It looks like there is more cropland available for food production worldwide than we previously thought. A lot more…at lease according to the US Geological Survey:
There’s more agricultural land in the world than previously thought, and India rather than the U.S. or China is now believed to have the biggest acreage of any country, according to new study aimed at improving food and water security.
Global cropland totals 1.87 billion hectares (4.62 billion acres), 15 percent to 20 percent higher than earlier estimates, according to a map released Tuesday by the U.S. Geological Survey. The increase is due to the assessment of areas previously mapped inaccurately, or left unmapped, the USGS said in a statement.
India has the largest cropland of any country at 179.8 million hectares, compared with 167.8 million in the U.S. and 165.2 million in China. Russia ranks fourth, while South Asia and Europe are labeled “agricultural capitals of the world,” as cropland accounts for more than 80 percent of some countries in those regions. In comparison, only about a fifth of land in U.S. and China is dedicated to growing food.
Why do we care how much land is available and in production? As the agricultural community deals with population growth, globalization, integration of markets, aberrant weather events and climate change, knowing where and how much farmland is in and available for production, and where that land is, can have important economic, social and political ramification.
“It is invaluable to know the precise location of croplands and their dynamics to lead to informed and productive farm management,” USGS research geographer Prasad Thenkabail said in the statement.
