Theoretical Research on Cultivated Land Ecological Compensation Based on Targeted Poverty Alleviation and Development

Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, Kunming 650021, China

Abstract The effectiveness of targeted poverty alleviation is related to whether China can build a well-off society on schedule. Poverty alleviation is an arduous and urgent major issue in China, and the Party and the government have always been very concerned about and attached importance to poverty alleviation. At present, China’s poverty alleviation and development faces enormous pressures and challenges. Some poor areas actually shoulder the heavy responsibility of ecological protection in the process of national development. The contradiction between economic development and ecological protection is intensifying. Objectively, these poor areas have made outstanding contributions and great sacrifices for the country’s ecological construction. Therefore, it is necessary to balance the two goals of poverty reduction and building an ecological environment and explore a win-win path that is in line with the actual ecological protection and poverty alleviation and development in poverty-stricken areas. Ecological compensation for poverty alleviation is one of the basic contents of the "five-batch" project of China to implement poverty alleviation. Cultivated land is a very important ecosystem on land. On the basis of studying the ecological effects of cultivated land, the implementation of cultivated land ecological compensation has become an important part of the research on ecological poverty alleviation. On the one hand, ecological compensation for cultivated land can support or promote poverty alleviation and development. On the other hand, poverty alleviation and development policies also provide practical opportunities for cultivated land ecological compensation. Carrying out research on cultivated land ecological compensation and practicing this new direction and new poverty alleviation mode is of great significance to promote and improve the construction of ecological system for cultivated land, targeted poverty alleviation and development, and ecological protection of cultivated land. On the basis of combing the national ecological poverty alleviation strategy related policies and sorting out cultivated land ecological compensation theory research, this paper discusses the new mode of cultivated land ecological compensation to assist poverty alleviation and development, reveals the main problems in the current research and practice of cultivated land ecological compensation, and puts forward some suggestions for improving the ecological compensation for cultivated land to promote poverty alleviation and development.

Key words Targeted poverty alleviation, Ecological poverty alleviation, Cultivated land, Ecological compensation

1 Introduction

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Central Committee has regarded poverty alleviation as one of the strategic priorities for achieving the goal of the first century. Most of the poverty-stricken areas are in areas where the "innate" ecological environment is fragile and the "acquired ecological damage is more serious". At the same time, cultivated land is a very important ecosystem on land, closely related to the production and life of human society and playing a vital role in the entire ecosystem. Therefore, in order to undertake the task of ecological protection, most of the local people can only rely on the crops produced by the limited cultivated land to sustain their livelihoods. Due to the backward production mode and the continuous increase of population, the residents are forced to use the cultivated land resources excessively and intensively, resulting in the gradual degradation of the cultivated land ecology. As a result, the quality of the cultivated land resources on which people depend in greatly reduced, and the output is drastically reduced, further exacerbating poverty. This creates a vicious circle between the cultivated land ecosystem and poverty in most regions. In this context, to achieve the dual goals of improving the ecological environment of cultivated land and lifting poor population out of poverty stably, the best way is the ecological poverty alleviation model of cultivated land. The strategy of implementing the ecological compensation mechanism for cultivated land is an important material support for the ecological poverty alleviation and development work in poverty-stricken areas. Therefore, the integration of cultivated land ecological compensation system into poverty alleviation and development research is a good way to shape developmental ecological poverty alleviation, conducive to the protection of the cultivated land ecological environment in poverty-stricken areas and the better development of poverty alleviation work, thereby achieving a win-win goal.

