Objective/Meaning Exploring and analyzing the phenomenon of cultivated land abandonment in the mountainous agricultural counties can help to ensure the food security and rural revitalization. By analyzing the causes of farmers’ abandonment of cultivated land and the governance countermeasures in the mountainous agricultural counties, the suggestions for the agricultural counties in the mountainous areas to achieve the goals of cultivated land protection, food security, agricultural development and rural revitalization could be further put forward.

Methods/Procedures Based on the census results of arable land abandonment published by Ninghua County Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Areas in 2023, the current situation of arable land abandonment was further grasped through the on-site verification, household interviews and questionnaire surveys in some townships and villages. Then, the main causes of arable land abandonment were analyzed, and the corresponding countermeasures and suggestions were put forward.

Results/Conclusions The results showed that the abandonment of cultivated land was a persistent land use change phenomenon that occurred along with the transformation of economic and social development, and was the result of the joint influence of natural factors, social factors, and policy factors. The government should give full play to the policy function, build a benefit coupling mechanism, increase the infrastructure investment, reduce the operational cost of cultivated land, improve the efficiency of farming, so as to curb the abandonment of cultivated land.