Farmland damage and its impact on the overlapped areas of cropland and coal resources in the eastern plains of China

• Overlapped characteristics were conducted by using GIS spatial overlay analysis technology.
• Area of subsidence and occupied cropland were calculated by using estimation models.
• Effects of farmland damage were systematically analyzed and evaluated.
• We hope government to enact countermeasures for the coordinative production of coal and grain.

The subsidence caused by coal mining in areas where cropland and coal resources overlap in the eastern plains of China with high ground water levels has caused large amounts of water to collect in cropland, significant damage to cropland, and a sharp contradiction between people and land distribution within this region. Systematic analysis and calculation were conducted on these areas by using GIS spatial overlay analysis technology, subsidence and occupied cropland estimation models, and crop yield reduction prediction model to reveal the overlapped characteristics and extent of farmland damage, as well as to evaluate the effects of farmland damage to grain yield, farmland landscape, agricultural population, and dynamical equilibrium of the total cultivated land. Results showed that the overlapped areas of cropland and coal resources on the eastern plains of China occupied an area covering 1.33 × 105 km2, which accounted for 31.93% of the total cropland area. In 2020, the accumulative total area of destroyed cropland reached 3.83 × 103 km2, thus reducing grain yield by 9.63 × 108 kg, and increasing the number of landless farmers to 1.91 × 106. Furthermore, the quality and production capacity of cultivated land decreased, farmland landscape patterns changed, land patterns and structures were adjusted, the dynamical equilibrium of the total cultivated land was difficult to guarantee, and social instability increased in coal mining subsidence areas. These findings provided a scientific basis for relevant government departments to enact countermeasures for the coordinative production of coal and grain.