2 Ecological poverty alleviation concept and national policies

2.1 Concept of ecological poverty alleviationWith the continuous destruction of China’s ecological environment and the increasingly prominent problem of poverty, more and more scholars in China are being committed to ecological poverty alleviation research. They study real-life cases from different perspectives to explore the concept of ecological poverty alleviation. Yang Wenju[1]took the lead in defining ecological poverty alleviation. He believes that ecological poverty alleviation refers to strengthening the environmental awareness of the population in poverty-stricken areas and combining ecological construction with ecological industries, based on the current level of economic development and the existing resources and environment, to coordinate the ecological, economic and social development of the region. Luo Xia[2]pointed out that ecological poverty alleviation is a new way of poverty alleviation. The starting point is to improve the ecological environment and infrastructure of poor areas, as well as optimizing the production environment and living environment in the areas. The ultimate goal is to achieve sustainable development in poor areas. Today, this definition is still cited by many researchers. Zha Yanetal.[3]believe that ecological poverty alleviation is the ultimate goal of sustainable development. Its implementation approach is to protect and improve the ecological environment of poverty-stricken areas in order to play its service value and enhance the benefits of poverty alleviation. Liu Huietal.[4]pointed out that the key to ecological poverty alleviation is that the construction of ecological environment and poverty alleviation work should be promoted synchronously, and the restoration of ecology and poverty alleviation should be placed in the same important position to promote the coordinated development of the two. In addition, they divided the ecological poverty alleviation into two modes, namely,in-situecological poverty alleviation andex-situecological poverty alleviation, and emphasized that an important part of ecological poverty alleviation is the ecological migration strategy. Cai Dianxiong[5]defined the concept of ecological poverty alleviation from the perspective of ecological anthropology. That is, on the basis of the sustainable development of the ecosystem, the benefits of poverty alleviation are maximized by coordinating the relationship between poverty and ecology and making use of the function and playing the value of the ecosystem. On the basis of studying targeted poverty alleviation and ecological poverty alleviation, Huang Jinzi transformed research idea and combined the two organically to define the concept of targeted ecological poverty alleviation. Yang Tingshuoetal.[6]re-defined the connotation of ecological poverty alleviation with creative thinking based on the research on the history and Western related literature. They consider that the economic field is only a relatively basic part, and it is more important to rise to the construction of culture under the background of ecological civilization construction. Shen Maoyingetal.[7]analyzed how to develop ecological products industry and sell ecological products in poverty-stricken areas, and proposed a new poverty alleviation method based on these analyses,i.e., transforming the farmers’ ecological products into cash value to get rid of poverty gradually. In short, the concept and connotation of ecological poverty alleviation is still ambiguous, and difficult to unify.

Different scholars have different understandings of the concept of ecological poverty alleviation. Some believe that ecological poverty alleviation is to strengthen ecological construction and develop ecological economy, and some believe that ecological poverty alleviation should be the implementation of ecological compensation. Li Zuojun, deputy director of the Research Institute of Resource and Environmental Policies of the Development Research Center of the State Council considers that ecological poverty alleviation is an organic combination of ecology and poverty alleviation, and the key is to make ecological compensation an important way to alleviate poverty[8]. This view is widely endorsed. It is impossible to confuse ecological poverty alleviation with the development of ecological economy, because all regions of the country have the responsibility to protect the ecological environment and can promote local economic development by developing an ecological economy[9].

2.2 National policiesIn a series of important speeches, General Secretary Xi Jinping made important discussions such as "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" and "protecting ecological environment is to protect productivity, and improving ecological environment is to develop productivity"[10], which profoundly clarify the relationship between ecological environment and productivity and explain the connotation of Xi Jinping’s ecological poverty alleviation thought as well. In the Beijing High-Level Forum on Poverty Reduction and Development, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech and stressed at the meeting to "insist on implementing policies according to local conditions, the cause of poverty and the type of poverty and achieve the goal of poverty alleviation through production and employment support, relocation and resettlement, ecological protection, education assistance and subsistence policy"[11], truly integrating the development of productive forces, the protection of the ecological environment and the work of poverty alleviation. General Secretary Xi Jinping has made important decision-making arrangements for poverty alleviation work in the Central Poverty Alleviation Work Conference. In accordance with the specific conditions of poor areas and poor people, the "five-batch" project will be carried out, and ecological compensation is regarded as one of the five basic contents. At the same time, it is emphasized that ecological protection and restoration work should be well done in poor areas. From "ecological protection for getting rid of poverty" in Beijing High-Level Forum on Poverty Reduction and Development to "ecological compensation for getting rid of poverty" in Central Poverty Alleviation Work Conference, the idea and theory of ecological poverty alleviation have been further improved.

