strategy
Protecting best farmland for agriculture
Synonyms:
Retaining farm landRecovering loss of farm land
Preserving farm land
Context:
The world's population is growing by 1,000 million a decade at current rates. This is putting tremendous stress on global resources such as agricultural land, which itself is increasingly needed to feed the rapidly growing global population. A relatively small proportion, or about 22% of Earth's total land area is potentially arable. Yet, every year an estimated 6-7 million hectares of agricultural land is made unproductive because of erosion, 1.5 million hectares is affected by reduced productivity because of waterlogging, salinization and alkalinization, and almost 1 million hectares, much of it prime land in rain-fed areas, is being lost to urbanization. Since agricultural land continues to be lost, it is widely agreed that at the very least the most productive or fertile agricultural land should be protected. Facilitates:
Developing agricultureMaximizing agricultural land yieldBroadening farm resources potentialIncreasing amount of cultivable landDeveloping sustainable land use policyImproving ability to use land for agricultural purposes Facilitated by:
Reclaiming landTraining in rural developmentResearching sustainable agricultureCorrecting defective land use planningConducting practical agricultural trainingInstituting effective agricultural methods Subjects:
Societal Problems → ProtectionAgriculture, Fisheries → Agriculture
Agriculture, Fisheries → Cultivation
Conservation → Conservation
Type Classification:
G: Very Specific strategies Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
