous areas.

**Keywords:** non-agriculturalization rate; ecological risk; cultivated land change; landform; land management
