how much of earth’s land is used for agriculture

What percent of the Earth is used for agriculture?

The agricultural area use is divided into 3 categories: arable land (28% of the global agricultural area), permanent crops (3%) and permanent meadows and pastures (69%) which account for the largest share of the world’s agricultural area. 6

What are the three resources used in agriculture?

 · Half of the world’s habitable land is used for agriculture. More than three-quarters of this is used for livestock production, despite meat and dairy making up a much smaller share of the world’s protein and calorie supply.

How can land be saved for agriculture?

 · How Much Land Do We Use For Agriculture On Earth Of the land available on Earth, several sources indicate we use about 38% of it for agriculture as a global average One source puts that number as high as 50% When looking at the different human uses for land, agriculture is the major land use, with forestry being second.

What are the high inputs cost for agriculture?

Current Land Use According to a “National Geographic” report in 2005, 40 percent of the Earth was used for agricultural purposes. Analysis of satellite …

What percentage of land is used for agriculture?

Half of all habitable land is used for agriculture. 2. This leaves only 37% for forests; 11% as shrubs and grasslands; 1% as freshwater coverage; and the remaining 1% – a much smaller share than many suspect – is built-up urban area which includes cities, towns, villages, roads and other human infrastructure.

How much of the world’s land is livestock?

If we combine pastures used for grazing with land used to grow crops for animal feed, livestock accounts for 77% of global farming land. While livestock takes up most of the world’s agricultural land it only produces 18% …

How much protein is in animal products?

The global average per capita protein availability from vegetal products was 49 grams per person per day, and 32g from animal products. Animal products therefore accounted for [32 / (32 + 49) * 100] = 39% of the world’s protein.

What are the major uncertainties in the allocation of rangelands?

The major uncertainties – and explanation for discrepancies – in these assessments is the allocation of ‘rangelands’: in some regions it can be difficult to accurately quantify how much of rangelands are used for grazing, and how much is free from human pressure. Despite this uncertainty, most analyses tend to converge on an estimate of close to half of habitable land being used for agriculture.

What is the FAO?

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) provide global statistics on crop and food production, supply chains, and food available for human consumption.

How much of the world’s ice free land is used for farming?

If we rewind 1000 years, it is estimated that only 4 million square kilometers – less than 4% of the world’s ice-free and non-barren land area was used for farming. In the visualization we see the breakdown …

What is our world in data?

Our World in Data presents the empirical evidence on global development in entries dedicated to specific topics.

How much land is used for agriculture?

Globally agricultural land area is approximately five billion hectares, or 38 percent of the global land surface. About one-third of this is used as cropland, while the remaining two-thirds consist of meadows and pastures) for grazing livestock.

Why is land important for agriculture?

Land – a notion which broadly includes climate, topography, vegetation, soils and other natural resources – is the basis for agriculture, and the interaction between these components is vital for determining the productivity and sustainability of agro-ecosystems. Especially in the face of climate change and variability, selecting the right land uses for given biophysical and socio-economic conditions is essential for minimizing land degradation, rehabilitating degraded land, ensuring the sustainable use of land resources, and maximizing resilience.

What is the distribution of agricultural land?

Regional distribution of agricultural land use is a combination of local agri-climatic edaphic – soil –conditions, and socio-economic drivers. Averaged over the decade between 2007 and 2016, the largest share of agricultural land area was in Asia, accounting for 1.6 global hectares (gha) or 34 percent, followed by the Americas (1.2 gha, or 25 percent) and Africa (1.1 gha, 24 percent), with Europe and Oceania representing each about 9-10 percent of the total.

Which country has the most irrigated land?

The two countries with the largest irrigated cropland area were India and China, with about 68 Mha each, followed by the United States (27 Mha), Pakistan (20 Mha) and Iran (9 Mha).

Which region has the most land area for irrigation?

In terms of irrigation capacity, the region with the largest land area equipped for irrigation over the past decade was by far Asia, with 237 mega hectares (mha), or 70 percent of the world’s total, followed by the Americas (52 mha, or 16 percent), Europe (26 mha, 8 percent), Africa (15 mha, 5 percent) and Oceania (3 mha, 1 percent).

How much of the world’s arable land is used for farming?

One-third of global arable land is used to grow feed. – globalagriculture.org. [Of the 51 million km squared area of habitable land used as agricultural land in the world, 40 million km squared is used for livestock/meat and dairy, and 11 million km squared is used for crops excluding feed.