The idea of ecological poverty alleviation is put forward in theProposaloftheCentralCommitteeoftheCommunistPartyofChinaonFormulatingtheThirteenthFive-YearPlanforNationalEconomicandSocialDevelopment(hereinafter referred to as the "Proposal") approved by the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. Ecological poverty alleviation is taken as one of the important ways to targetedly alleviate poverty and targetedly eliminate poverty. The Proposal pointed out that policies should be implemented according to the actual situation of poverty-stricken areas and poor people, in order to improve the efficiency of poverty alleviation. In special areas, according to the specific conditions, under the premise of ensuring policies not changed, it is necessary to flexibly develop support measures. For example, in areas where the ecological environment is important, ecological poverty alleviation is required[12]. In the State Council’s 13th Five-Year Plan for poverty alleviation, it is mentioned that while carrying out poverty alleviation, we must pay attention to protecting the ecological environment and mastering the relationship between the two, and while helping the poor areas, we must also attach importance to protecting and improving the ecological environment, to allow the areas to achieve sustainable development. It is necessary to invest more funds to compensate personnel and enterprises engaged in poverty alleviation in poverty-stricken areas. By setting up some public-welfare employment opportunities, the laborers from registered poor households are allowed to participate in the work of protecting the ecological environment[13]. On January 28, 2018, the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development and the five ministries and commissions such as the National Development and Reform Commission jointly formulated thePovertyAlleviationWorkPlan. The ecological poverty alleviation work is arranged as a key task. It is necessary to coordinate the relationship between poverty alleviation work and ecological protection to let sustainable development and targeted poverty alleviation promote each other and allow poor people gain more benefits by actively participating in ecological protection and improvement work, achieving a win-win situation for poverty alleviation and development and ecological civilization construction. In March, 2018, Liu Yongfu, the director of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, stated that poverty alleviation and ecological construction are consistent whiling answering the questions from Chinese and foreign journalists. It can be seen from the above that China is paying more and more attention to the new sustainable poverty alleviation mode of ecological poverty alleviation.

3 Theoretical basis of ecological compensation for cultivated land

3.1 Basic concept and connotation of cultivated land ecological compensationAt present, there is no unified thinking in the academic circle on the definition and connotation of cultivated land ecological compensation. The bookEnvironmentalScienceDictionaryfirst recorded the concept of ecological compensation, which is believed to reflect the resilience of biological populations, organisms and biomes in case of external interference[14]. After the concept of ecological compensation is put forward, scholars who study ecological compensation are interpreting it from different aspects. At present, paying a certain fee for environmental services is an explanation for the relatively high international recognition[15]. Based on the study of ecological compensation, Chinese scholars have conducted a lot of research on the ecological compensation for cultivated land and its concept has been defined. After a lot of research, Ma Aihui proposed that there are two aspects to the ecological compensation for cultivated land, one is compensation and the other is charge. The object of compensation is the contributor or protector of the cultivated land ecology. The object of charge is the beneficiary or destroyer of the cultivated land ecology[16]. After an in-depth study of the relevant content of cultivated land ecology, Zhang Qi proposed that the ecological compensation for cultivated land is essentially the compensation of beneficiaries of ecological benefits for contributors. The ecological benefits of cultivated land are reflected by means of compensation[17]. Lu Jinglan pointed out in the study that ecological compensation for cultivated land is actually a special part of ecological compensation. It mainly compensates for the cultivated land for two different uses, one is the cultivated land used for urban construction in the process of urbanization, and the other is the cultivated land where the ecological environment is destroyed due to improper treatment in the process of utilizing cultivated land[18]. Zhang Yanmei[19]understands the ecological compensation for cultivated land from a broader perspective. She believes that the ecological compensation for cultivated land must not only compensate people, and it is necessary to make the necessary compensation for nature itself. After a series of studies, Fang Zhou[15]discovered that the practical purpose of ecological compensation for cultivated land is to ensure that the service value of cultivated land ecology is not lost and protect the ecological quality of cultivated land while ensuring that the amount of cultivated land does not touch the red line. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to implement various policies and use various means to provide necessary compensation to the protectors of cultivated land ecology, including but not limited to cash, technology and physical means. According to the above scholars’ interpretation of the understanding of cultivated land ecological compensation, we can clearly understand that their expressions on the ecological compensation for cultivated land are different. They are standing at different perspectives and aspects to understand and define the ecological compensation for cultivated land, such as the scope of compensation, beneficiaries and protectors, standards and methods.

