A Comparative Study of Urbanization’s Impact on Agricultural Land Between China, Pakistan, and Germany

Abstract

Accelerated urbanization leads to high demand for the constructed area which causes loss of natural resources and becomes a major challenge for arable land loss. The aim of this study is to identify the urbanization’s impact on agricultural land in China, Pakistan, and Germany. Time series data of arable land, urban population growth rate, and agricultural value added percentage of GDP and industrial value-added percentage of GDP were used to found empirical results. Main regression results indicate that urban population growth rate and industrial value of Pakistan impacts negatively and significantly on per capita arable land and the results of China and Germany the industrial value added of GDP impacts negatively and the urban population growth rate impacts positively and significantly with per capita arable land. The findings show that there was a more arable land loss in Pakistan while in China and Germany there was significantly less loss of arable land by industrialization. So Pakistan can learn experience from China and Germany to control arable land loss due to urbanization.

Keywords: Arable land, China and Germany, GDP, industrial value added, Pakistan, Urban Population growth rate