Identifying factors driving income difference in China Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems site based on Geographical Detectors: Ar Horqin Banner as a case study

The preservation and development of Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (IAHS) is popular among scholars across multiple disciplines and currently enjoys strong national support. A major step toward achieving sustainable development of IAHS sites is integration of relevant loco-regional factors—including industrial, geographic, and environmental—into strategies maximizing local economic potential. While industrial conditions and geographic limitation of environmental resources are known to influence the preservation and development of IAHS, most prior studies incorporated such information only qualitatively. This study used the Geographical Detectors, a quantitative spatial analysis methodology, to identify and rank key factors limiting local economy growth, which was measured with the net income per capita. Chifeng City's Ar Horqin Banner was used as a case study, in where Bayanwenduer Sumu (Town) is the location of a China Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (China-NIAHS)—Ar Horqin Grassland Nomadic System. The Geographical Detectors encompassing six major spatial factors (two industrial factors—primary industry type, degree of secondary and tertiary industries development; and four geography environmental factors—transportation convenience, water supply capacity, topographic elevation, and the presence of national nature reserves) was used to identify driving forces potentially influencing income underlying regional inequality of net income per capita. The primary industry type and degree of secondary and tertiary industries development were determined as two main driving forces of differences in net income per capita. The transportation convenience, water supply capacity, topographic elevation, and the presence of national nature reserves also increased the differences in net income per capita to a certain extent, but their effects on spatial distribution of income was significantly different from the previous two industrial factors. For the China-NIAHS site Bayanwenduer Sumu, major identified income-limiting factors included an agricultural production method based on animal husbandry (q=0.30) and a relatively small proportion of workers employed within secondary and tertiary industries (q=0.37). Factors identified as independently limiting income to a lesser degree include transportation convenience (q=0.11) and topographic elevation (q=0.15). Evidence-based hypothetical solutions deriving from these observations consisted of regional development focused on three aspects: (1) transformation of traditional animal husbandry practices while preserving IAHS, (2) positioning IAHS as a distinctive brand in order to promote unique agricultural products and tourism, and (3) improvement of infrastructure in preparation for industrial development. Such findings provide a scientific basis for promulgation of local governmental policy regarding IAHS resource regulation and economic development.