3.2 Basic theory of cultivated land ecological compensation

The basic theory of cultivated land ecological compensation aims to explain the reasons for the ecological compensation for cultivated land. Therefore, the discussion of its theoretical basis is very important for the construction of its system. After a lot of research, many scholars have also proposed many theoretical foundations for the ecological compensation system for cultivated land. Externality theory, public product theory and ecological capital theory are several theories involved in the current research stage.

3.2.1Externality theory. Externality is also called external effect. Its connotation is that a certain behavior done by a group or individual causes the interests of another group or individual to be harmed or increased. According to the increase or decrease of interests, it can be divided into negative external effect and positive external effect. Deng Jian[20], Liu Zunmei[21], Li Ning[22]and other scholars all believe that the externality theory is the most fundamental reason for the ecological compensation for cultivated land. After research, they proposed that externality problems are very prominent in the process of cultivated land protection. The function of ecological environment protection is an important function of externality. Externality problems are difficult to solve due to their particularity. Only by transforming the problem of externality into an internal problem can the externality problem be solved more easily. What can be used as a bridge for the transformation is the ecological compensation mechanism for cultivated land. Based on externality theory, Zhu Xinhua[23]defined the ecological compensation standards for cultivated land in two different regions by analyzing the differences and connections between major sales areas and major production areas. Taking Henan Province as the research object, based on the theory of externality, Niu Haipeng[24]studied the externality of cultivated land ecological protection in detail.

3.2.2Public product theory. Public products are relative to private products, and they refer to products or services that can be used by the public. After detailed study, Gao Hanqi[25], Zhang Yanmei and other scholars proposed that the theoretical basis for cultivated land ecological compensation should be the public product theory. They believe that the ecological benefits of cultivated land should be public goods, rather than exclusive and competitive private products. It is necessary to prevent unhelpful people from enjoying the benefits of public goods for free and avoid excessive competition for public product resources. Beneficiaries who enjoy eco-efficiency must make certain compensation to the protectors.

3.2.3Ecological capital theory. The essence of ecological capital is a natural resource and a kind of transformation capacity. It’s just that this natural resource can go directly into production and reproduction. The transformation capacity is the capacity of the environment to decompose and utilize waste. Lu Jinglan[18], Fang Zhou[15]and Wei Qiaoqiao[26]consider that the theoretical basis of cultivated land ecological compensation should be ecological capital theory.

3.2.4Other basic theories. The three basic theories of ecological compensation for cultivated land mentioned above are relatively mainstream theories. There are also many other theories that are rarely involved but are relatively important. For example, after an in-depth study of various theories, Niu Haipeng[24]proposed that the value and theoretical basis of the ecological benefits of cultivated land is the value and theoretical basis of ecosystem service. Ma Aihui[16]believes that it is necessary to start from different perspectives to formulate effective policies to protect the cultivated land ecological environment and compensate the cultivated land ecology, thus weighing the advantages and disadvantages from different angles. For example, from the three theoretical directions of interest balance, property rights and resource value, it will be more conducive to the implementation of the policy. From the perspectives of several theories such as fairness, ecological civilization, sustainable development and ecological balance, it is considered that the land ecological resource compensation system is based on these theories[22]. From relatively new theoretical directions, Liu Shuaibin[27]studied the ecological service value of cultivated land in Qinghai City in detail. Specifically, he studied from the three theoretical directions of sustainable development, interpersonal relationship and environmental value.

