_25jul2007.jpg)
Agricultural expansion describes the growth ofagricultural land (arable land,pastures, etc.) especially in the 20th and 21st centuries.
The agricultural expansion is often explained as a direct consequence of the global increase infood andenergy requirements due topopulation growth (both which in turn have been attributed to agricultural expansion itself[1][2]), with an estimated expectation of 10 billion people on Earth by end of this century. It is foreseen that most of the world's non-agrarian ecosystems (terrestrial andaquatic) will beaffected adversely, fromhabitat loss,land degradation,overexploitation, and other problems. The intensifiedfood (andbiofuel) production will in particular affect thetropical regions.
Most modernagriculture relies onintensive methods. Further expansion of the predominant farming types that rest on a small number ofhighly productive crops has led to a significantloss of biodiversity on a global scale already.[3]Moreover, agricultural expansion continues to be the main driver of deforestation andforest fragmentation. Large-scale commercial agriculture (primarilycattle ranching and cultivation of soya bean andoil palm) accounted for 40 percent of tropical deforestation between 2000 and 2010, and localsubsistence agriculture for another 33 percent.[4] In the light of the already occurring and potential massive ecological effects, the need forsustainable practices is more urgent than ever.
TheFAO predicts that globalarable land use will continue to grow from a 1.58 billion hectares (3.9×109 acres) in 2014 to 1.66 billion hectares (4.1×109 acres) in 2050, with most of this growth projected to result fromdeveloping countries. At the same time, arable land use indeveloped countries is likely to continue its decline.[5]
A well-known example of already ongoing agricultural expansion is the proliferation ofpalm oil production areas or theland conversion/deforestation forsoy bean production inSouth America. Today'sland grabbing activities are often a consequence of the strive for agricultural land bygrowing economies.[6]
In the beginning of the 21st century the palm oil industry caused a massivedeforestation inBorneo with heavy consequences.[7]
Human population growth has typically been seen as the primary causative factor of other ecologically destructive phenomena. Current human disease epidemics are explored as a function of population size. That human population growth is itself a phenomenon with clearly identifiable ecological/biological causes has been overlooked. Here, human population growth is discussed as being subject to the same dynamic processes as the population growth of other species. Contrary to the widely held belief that food production must be increased to feed the growing population, experimental and correlational data indicate that human population growth varies as a function of food availability. By increasing food production for humans, at the expense of other species, the biologically determined effect has been, and continues to be, an increase in the human population. Understanding the relationship between food increases and population increases is proposed as a necessary first step in addressing this global problem. Resistance to this perspective is briefly discussed in terms of cultural bias in science.
The human population is projected to reach 11 billion this century, with the greatest increases in tropical developing nations. This growth, in concert with rising per-capita consumption, will require large increases in food and biofuel production. How will these megatrends affect tropical terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity? We foresee (i) major expansion and intensification of tropical agriculture, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South America; (ii) continuing rapid loss and alteration of tropical old-growth forests, woodlands, and semi-arid environments; (iii) a pivotal role for new roadways in determining the spatial extent of agriculture; and (iv) intensified conflicts between food production and nature conservation
The recent intensification of agriculture, and the prospects of future intensification, will have major detrimental impacts on the nonagricultural terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of the world. The doubling of agricultural food production during the past 35 years was associated with a 6.87-fold increase in nitrogen fertilization, a 3.48-fold increase in phosphorus fertilization, a 1.68-fold increase in the amount of irrigated cropland, and a 1.1-fold increase in land in cultivation. Based on a simple linear extension of past trends, the anticipated next doubling of global food production would be associated with approximately 3-fold increases in nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization rates, a doubling of the irrigated land area, and an 18% increase in cropland.
This article incorporates text from afree content work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 (license statement/permission). Text taken fromThe State of the World’s Forests 2020. In brief – Forests, biodiversity and people, FAO & UNEP, FAO & UNEP.
| Major topics | |
|---|---|
| Society and population | |
| Publications | |
| Lists | |
Events and organizations |
|
| Related topics | |
