This report presents the new National Land Use Database (NLUD) classification of land use and land cover (Version 4.4). Anthropogenic transformation of the biomes, 1700 to 2000. 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. These estimates do not include land used for grazing and livestock production. Other studies confirm this distribution of global land: in an analysis of how humans have transformed global land use in recent centuries, Ellis et al. You can use all of what you find here for your own research or writing. Allocation ranges from less than ten percent, particularly across countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Scandinavian region to close to 80 percent across most regions (including the UK, Uruguay, South Africa, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia). 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.9. If we view the map in “chart” mode, we see how the allocation of land to agriculture has changed over time across the global regions.

Cropland, forestland, pastureland, and rangeland comprise the major land uses in the United States and the land uses receiving the majority of the conservation treatment that address our soil, water, air, plant, and animal resources.

You can note that the areal extent of our agricultural land is significantly larger than that of the farmland analysed above (about three times larger). }else{ For most countries, land dedicated to cropland is typically below 20 percent, with many countries dedicating less than 10 percent.

However, it’s important to note the differences in land required across the meat products: poultry and pork have a land footprint 8-10 times lower than that of beef. As we see, over the period 2009-2014, arable land use has continued to increase, diverging from Ausubel’s earlier projection. if (imgTitle != '') { However, most projections suggest a peaking of land expansion in the timespan between 2020 and 2040. The Americas (North and South) and Africa have notably higher per capita agricultural land use relative to Europe and Asia. This means individuals can make notable reductions in the environmental impact of their diets simply by substituting lower-impact meat products for beef or mutton. As a contrast to arable farming, land use for livestock in Europe and South Asia, in particular, is typically less than 20 percent. Arable land needed per unit of crop production.

Unlike previous versions, the data is directly constructed from publicly available geospatial maps (circa 2000/01 at 5-minute grid resolution). India, Bangladesh, Ukraine and Denmark all dedicated more than half of total land area to cropland in 2015.

The latest data tables on land use. var imgMarginRight = dom_i.query(this).css("margin-right") == undefined ? At the upper end of the spectrum we find meat products, with the land required for beef or mutton up to 100 times larger than cereals. The global average per capita protein availability from vegetal products was 49 grams per person per day, and 32g from animal products. Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. arable land plus land under permanent crop production).

The GTAP 9 Land Use and Land Cover Data Base builds global land cover and land use databases for base years: 2004, 2007 and 2011. Africa in particular has seen dramatic reductions in agricultural land per person – now less than one-third of per capita land 50 years ago. The number of species evaluated and threatened with extinction on the IUCN Red List is available from their summary statistics found here.

We’ll send you a link to a feedback form. This can also be viewed by select countries and all regions using the “change country/region” option. : dom_i.query(this).attr("alt").trim(); Data for “Arable land” are not meant to indicate the amount of land that is potentially cultivable. The FAO definition for arable land is land under temporary agricultural crops (multiple-cropped areas are counted only once), temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow (less than five years). Animal products therefore accounted for [514 / (514 + 2370) * 100] = 18% of the world’s calories.

This correlates very closely to the actual land in land use; FAO figures suggest this also grew at 0.37 percent per year. Ellis, E. C., Klein Goldewijk, K., Siebert, S., Lightman, D., & Ramankutty, N. (2010). From: Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. The LESA system helps state and local officials make sound decisions about land use. Land use in Asia– both in South and East Asia is lowest (5-6 times less than in North America). imgMarginTop = imgMarginTop.replace("px",""); dom_i.query(this).css("float","none");

In the map here we see the share of permanent meadows and pasture as a percentage of total land area. } You have the permission to use, distribute, and reproduce in any medium, provided the source and authors are credited. As we discussed earlier in the entry, Ausubel, Wernick & Waggoner (2013) applied a simplified model of these variables to predict when the world would reach ‘peak farmland’.7. Jesse H. Ausubel, Iddo K. Wernick, Paul E. Waggoner (2013) – Peak Farmland and the Prospect for Land Sparing. Despite this uncertainty, most analyses tend to converge on an estimate of close to half of habitable land being used for agriculture. However, land use across Europe and Central Asia- particularly within the European Union (EU) zone- and North America has been declining. Some projections vary significantly – for example, the MEA scenario 1 suggests that the world will not peak in agricultural land prior to 2050.

