Human-environment interactions in agricultural land use in a South China’s wetland region: A study on the Zhujiang Delta in the Holocene

The formation and evolution of agricultural land uses in the Zhujiang Delta of South China are examined in the light of the dynamics of people and the environment and their interplay. The origin and propagation of agriculture are found to have a close relationship with the climate and sea level changes in the Holocene era. The development of rice cultivation, horticulture, and dike-pond system exemplifies human-environment interactions in a specified geographical and social context, which are manifested by the impact of environmental changes and population growth on agricultural innovations. The technologies of dike building and land reclamation, which represent local farmers effort to build a new and harmonious relationship with the changed environment, were critical to the agricultural success and sustainability. Imprudent use of a new agricultural technology could damage the environment, as evidenced by a frequent flooding that followed inappropriate dike building and premature reclamation. Diverse agricultural land uses are as a result of the adaptation of agricultural technology innovations to the environmental conditions.