The scientists wanted to understand how farming habits changed over time in China between 2000 and 2015. They used images from satellites and clever rules to make maps showing where crops were grown. They found that areas where farmers grow crops once or twice a year stayed about the same size. But the way farmers use their land changed a lot. Some lands that used to have one crop now grow two, mainly in the Huang-Huai-Hai area. In the south, some double-cropping areas switched to growing one crop. Most places where cropping intensity dropped were in the south. But in the north and Huang-Huai-Hai area, more lands switched to growing two crops. Overall, farming patterns are becoming similar in big crop-producing areas.