According to the research results of a large number of scholars, it is not difficult to see that the theoretical basis of ecological compensation for cultivated land is gradually increasing along with the research results of the scholars. It is also getting better and better, and its coverage is getting wider and wider. The theoretical basis of ecological compensation for cultivated land is not only the basis for its measurement, and it is also an indispensable basis for building and improving its system, with a strong practical significance in guiding government’s policy formulation[28].

4 Feasibility of ecological compensation for cultivated land based on poverty alleviation and development

Most of the people who are able to enjoy the existing policies have been lifted out of poverty. The remaining poor people are unable to achieve poverty alleviation through the current policies for special reasons, which requires the introduction of new ideas and development methods. For a long time, in the process of national development, poverty-stricken areas actually shoulder the heavy responsibility of "natural ecological barrier", "resource reserve" and "landscape construction". On December 1, 2011, theOutlineofChina’sRuralPovertyAlleviationandDevelopment(2011-2020) announced 14 important areas for poverty alleviation in the next few years, and 11 of them were "contiguous destitute areas" that appeared in the new "bundling"[29]. These areas are partly poor ecosystem service providers. At the same time, the proportion of poverty-stricken people in the 11 contiguous areas is as high as 70%. Especially in the western part of China, the ecological environment is particularly vulnerable. However, these areas have the widest range of poverty and the deepest poverty. Therefore, the western region of China is deeply affected by both ecological problems and poverty. In the face of these two major problems, according to the current situation, implementing ecological compensation strategies for these poor areas and poor people can change the living conditions of the poor people and the ecological to a certain extent, and it is also in line with the spirit of green and sustainable development in China.

In the "five-batch" of the targeted poverty alleviation policy, it is pointed out that a group of people in poverty-stricken areas should be lifted out of poverty by means of ecological compensation, and the ecological environment of the area should be protected in this way. Therefore, from the perspective of the harmonious development between man and nature, ecological compensation is an effective way to alleviate poverty. In China, ecological compensation for poverty alleviation is a very important policy. From the current policies and practices in China, it can be seen that the ecological compensation for poverty alleviation focuses on the compensation for forests, lakes, wetlands,etc., and there is almost no mention of ecological compensation for cultivated land, and no scholar to study how much poverty alleviation effect can be brought to poor households by using cultivated land ecological compensation. However, cultivated land is a very important ecosystem on land that is closely related to the production and life of human society and plays a vital role in the entire ecosystem. Through the conversion of energy and matter, cultivated land ecosystem allows human society obtain the food that is needed, so that humanity can continue. The cultivated land ecosystem is first of all an ecosystem, and it has its particularity, that is, its mode of operation is subjected to changes in human will. This is the most striking feature of the cultivated land ecosystem. Therefore, we cannot ignore the ecological environment of cultivated land. Poor households are closely related to cultivated land. Most poor households rely on their own cultivated land to produce crops, but they may make high-intensity over-exploration of land resources using backward production techniques and simple and rude production methods, leading to continuous destruction of cultivated land ecology, continuous decease of crop yield, and decrease in income of poor households, thus aggravating poverty. This result has created a vicious circle between poverty and cultivated land ecology. Therefore, we have to carry out ecological compensation for cultivated land, protect the ecology of cultivated land while carrying out poverty alleviation work to promote the coordinate development of the two, and constantly improve the infrastructure construction in poverty-stricken areas. While protecting the ecological environment of cultivated land in poverty-stricken areas, we must also ensure the sustainable development of the area.

Poverty alleviation and development and cultivated land ecological compensation originally belonged to tow different research fields. But with the advancement of poverty alleviation and development work, how to make mountainous farmers who cannot rely on their own labor to become rich has become a difficult problem for poverty alleviation and development. On the other hand, with the study of ecological compensation for cultivated land, the positive externality of cultivated land to the ecology is increasingly recognized by the community. In particular, the contribution of extremely poor areas in the central and western regions to the protection of the ecological environment is very important. From the national level, there should be transfer income to reward this positive externality to meet the fairness of income. Thus, there is a combination between poverty alleviation and development and cultivated land ecological compensation, which is an effective way to solve the problem of poverty alleviation.

