This paper investigates the impact of interprovincial food trade on China's land scarcity using a multi-regional input-output (MRIO) analysis integrated with high-resolution cropland data. The study introduces a scarce land footprint (SLF) to account for land scarcity and identifies hotspots of land footprint and scarce land footprint at a 1 km × 1 km resolution. Results reveal that while virtual land trade mitigates land scarcity in importing provinces, it significantly aggravates scarcity in exporting provinces. This challenges conventional thinking about food trade and necessitates new policies for improved land resource management and collaborative governance.

Jianjian He, Siqi Wang, Reinout Heijungs, Yi Yang, Shumiao Shu, Weiwen Zhang, Anqi Xu, Kai Fang