Research on how urbanization affects rural agriculture has typically focused on loss of farmland due to urban expansion. However, more distal pathways that could link urbanization to rural agriculture, including enhanced connectivity through rural-urban migration and market access, remain poorly understood. Here, we assess whether greater rural-urban connectivity is associated with changes in agricultural land management across the Global South. Such associations are complex, and thus difficult to measure at this scale. We therefore take a two-step approach to investigate these relationships. First, using a multivariate clustering approach, we define a series of rural-urban connectivity typologies from existing spatial data on land use, demographics, rural market access, and rural population change (as a proxy for outmigration). We examine the variation in key agricultural outcome variables (mean cereal crop yields, % of attainable yields met, and cropping frequency) within the typologies, which shows that greater overall connectivity (market access and population change) is associated with higher cereal yields, yield attainment, and cropping frequency. Second, building on these clustering results, we develop hypotheses about the relationship between rural-urban connectivity and agricultural land use intensity. We then use propensity score matching to test these hypotheses by comparing locations with similar sociodemographic and land use characteristics. When controlling for gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, agricultural land, and population density, rural locations with relatively high market access, negative population change, and greater built-up area have significantly higher mean nitrogen application rates, irrigated areas, and cereal yields across the Global South. Results vary by region, but greater rural-urban connectivity and urban extents are generally associated with higher overall agricultural inputs and yields, particularly in Asia. However, we find little support for a relationship between connectivity and either % attainable yields met or field size. Our findings stress the need to better understand the mechanisms that link urbanization processes and agricultural management at different spatiotemporal scales.

关于城市化如何影响农村农业的研究通常集中在由于城市扩张而造成的耕地流失。但是，对于将城市化与农村农业联系起来的更远距离的途径，包括通过城乡迁移和市场准入的增强连通性，仍然知之甚少。在这里，我们评估了更大的城乡连通性是否与全球南方农业土地管理的变化有关。这样的关联是复杂的，因此很难在这种规模下进行测量。因此，我们采用两步法来研究这些关系。首先，我们使用多元聚类方法，根据土地使用，人口统计，农村市场准入和农村人口变化（作为移民的代名词）的现有空间数据，定义了一系列的城乡连通性类型。我们研究了类型中关键农业成果变量（平均谷物产量，达到的可达到产量的百分比以及种植频率）的变化，这表明更大的总体连通性（市场准入和人口变化）与较高的谷物产量，产量相关素养和种植频率。其次，在这些聚类结果的基础上，我们提出了关于城乡连通性与农业土地利用强度之间关系的假设。然后，我们通过比较具有相似社会人口学和土地利用特征的位置，使用倾向得分匹配来检验这些假设。在控制人均国内生产总值（GDP），农业用地和人口密度时，拥有相对较高市场准入的农村地区，负人口变化，以及更大的建筑面积，在全球南方地区的平均氮肥施用量，灌溉面积和谷物产量均显着提高。结果因地区而异，但城乡连通性和城市范围的扩大通常与总体农业投入和单产提高有关，特别是在亚洲。但是，我们发现很少有人支持连接性与达到的可达到的产量百分比或字段大小之间的关系。我们的发现强调需要更好地理解在不同时空尺度上将城市化过程与农业管理联系起来的机制。但是，城乡连通性和城市范围的扩大通常与总体农业投入和单产的提高有关，特别是在亚洲。但是，我们发现很少有人支持连接性与达到的可达到的产量百分比或字段大小之间的关系。我们的发现强调需要更好地理解在不同时空尺度上将城市化过程与农业管理联系起来的机制。但是，城乡连通性和城市范围的扩大通常与总体农业投入和单产的提高有关，特别是在亚洲。但是，我们发现很少有人支持连接性与达到的可达到的产量百分比或字段大小之间的关系。我们的发现强调需要更好地理解在不同时空尺度上将城市化过程与农业管理联系起来的机制。