What is land used for agriculture?

Land used for agricultural production (like livestock and crop production) is referred to as agricultural land

How much of the world’s oats are eaten by animals?

In the United States, animals directly consume 95 percent of oat production and 80 percent of our corn. Just 55 percent of the world’s crop calories are actually eaten directly by people … [whilst] Another 36 percent is used for animal feed …. And the remaining 9 percent goes toward biofuels and other industrial uses.

How much farmable land is left?

How Much Farmable Land Might Be Left. Estimates put the remaining farmable land left at about 27 million square kilometers, and for crop production specifically, there might be 2.7 billion ha with crop production potential left.

What percentage of the world’s arable land is used for animals?

About one third of all arable land globally might be used to grow feed for animals.

How much of the Earth’s land is pasture?

One-quarter of the earth’s land (excluding Antarctica) is used as pasture land overall (wri.org) 26% of the Earth’s ice-free terrestrial surface is used for grazing (globalagriculture.org) Right now, the the FAO reports 7.9 billion acres of arable land in the world (plantricianproject.org).

What is the majority of the world’s cultivated land used for?

When looking specifically at arable land and cropland, majority of the world’s cultivated land is used for crops that need to be replanted compared to crops that don’t need to be replanted.

What percentage of the world’s land is used for livestock?

Around 26 percent of Earth’s agricultural land is available for grazing livestock. But that’s not the whole story as far as animal agriculture is concerned, since roughly one-third of crop land is also devoted to growing crops that are used to produce feed for the world’s livestock. Massive amounts of feed and water are required for livestock. In fact, it’s estimated that around 20 percent of the world’s land-based animal biomass is domesticated animals, with pigs and chickens most numerous globally.

Which food crop covers the most land area?

Wheat covers more of the Earth’s land area than any other crop, while corn, rice, potatoes and cassava round out the top five most-grown food crops in the world. These crops vary greatly in their input needs and growing ranges. Rice, for example, needs more water as an input than most other crops, while wheat grows successfully over …

What percentage of the Earth’s surface is water?

Earth is a watery place, with around 70 percent of its surface covered in water, the vast majority of which is salt water. This leaves around 30 percent of the planet’s surface as potential farmland, totaling just over 57 million square miles. That’s a lot of land, but much of it is not even remotely arable, as 20 percent of Earth’s land mass consists of desert, and even more is devoted to alpine and arctic tundra, neither of which permits crop growth. According to the National Geographic News, this leaves a little less than 40 percent of Earth’s total landmass suitable for agriculture.

Why is arable land important?

As Earth’s population creeps toward 8 billion, the amount of arable land on the planet becomes more crucial for the survival of its growing population. Many factors contribute to the crop-worthiness of land, including local climate, soil type, annual rainfall and access to water. But just because a swath of land is arable, …

What percent of the Earth’s land is desert?

That’s a lot of land, but much of it is not even remotely arable, as 20 percent of Earth’s land mass consists of desert, and even more is devoted to alpine and arctic tundra, neither of which permits crop growth.

What percentage of the world’s animal biomass is domesticated?

Massive amounts of feed and water are required for livestock. In fact, it’s estimated that around 20 percent of the world’s land-based animal biomass is domesticated animals, with pigs and chickens most numerous globally.

Is the Earth’s potential farmland forested?

The issue, of course, is that much of the Earth’s potential farmland is currently forested or protected. Future increases in yields necessary to feed the planet’s growing population will likely need to come from higher-yielding crops rather than an expansion of farmland.

What makes up the same proportions of the world’s total land use?

Agricultural land, forest land and ‘other’ land all make up around the same proportions of the world’s total land uses

How many types of land use are there in the US?

The US Department of Agriculture has identified six major types of land use in the US.

What percentage of the world’s land is habitable?

According to another source that doesn’t distinguish between habitable land and all land on Earth, they provide the following proportions for the world’s land areas – Other land 31%, Forest area 31%, Meadows and pastures 26%, and Arable land and crops 12%.

How does deforestation affect the forest?

Deforestation, as well as reafforestation (and the mass planting of trees), and land re-greening projects can impact the amount of forest land on Earth. Usually land that contains vegetation that is not considered forest. Scrub vegetation might include bushes, grasses, low trees, and so on.

What are the major uses of land in the United States?

