Stakeholder-Driven Spatial Targeting for Cultivated Land Consolidation: Managing Trade-Offs Between Urbanization, Food Security, and Environment in China

ABSTRACTOver the past four decades, China has invested $298 billion in cultivated land consolidation (CLC), significantly boosting agricultural production, and food security despite rapid urbanization and cultivated land loss. However, the absence of a quantitative, spatially explicit evaluation of CLC potential that integrates local stakeholder perspectives from farmers, community, and decision‐makers has hindered the effectiveness and efficiency of CLC initiatives, constraining their ability to deliver enduring benefits for agricultural productivity and sustainability. We used a knowledge co‐production approach integrating spatial multi‐criteria analysis (MCA) with multi‐stakeholder engagement to evaluate CLC potential and identify priority areas in Jiangsu Province. We identified priority areas and considerations for CLC implementation to support the transition toward productive, sustainable agricultural systems, categorizing 813 townships into seven CLC priority types. Our analysis identified 41.82% of the area as being most suitable for resource improvement consolidation, 33.83% for pattern optimization consolidation, and 9.84% for utilization enhancement consolidation, with 14.51% designated for combined‐criteria consolidation. Additionally, 686 townships with low to very low CLC potential were identified as priority areas for protection and development. These spatially explicit results provide a robust foundation for regional prioritization, targeted investment, and stakeholder‐driven CLC planning. The methodology and findings of this study offer a replicable framework for stakeholder‐driven spatial planning in CLC both in China and more broadly, providing practical, spatially explicit plans for addressing critical trade‐offs between urbanization, food security, and the environment.