Sustainable Land Management Strategies to Combat Degradation Under Changing Climate Conditions

ABSTRACT Land degradation remain a critical environmental challenge worldwide, particularly under accelerating climate change. This study assesses spatial and temporal patterns of land degradation and agriculture change in Shaanxi Province, China from 2014 to 2024 by integrating time‐series statistical data with remote sensing (RS) techniques. Time series data were used to quantify the total cropland extent, grain, and major crops (wheat and rice) cultivation areas and fertilizer (NPK) consumption; vegetation health and land use land cover (LULC) categories were evaluated to identify dominant drivers and inform sustainable land‐management strategies. The results indicated that total cropland area increased by 5.8%, while wheat and rice cultivation areas decreased by 5.9% and 3.2%, respectively, during the study period. Furthermore, RS data shows NDVI median values improving slightly from 0.39 in 2019 to 0.44 in 2024, suggesting gradual recovery of vegetation cover under changing climatic conditions. LULC results revealed minor yet reliable transformations, with cropland showing a modest increase of 4.7% from 2014 to 2024, indicating agricultural stability, rather than large‐scale land conversion. Additionally, NPK fertilizer consumption showed a general decrease, reflecting improved input efficiency. Novelty of this research lies in the synchronized integration of long‐term statistical record with multi‐temporal RS indicators to jointly quantify land use dynamics, vegetation recovery and fertilizer use efficiency at provincial level. Overall, integrating satellite‐based and statistical data provided a comprehensive understanding of agricultural dynamics, highlighting the interrelation between land cover change, vegetation condition, and input management practices in Shaanxi Province.