The ethics, policies, and scientific technologies of “Planting Grass on Farmland”

The Food Security Law of the People’s Republic of China clearly stipulates that cultivated land be used for “forage and feed production”. Under the strictest farmland protection policy in history, a consensus has been reached in the practical field of “planting grass on cultivated land”. In this study, we construct an analytical framework of “Ethics Policy Science”: First, from the perspective of agricultural ethics, we answer “why” it is necessary to “plant grass on cultivated land”, and combine literature from different historical periods and regional conditions to condense the agricultural ethical connotations of planting grass on cultivated land. Second, from the perspective of grassland science, we briefly introduce some typical models related to the manner of planting grass on cultivated land, including but not limited to crop rotation, intercropping, and mixed planting, among others. Third, based on existing policies and regulations, we conducted a detailed review on where to plant grass on cultivated land, such as the standardization of grass planting in basic farmland, general farmland, forest land, and grassland. We believe that the policy of “planting grass on cultivated land” includes both multi-level and multi-interface technological factors, as well as multi-dimensional and diverse agricultural ethical factors. This framework conforms to science and ethics, and should continue to be extensively developed.