Read more. This visualization shows the index of the arable land area needed to produce an equivalent aggregate of crop production, relative to the land area needed in 1961 i.e. var imgMarginBottom = dom_i.query(this).css("margin-bottom") == undefined ? ''

})*/ dom_i.query('img','.centerColImg').each(function(){ dom_i.query(this).after("

"+imgTitle+"

"); In the chart here we see the trends of global land under arable and permanent crops from 1961-2014, in addition to UN FAO projections of arable land use through to 2050. Total land area used for oilcrop production has increased almost 3-fold since 1961– an area just short of the size of Mexico.

For example, globally in 2014, the index value was 0.3; this means only 30% of the arable land area was needed to produce the same quantity of crops relative to 1961. NRCS released the revised national conservation practice standard on nutrient management to help producers better manage the application of nutrients on agricultural land. values in 1961 are equal to 1.0. It provides updated information on the status, condition, and trends of land, soil, water, and related resources on the Nation’s non-Federal lands.

All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated, If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a Global population has more than doubled over the last 50 years. When will we reach peak agricultural land? Online here. Major land use natural resource co…

/*dom.query(document).ready(function(){ In the visualization here we show the graphic displayed above – on the breakdown of global land use & cover – by scale on a global map. }

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The total land area used for coarse grains has remained approximately constant over this 50 year period, and is the 2nd largest user of arable land. And again from the same source the definition for permanent meadows and pastures is ‘land used permanently (five years or more) to grow herbaceous forage crops, either cultivated or growing wild (wild prairie or grazing land).’, The FAO definition for fallow land is ‘the cultivated land that is not seeded for one or more growing seasons. Although proven to be premature in their projection, the model remains useful in estimating future demands for arable land.

All other crop types take up less than 100 million hectares of global area. Rome, FAO. var dom_i = {}; total build-up land (villages, towns, cities & infrastructure) would fit into an area the size of Libya; shrub land is equivalent to an area the size of East Asia-Pacific, from Malaysia southwards; barren land is equivalent to the size of Europe; glaciers (permanent ice & snow) approximates to an area of Antarctica & Greenland combined. You’ve accepted all cookies. var imgMarginTop = dom_i.query(this).css("margin-top") == undefined ? Here, land use groupings are aggregated to show the total surface area allocated for each. The extensive land use has a major impact on the earth’s environment as it reduces wilderness and threatens biodiversity. Alexandratos, N. and J. Bruinsma. The quantity of land required for arable agriculture is determined by a range of factors relating to population, dietary consumption, and food system dynamics/productivity.

This left only 45% as ‘natural’ or ‘semi-natural’ land. There are two main uses of agricultural land: arable farming (which is land dedicated to growing crops), and pastureland (which includes meadows and pastures used for livestock rearing). 10 : dom_i.query(this).css("margin-right").trim(); imgMarginRight = imgMarginRight.replace("px",""); Agriculture is a major use of land.

if(imgWidth.indexOf("px") > 0){ But how much of total land area is utilised for agriculture across the world?

'10, The same source defines permanent crops as follows: ‘Permanent crops are divided into temporary and permanent crops. This FAO projection of continued arable land expansion through to 2050 was disputed by Ausubel, Wernick & Waggoner in a widely-discussed paper in 2013 which predicted we had reached a global peak in farmland use in 2009.6. dom.query(this).attr("title",title); Overall, we see that agricultural land per person is higher than that of arable land. To meet the demands of a rapidly growing population on a planet with finite land resources, reducing our per capita land footprint is essential. Population and Development Review, Volume 38, Issue Supplement s1, pages 221–242, February 2013. License: All of Our World in Data is completely open access and all work is licensed under the Creative Commons BY license. if(imgMarginLeft.indexOf("px") > 0){ The noticeable shrinkage in the extent of cropland as a function of the Crop Production index since 1990 provides encouragement that farmers will continue sparing land.’. ESA Working paper No. How has global land use changed over the long-term?