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The amount of land used for agriculture has been declining for decades in developed countries. In the United States, the amount of farmland per person has declined by over 50% since the early 20th century. However, the total amount of land used for agriculture globally has been increasing.
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The Land Use in Agriculture
The land use in agriculture can be very broad and difficult to understand. There are many types of agriculture, each with their own land requirements. The amount of land used for agriculture also depends on the climate, soil type, and water availability. In this article, we will take a closer look at the land use in agriculture and try to understand it better.
The Land Used for Agriculture
The United States has approximately 914 million acres of agricultural land, which is about 38 percent of the total land area of the country. This is down from the historical high of 51 percent in 1934. The amount of cropland has remained fairly constant since 1950, but there has been a significant decrease in the amount of pastureland and range land.
The Land Used for Non-Agricultural Activities
The majority of the world’s land is used for agricultural purposes, but a significant portion is used for other activities as well. Just over 12% of the world’s land is used for non-agricultural activities, such as urban development, mining, and forestry.
A little over one-third of the world’s land is used for grazing, while just under one-third is used for crops. The remainder is used for other activities, such as forests and urban development.
Approximately 66% of the world’s agricultural land is used for crops, while 29% is used for grazing. The remainder is used for other purposes, such as forestry or urban development.
In terms of the percentage of the world’s total land area, agriculture accounts for approximately 10%. This includes both cropland and pastureland.
The Agricultural Land Use
According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, the world’s agricultural land totals 1.5 billion hectares, which is approximately 11 percent of the total land on Earth. This includes both land used for crops and land used for grazing. In terms of the percentage of land used for agriculture, the number varies by country.
The Land Used for Crop Production
cropland is used for the production of food, feed, fiber, and fuel. The United States had 405 million acres of cropland in 2016, making up 16 percent of all U.S. land area. The total value of U.S. crop production was $273 billion in 2016.
The Land Used for Livestock Production
Pasture and range land comprised 511 million acres in 2016, making up 20 percent of all U.S. land area used for agriculture. Grazing livestock on pasture and range land generated $18 billion in receipts in 2016.
The Land Used for Livestock Production
Livestock production accounts for around 80% of the total agricultural land use. This includes cattle, pigs, sheep, and poultry. Grazing land covers 26% of the world’s ice-free terrestrial surface and is home to around 19% of the world’s grazing livestock.
Approximately 60% of the world’s pastureland is located in just 10 countries: Australia, Russia, the United States, Argentina, Brazil, China, Sudan, Mongolia, South Africa, and Ethiopia. More than 30% of all grazing land is located in Africa.
The Non-Agricultural Land Use
According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 47% percent of the United States is used for agriculture as of 2016. This includes cropland, pastureland, rangeland, and other land used for agricultural purposes.
The Land Used for Residential Purposes
Residential land use includes space for houses, apartments, townhouses, and other types of homes. It also includes the land on which these homes are built, as well as any green space surrounding the homes. In many cases, residential land use is zoned separately from other types of land use, such as commercial or agricultural.
The amount of land used for residential purposes varies greatly from country to country. In the United States, for example, approximately 4 percent of the total land area is used for residential purposes. This means that 96 percent of the land in the United States is used for other purposes, such as agriculture, commercial development, or conservation.
In contrast, in Japan, approximately 30 percent of the total land area is used for residential purposes. This is because the population density in Japan is much higher than in the United States; there are simply more people living in a smaller space. As a result, there is less land available for other uses such as agriculture or commercial development.
It is important to note that the amount of land used for residential purposes does not necessarily correspond to the number of people living in an area. For example, Australia has a population density of only 3 people per square kilometer, but nearly 10 percent of Australia’s total land area is used for residential purposes. This is because a large portion of Australia’s population lives in rural areas where there is more space available per person.
The Land Used for Commercial Purposes
In the United States, the amount of land used for commercial purposes is small but growing. According to the most recent figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, less than 5 percent of the nation’s total land area is used for commercial purposes, such as retailstores and office buildings.
This figure does not include land used for agriculture, which is a separate category. It also does not include land used for residential purposes, such as single-family homes and apartment buildings.
The amount of land used for commercial purposes has been growing steadily for many years. In 1970, less than 3 percent of the nation’s total land area was used for commercial purposes. By 1990, that figure had risen to 4 percent. And it has continued to grow since then.
There are several reasons why the amount of land used for commercial purposes has been growing over time. One is that the population of the United States has been growing. As more people have moved into the country, they have needed more space for stores, offices, and other businesses.
Another reason is that businesses have been getting larger over time. Today’s stores and office buildings are often much bigger than those built in the past. They require more land to accommodate their larger size.
A third reason is that businesses are becoming more specialized and require different types of spaces to function properly. For example, some businesses now need special areas for data storage or shipping and receiving goods. These businesses need more land than businesses that don’t have these specialized needs.
As the economy continues to grow and change, it’s likely that the amount of land used for commercial purposes will continue to grow as well. This growth will provide opportunities for developers and investors who are interested in building new stores, office buildings, and other types of commercial properties.
The Land Used for Industrial Purposes
Industrial land use includes a wide variety of activities, from manufacturing and warehousing to energy production and storage. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), industrial land use accounted for about 4 percent of all land in the United States in 2012.
Much of the land used for industrial purposes is commercial or transportation-related, such as airports, seaports, and railways. Other common types of industrial land uses include mines and quarries, petrochemical plants, and renewable energy facilities.
While the amount of land used for industrial purposes has remained relatively stable over time, the types of activities that take place on this land have changed substantially. For example, advances in technology have led to a decline in the amount of land needed for farming and ranching activities, while the growth of the renewable energy industry has increased the amount of land used for solar and wind farms.
The Future of Agricultural Land Use
The world’s population is growing and so is the demand for food. Agriculture currently occupies 38% of the world’s land surface, but that number is projected to increase as the demand for food grows. But how much land will be needed to meet the demand for food in the future?
The Land Used for Agriculture in the Future
It is estimated that the amount of land used for agriculture will remain relatively stable in the coming years. The United Nations’ State of the World’s Land and Water Resources report estimates that, by 2050, the amount of land used for agriculture will range from 10 to 12 percent of the world’s total land area. This is a slight decrease from the 11 to 13 percent of total land area that was used for agriculture in 2010.
There are a number of factors that could contribute to this slight decrease in agricultural land use. One is simply that there is less unoccupied land available for farming as the world’s population continues to grow. Additionally, as average global temperatures rise and weather patterns become more extreme, some agricultural land may become too difficult or costly to cultivate. As a result, farmers may choose to use other types of land, such as marginal or degraded lands, which are less productive but require less investment.
The Land Used for Non-Agricultural Activities in the Future
In the future, the agricultural land area may decrease as the world’s population grows and more land is developed for urbanization and other non-agricultural uses. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicts that the total amount of farmland in the world will remain relatively stable over the next few decades, but that the amount of land used for agriculture will decline as a percentage of the total land area.
According to FAO projections, the total land area will increase by about 1 percent by 2050, while the agricultural land area will decrease by about 0.7 percent. This means that agriculture will make up a smaller proportion of the total land area in 2050 than it does today. However, because the world’s population is projected to grow by about 34 percent over the same period, there will be more people to farm the same or even a smaller amount of farmland. This means that farmers will have to produce more food on less land.
