Scarcity and abundance of land resources: competing uses and the shrinking land resource base
Year: 2011
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Scarcity and Abundance of Land Resources: competing uses and the shrinking land resource baseWidespread hunger and rising global food demand necessitate better use of the world's water, land, and ecosystems.For a world population of about 9 billion in 2050, agricultural production has to increase by 70 percent globally and to double in developing countries.An enormous effort is required to achieve such growth.Some 16 Mkm 2 of land are currently used for crop production, about 10 Mkm 2 are under cultivation in developing countries.As people strive to get the most out of land or exploit virgin territory to develop more agricultural land, the damage inflicted on the environment grows.Up-to 40 percent of the world's arable land is degraded.An already difficult food insecurity situation is made worse by the overarching effects of climate change.While current research confirms that crops would respond positively to elevated CO 2 in the absence of climate change, higher temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and increased frequency of extreme events will likely depress agricultural yields and increase food production risks in many of the current food-insecure countries.
Authors: G. Fischer, E. Hizsnyik, S. Prieler, D. Wiberg
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2310541240