cultivated land declined from 37.3% to 20.7%. With the agricultural area and grain production decreasing
from 64
× 103tons to slightly over 20 × 103tons per year, an increasing number of local people sought
employment in towns and cities. The non-farm income increased, and the local income structure shifted.
Migrant and orchard worker income contributed the most to the balance of the total household income.
We narrowed our focus to discuss how the GGP accelerated the changes in the participants’ lifestyles and
what might be done to sustain the long-term effects of the GGP. While the GGP has brought about considerable
environmental benefits, a comprehensive study of environmental–social systems is still needed
to achieve a more efficient land use policy. The research results presented in this paper demonstrate that
changes in land use and people’s activities were triggered by policy changes. We aim to pave the way for
studies on the “policy-land-use-social development” chain and to provide references for new policies.
© 2013 Elsev