Major Uses Of Land In The United States. Using the United States as one example of what a country uses it’s land for, pasture/rangeland, forest and cropland are the major land uses in the US across all States, in terms of total acreage. Special use, miscellaneous and urban came in third through sixth.

What are some examples of habitable land?

Other uses of land might include forests, shrubland, urban development, and fresh water.

What percentage of the Earth’s surface is land?

Most of the Earth’s surface is water (both saltwater, and fresh water bodies) Only about 29% of the total surface of the Earth is land (such as continents and islands) Types Of Land, & Land Uses. Two of the major types of land on Earth are habitable land (that we can live and produce on), and non habitable land (that we can’t live or produce on, …

What percentage of the world’s land is used for agriculture?

The following graphic outlines the breakdown of how global land area is used today: As the chart details, 71 percent of our land is considered habitable, and half of that land is used for agriculture. Of that 50 percent, 77 percent is used for livestock, either as land for grazing or land to grow animal feed.

How does animal agriculture affect the world?

Industrialized animal agriculture rules the world’s current food system and is responsible for widespread habitat destruction, including rainforests, harmful air and water pollution, the extinction of species (including those who have yet to even be scientifically identified by humans), and it contributes greatly to climate change, adding more harmful greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere than the entire transportation sector combined. And as this research has detailed, many crops are grown to feed livestock rather than feeding the world’s millions of starving people.

How much is clean meat worth in 2027?

The lab-cultured, aka “ clean meat ” industry, which will hopefully lessen the effects of industrialized animal agriculture, has been making rapid progress in recent years and is expected to reach a value of $20 million by 2027. Advertisement.

How many people will be in the world by 2050?

These factors have led innovators to seek alternatives and solutions to the problem of industrialized animal agriculture, a problem which will only intensify as our planet’s population continues to rise and is predicted to explode to 9.8 billion people by 2050. The lab-cultured, aka “ clean meat ” industry, which will hopefully lessen the effects of industrialized animal agriculture, has been making rapid progress in recent years and is expected to reach a value of $20 million by 2027.

Is animal agriculture using the world’s land?

Extensive research by Our World in Data shows us how the planet’s land is being used, and as one might expect, industrialized animal agriculture is inefficiently using the world’s land.

How much of the world’s crop calories are eaten by humans?

Just 55% of the world’s crop calories are directly eaten by people. Just 55 percent of the world’s crop calories are actually eaten directly by people. Another 36 percent is used for animal feed. And the remaining 9 percent goes toward biofuels and other industrial uses.

How can farmers increase agricultural productivity?

Farmers could increase agricultural productivity by boosting crop yields — either through new farming techniques or through improved crop genetics. But even if the rapid rate of improvement in crop yields over the 20th century continued, that still wouldn’t produce enough food for everyone. Another possibility, as the map above shows, is …

What percentage of soy goes to animal feed?

By contrast, more than 67 percent of crops — particularly all the soy grown in the Midwest — goes to animal feed. And a portion of the rest goes to ethanol and other biofuels. Some of that animal feed eventually becomes food, obviously — but it’s a much, much more indirect process. It takes about 100 calories of grain to produce just 12 calories …

Where did the map of the world come from?

The map itself comes from Jonathan Foley’s fascinating, visually rich exploration in National Geographic of how we can possibly feed everyone as the world’s population grows from 7 billion today to 9 billion by mid-century. (Foley directs the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment .)

What would happen if the world shifted its diet away from resource-intensive meats?

But, alternatively, if the world shifted even a small portion of its diet away from resource-intensive meats or grew fewer biofuels, we could wring more food calories out of existing farmland.

What chapter is soil and agriculture?

Start studying Chapter 12 Soil and Agriculture. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.

What is efficient industrial agriculture?

Efficient industrial agriculture requires that large areas be planted with

What is the loss of more than 50 percent of soil productivity?

Desertification is the loss of more than 50percent of soil productivity.

How long does it take to produce one inch of topsoil?

It takes one yearto produce one inch of topsoil.

Why is planting different crops in mixed arrangements important?

Planting of different crops in mixed arrangements. 1. helps slow erosion 2. reduces a crops vulnerability to insects, 3. can replenish the fertility of the soil

Which lands are prone to desertification?

Arid and Semiarid lands are prone to desertification becuase

Why is it important to preserve biodiversity?

Yes, it is necessary in order to preserve biodiversity which ultimately helps species adapt to changes in the environment