Global land resources and population-supporting capacity

Abstract

AbstractAnticipated advances in biotechnology and sustainable land management, in combination with the availability of high-quality lands, suggest a level of food production that will sustain twice the current global population. However, lack of political will, insufficient investments in modern agriculture, and a general apathy to the tenets of sustainable land management threaten food security in Third World countries, and in some, contribute to poverty and famine. From a global land-productivity point of view, the specter of Malthusian scenarios seems unwarranted. Sadly, however, local and regional food shortages are likely to continue to occur unless mechanisms for equitable food distribution, effective technical assistance, and infusions of capital for infrastructure development are implemented in some developing countries.