4.1 Cultivated land ecological compensation provides support for poverty alleviation and developmentThe research on the ecological compensation for cultivated land has already had a wide range of research and practice in foreign countries. Developed countries such as the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan have already implemented various compensation policies. These policies actually show that the protection of the ecological environment is a public awareness. The positive effect of cultivated land on the ecological environment has been widely recognized, and the theoretical results of ecological compensation quantitative accounting, cultivated land ecological compensation efficiency evaluation and cultivated land ecological externality have been generated. With the rapid development of China’s economy and society, the contradiction between human and nature has become increasingly prominent, and environmental protection issues are receiving more and more attention from experts and scholars. The research on the ecological compensation for cultivated land has obviously improved in both theoretical construction and public awareness.

From the perspective of research and policy practice of scholars at home and abroad, the promotion of public awareness and the study of basic theories make it possible to apply the ecological compensation for cultivated land to poverty alleviation and development. On the one hand, the basic theory has found poverty alleviation methods and quantitative indicators for poverty alleviation and development, making poverty alleviation and development based on evidence. On the other hand, the public awareness of the ecological value of cultivated land has created conditions for the implementation of poverty alleviation and development, and it is realistic to enter the policy level. Therefore, ecological compensation for cultivated land is an important support for poverty alleviation and development. Without the research on ecological compensation for cultivated land, the problem of poverty alleviation for farmers who cannot rely on their own labor to get rich cannot be solved.

4.2 Poverty alleviation and development provides practical opportunities for cultivated land ecological compensationPoverty alleviation and development is an activity involving multidisciplinary theory and practice. The current targeted poverty alleviation has important strategic significance in China. Letting every poor person out of poverty is the commitment of the Communist Party of China, and is also the embodiment of the superiority of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Similarities and differences in different areas, such as natural resource endowments, customs and local government policies, make the difficulty in poverty alleviation and development, development methods and access to funds quite different. Therefore, the technical support and resource support required for different regions are quite different. The practice of various disciplines driven by poverty alleviation and development has achieved fruitful results. For example, in the renovation of dangerous buildings, civil engineering has developed building reinforcement technology with strong seismic resistance and less cost; design science applies its own research results to the development of beautiful countryside; and land resource management applies the analysis of land carrying capacity to the practice of evaluation of relocation. This shows that poverty alleviation and development is a very large project, and it can provide practical opportunities, technology applications, development space,etc. for many disciplines.

Ecological compensation for cultivated land already has relevant theories and practices. To further develop the basic theories and methods, it is very important to go into the field of poverty alleviation and development. First, subject knowledge can be applied to help some poor farmers to get rid of poverty. Second, through the analysis of poverty alleviation results and causes, the evaluations system, theoretical basis,etc. of cultivated land ecological compensation research will be further improved. Third, ecological compensation for cultivated land can indirectly improve the awareness of environmental protection of the government, enterprises and the masses in the practice of poverty alleviation and development.

5 Main problems in the research and practice of cultivated land ecological compensation

5.1 The ecological compensation system for cultivated land is still not perfectAt present, the national policy only proposes to support local active development of cultivated land ecological compensation. However, the specific scope, standards, norms and models of cultivated land ecological compensation have not been clearly defined. As a result, the subject of cultivated land ecological compensation is not clear, the scope of ecological compensation is relatively vague, there are no uniform and reasonable compensation standards, and diversified compensation methods are not in place. Under such circumstances, it is very unfavorable for the construction and improvement of China’s cultivated land ecological compensation mechanism and system, or the smooth implementation of the ecological compensation for cultivated land to promote targeted poverty alleviation and development.

5.2 There is no specific policy basis for cultivated land ecological poverty alleviationThe sustainable development spirit of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" will be adhered to. China has originally integrated targeted poverty alleviation and ecological protection construction, adhered to green development and emphasized ecological poverty alleviation. Therefore, in the targeted action against poverty, ecological compensation for poverty alleviation is taken as one part of the "five-batch" project. But currently, in the ecological poverty alleviation project, more emphasis is placed on ecological poverty alleviation methods such as returning farmland to forests, protecting forests and providing public-welfare forest posts, and there is almost no mention of ecological poverty alleviation of cultivated land, let alone promulgation of policies, regulations and related documents on ecological compensation for cultivated land. In reality, cultivated land is the basic living guarantee for most poor people. The ecological conditions of cultivated land are closely related to the production and life of poor households.

