Agricultural expansion

Agricultural Expansion:

– Growth of agricultural land in 20th and 21st centuries
– Direct consequence of global increase in food and energy requirements
– Expected 10 to 11 billion humans on Earth by end of this century
– Most non-agrarian ecosystems affected adversely
– Intensified food production particularly affecting tropical regions

Impact on Biodiversity:

– Modern agriculture relies on intensive methods
– Expansion of farming types led to significant loss of biodiversity globally
– Main driver of deforestation and forest fragmentation
– Large-scale commercial agriculture major contributor to tropical deforestation
– Need for urgent adoption of sustainable practices

Global Arable Land Use:

– FAO predicts global arable land use to grow to 1.66 billion hectares by 2050
– Developing countries projected to drive most of the growth
– Arable land use in developed countries likely to continue declining
– Examples include palm oil and soybean production areas
– Land grabbing activities driven by demand for agricultural land

Human Population Growth:

– Population growth seen as primary causative factor of ecological issues
– Human population growth linked to food availability
– Increase in food production leads to population growth
– Understanding food-population relationship crucial
– Resistance to this perspective due to cultural bias in science

Sources:

– Human population projected to reach 11 billion this century
– Major expansion and intensification of tropical agriculture expected
– Rapid loss of tropical old-growth forests anticipated
– New roadways pivotal in determining spatial extent of agriculture
– Conflicts between food production and nature conservation intensifying