Global land resources and population-supporting capacity

Eswaran, H.; Beinroth, F. H.; Reich, Paul F.

doi:10.1017/s0889189300008250

Cited by 51 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…(Greenland et al 1998 ), "if all the resources are harnessed and adequate measures taken to minimize soil degradation, suffi cient food to feed the population in 2020 can be produced, and probably suffi cient for a few billion more," inspired Eswaran et al ( 1999 ) to review the soil quality status of the world. They defi ned soil resilience and soil performance and divided each into low, medium, and high categories.…”

Section: Soil Quality Classesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They defi ned soil resilience and soil performance and divided each into low, medium, and high categories. Combining three soil performance classes and three soil resilience classes, Eswaran et al ( 1999 ) divided world soils into nine land quality (in this classifi cation land and soil are used synonymously) classes. They defi ned land quality, soil resilience, and soil performance as:…”

Section: Soil Quality Classesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Soil Performance : The ability of the land to produce (as measured by yield of grain, or biomass) under moderate levels of inputs in the form of conservation technology, fertilizers, pest, and disease control. The defi nitions of the land quality classes according to Eswaran et al ( 1999 ) are shown below:…”

Section: Soil Quality Classesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Soil Resources and Soil Degradation

Osman¹

2013

Soil Degradation, Conservation and Remediation

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Including rocky surfaces, deserts, and ice-covered areas, there is 130,575,894 km 2 land area in the globe. About 38.5 million km 2 (29.45 % of the earth's ice-free land surface) is too dry for human habitation, and about 20.2 million km 2 (15.46 %) of the land occurring in the cold tundra zone is not much suitable for normal agriculture. Saline and alkaline soils occur in 3,105,000 km 2 (2.4 % of the land surface), and soil acidity affects 18,420,100 km 2 (14.1 % of the total land). Only about 12 % of the land surface is suitable for food and fi ber production, 24 % is grazing land, and about 31 % is forestland; the remaining 33 % has many constraints for most uses. The lands are classifi ed into eight land capability classes based on their productivity, limitations, climate, and soil conservation requirements. Class I land is the most suitable agricultural land, and Classes VII to VIII are not suited for cultivation. Agricultural soils are again classifi ed into nine land quality classes based on the integration of three soil performance classes and three soil resilience classes. Land quality I is the prime land. Suitability of cropping and productivity gradually decrease from Class I to Class IX. The global arable land area is estimated to be 1.351 billion hectares, and 38 % of the arable land has been degraded at variable intensities. The principal cause of soil degradation is the land mismanagement. GLASOD identifi ed fi ve main causes of soil degradation, including deforestation, overgrazing, mismanagement of agricultural land, overexploitation of vegetation, and (bio-) industrial activities. There are fi ve types of land/soil degradation: water erosion, wind erosion, physical deterioration, chemical deterioration, and degradation of biological activity. With this background, ten "laws of sustainable soil management" have been suggested.

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Section: Soil Quality Classesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Soil Quality Classesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Soil Resources and Soil Degradation

Osman¹

2013

Soil Degradation, Conservation and Remediation

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“…However, biomass can also be estimated in terms of harvestable above-ground lignocellulosics. This is done by multiplying the carbon value by 1.25-going from carbon to lignocellulosic mass-and assuming that one third of the biomass is below ground and non recoverable 4 . Tables 3 and 4 .…”

Section: Plant Growth Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Biomass Resources from Marginal Lands in APEC Economies

Milbrandt¹,

Overend²

2009

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“…In addition there is the loss of land to non-agricultural use which is high (Buringh 1982). There is also limited extra land to take into production (Eswaran et al 1999;Young 1999) in contrary to predictions made in earlier studies (e.g. Buringh et al 1975;Meadows et al 1972).…”

Section: Future Outlook For Food Productionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Soil science, population growth and food production: some historical developments

Hartemink

Advances in Integrated Soil Fertility Management in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Opportunities

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"The peoples of the earth, whether they will it so or not, are bound together today by common interests and needs, the most basic of which are, of course, food supply and other primary living requirements. Those come, all of them, from nature and from nature alone -from the forests, the soils and the waterways."Fairfield Osborn (1948) AbstractThe world's population has doubled since 1960. Currently, the developing world accounts for about 95% of the population growth with Africa as the world's fastest growing continent. The growing population has many implications but most of all it requires an increase in agricultural production to meet food demand. Soil science has a long tradition of considering the growth in food production in relation to the increasing human population. This paper reviews some of the major developments in these subjects from a soil scientist's perspective. It starts with the work of Thomas Malthus and various subsequent studies relating population growth and food production. Population growth and projections up to the year 2050 are discussed. The main soil studies since the 1920s are reviewed with a focus on those conducted in the Dutch East Indies and the UK. The productivity of soil science measured by the number of publications and soil scientists has kept pace with the increasing population. Although the number of undernourished people in the world is on the decline, it is concluded that continued efforts from soil scientists remains needed particularly now the focus of attention in the USA and Western Europe moves from population growth per se to population ageing and obesity.

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Global land resources and population-supporting capacity

Cited by 51 publications

References 7 publications

Soil Resources and Soil Degradation

Soil Resources and Soil Degradation

Assessment of Biomass Resources from Marginal Lands in APEC Economies

Soil science, population growth and food production: some historical developments

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