5.3 Ecological damage of cultivated land in poverty-stricken areas is seriousAt present, China has a relatively wide range of poverty and a deeper level of poverty. Especially in poor counties in mountainous areas, most of the poor people rely only on steep slopes to maintain the necessary basic living. However, the long-term use of backward production methods by local poor people, along with deforestation, extensive utilization, excessive reclamation, and lack of necessary soil and water conservation measures has led to disasters such as soil erosion in mountainous areas, causing serious damage to the ecological environment of cultivated land. Due to the constraints of natural, economic, social and other conditions, the infrastructure construction of these steep sloping areas is more owned, and there is no necessary ecological engineering construction, and as a result, the output of cultivated land in mountainous areas is getting lower and lower, and farmers’ income is getting less and less. This has exacerbated the poverty of the local people. In short, the poverty-stricken mountainous areas are facing a lot of cultivated land ecological protection pressure and poverty alleviation pressure.

6 Countermeasures for improving ecological compensation for cultivated land to promote poverty alleviation and development

6.1 Establishing and improving the ecological compensation mechanism for cultivated landIn accordance with the principle of "the person who benefits will make compensation", the construction and improvement of national, regional and local integration and ecological compensation mechanism for cultivated land with government, market and social diversification is accelerated. The subject of cultivated land ecological compensation should be clearly stipulated, that is, who can enjoy the compensation, and the beneficiaries of cultivated land ecological compensation, the direct sellers of agricultural products and consumers should be included in the scope of compensation. In the calculation of the ecological compensation scope for paddy fields, it should consider carefully from different aspects, including from the perspective of food security and from the perspective of environmental protection. At the same time, it should be noted that whether it is dry land or irrigated land, its area should calculated as the compensation area. When measuring the ecological compensation for cultivated land, the method used should not be too single, instead, a variety of methods should be used to measure from different perspectives. In terms of source of compensation funds, it must not rely solely on government transfers and private donations, and it should also rely on cultivating ecological industry through innovation to realize the transformation of compensation funds from "blood-transfusion" to "blood-making". After scientifically determining the subject, scope and methods of ecological compensation for cultivated land, it is very helpful to establish and improve the ecological compensation mechanism for cultivated land and implement the ecological compensation policy for cultivated land efficiently. It should also further improve the ecological compensation mechanism for cultivated land in the region where the "innate" ecological environment is fragile and the "acquired" ecological damage is more serious, use various channels to broaden the way of financial transfer payments in ecological functional areas and increase the intensity of financial transfer payments, and make efforts to promote the establishment of a long-term effective mechanism for cultivated land ecological compensation at the county and city levels in China. Although the current ecological compensation mechanism and the transfer payment system are relatively simple in form, the scope of compensation is relatively narrow, and the compensation standard is low, the enthusiasm of the entire society can be mobilized through improving the issues mentioned above continuously to let people voluntarily join the team that protects the ecological environment, thus promoting the construction of ecological civilization.

