How Much Land Can Ten Billion People Spare for Nature?

Many experts expect the world population to reach 10 billion sometime in the 21st century. The need for more agricultural production is balanced against the need to set aside land reserved exclusively for nature. It is possible to feed the entire 10 billion on current cropland, if efficiency continu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Daedalus (Cambridge, Mass.) Mass.), 1996-06, Vol.125 (3), p.73-93
Main Author: Waggoner, Paul E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural ecology
Agricultural land
Agriculture
Analysis
Calories
Corn
Demographic aspects
Demographic transition
Environment
Environmental aspects
Environmental protection
Farmers
Farming
Farmlands
Fertilizers
Field crops
Food crops
Foreign Affairs
Human ecology
Intensive production
Land
Land Management
Nature
Population
Population growth
Population research
Sustainable agriculture
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Summary:Many experts expect the world population to reach 10 billion sometime in the 21st century. The need for more agricultural production is balanced against the need to set aside land reserved exclusively for nature. It is possible to feed the entire 10 billion on current cropland, if efficiency continues to increase and some changes in diet occur. A shift towards of more vegetarian diet would greatly decrease the need for additional agricultural land. Factors such as water distribution, pollution and farming techniques are also discussed.
ISSN:0011-5266
1548-6192