6.2 Increasing ecological protection and restoration of cultivated land in poverty-stricken areasIn the context of the implementation of a new round of major ecological projects in China, all poverty-stricken counties (cities) must actively strive for state support, and increase the tilt of projects toward poor areas to let more poor people enjoy the benefits brought about by major national ecological projects, such as returning farmland to forest and grassland, comprehensive improvement of slope farmland, and water ecological management. Under the premise of not touching the red line of cultivated land, the existing cultivated land in poverty-stricken areas is adjusted reasonably. The cultivated land with a slope of 25° or more will withdraw from the scope of cultivated land, and the cultivated that that is withdrawn will be used as ecological conservation land. Through returning farmland to forests, a group of poor people will be lifted out of poverty. The forestry industry will be further strengthened. Focus will be placed on solving the issues in the development of the forestry industry to promote the steady increase of income of the poor and achieve sustainable development. It should also vigorously promote clean, energy-saving and environmentally friendly production and daily necessities, deepen the "three-cleansing" activity in poverty-stricken areas, increase the efforts to rectify the ecological environment of cultivated land, and strengthen the ecological environment construction in poverty-stricken areas. By reducing the amount of fertilizer used and using new fertilization techniques, the protection of cultivated land and the improvement of the quality of cultivated land are enhanced. The masses are actively guided to rationally use organic fertilizers. Farmers’ practice of returning straw to the field is encouraged. In addition, local farmers are encouraged to grow crops that improve the fertility of the fields. The use of agricultural film is reduced, and its recycling is enhanced. Difficult-to-degrade products will be replaced by new degradable products. At the same time, the pilot work of cultivated land rotation will be carried out, the trial of cultivated land fallow will be carried out under mature conditions, and the use of crop rotation, fallow, alternative planting, and returning farmland to forests and other comprehensive measures will be explored to solve the prominent problems in soil environment.

6.3 Innovating the use of ecological construction and compensation fundsIn poverty-stricken areas where ecology is important but destroyed, while exploring ways to get rid of poverty, it is necessary to pay close attention to the protection and improvement of the ecological environment and ensure that the ecological poverty alleviation requirements are met. The policies issued by the state should focus on poor areas and poor farmers, such as poverty alleviation funds and ecological compensation funds. Transfer payments are subject to actual conditions in different regions. If it is a key ecological functional area, it should invest more input according to the actual situation and implement the policy on a larger scale. Under the premise of ensuring that the red line of cultivated land is not touched, the amount of cultivated land will be adjusted reasonably, and the support will be increased as much as possible in the new round of returning farmland to forests. Priority will be given to major ecological projects such as soil erosion control, comprehensive improvement of slope farmland, and prevention and control of geological disasters, and the construction of quasi-farmland will be increased. In order to improve the efficiency of the use of funds for ecological compensation and ecological protection projects, the use of the funds must be innovated. Ecological compensation can be provided to poor families in poor areas. Rural laborers who have not gone out to work will be employed as cultivated land ecological protectors or forest guards. In this way, the rural poor will get real benefits in the process of ecological protection. While achieving the same and full coverage of cultivated land ecological compensation at the national, provincial and municipal levels, priority will be given to the people from low-income households in poverty-stricken towns to let them participate in cultivated land management and protection, making these poor households and poor people in poor towns and villages become professional and stable farmland protectors, and helping the poor to get rid of poverty through farmland management and employment.

6.4 Accelerating the legislative research on the ecological compensation system for cultivated land and the ecological poverty alleviation of cultivated landAt present, there are relatively few areas in China that have specific practice of ecological compensation for cultivated land. The areas where such practices have been carried out are basically the more affluent areas along the coast. Most of the areas with low economic development levels have basically no such practice research. In view of the importance and urgency of ecological compensation for cultivated land, the government should pay attention the legislative research on the cultivated land ecological compensation system, strive to strive for the legal status of the cultivated land ecological compensation system, add the content of cultivated land ecological compensation to the laws related to cultivated land ecology that have been promulgated in China, and strengthen the legal system for ecological compensation for cultivated land, so that the ecological compensation for cultivated land and its implementation has laws to go by, guaranteeing the construction of the ecological compensation system for cultivated land using legal means. Secondly, the government should establish a monitoring mechanism to supervise all aspects of the ecological compensation process for cultivated land to make the ecological compensation process of cultivated land clear and transparent. In addition, local governments should try to incorporate the cultivated land ecological compensation work into the performance appraisal to lay a solid political foundation for the establishment of a compensation system and regional practice, and let the protection of cultivated land resources and the ecological environment become more efficient, promoting the healthy implementation of sustainable development strategies. In addition, the states, provinces and prefectures (cities) should clearly emphasize the importance of cultivated land ecological compensation in the ecological poverty alleviation model, and introduce some laws and regulations and related policies on cultivated land ecological poverty alleviation, and thus, the ecological compensation for cultivated land will better assist targeted poverty alleviation and development.