Land Resources: On the Edge of the Malthusian Precipice

Recent demographic evidence suggests that during the next twenty to twenty-five years, the global human population will increase by about two billion, to a total of eight billion. These predictions are generally accepted, but there are conflicting views about our ability to use the earth’s resources to support this unprecedented population increase and the longer-term effects on sustainability. Some believe that we have reached a point beyond which this will not be possible due to constraints on land use and productivity (as suggested by Malthus in 1798). Others believe that scientific and technical advances, particularly in food production, will be able to keep pace. A discussion meeting was held at the Royal Society in London in December 1996 which brought together leading scientists concerned with natural resource management to make a critical assessment of the production potential of the available land. The papers have also been published as an issue of The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. This book is a product of the meeting and a follow-up meeting hosted by the Ciba Foundation in London. It describes in detail current pressures on land and water resources, the effects of climate on productivity, the need for crop improvement, better management of water, soil and nutrients, economic factors and environmental limitations. From the presentations and discussions a set of conclusions is drawn concerning our ability to feed the world population and the steps which must be taken to ensure that we achieve this aim. This book is essential reading for practitioners and students of agronomy, forestry, soil science and ecology concerned with natural resource management and presents information which will also be of value to economists, policy makers and environmentalists with an interest in global issues.

Table of Contents:
1: Present Pressures on Land and Water Resources 2: Population momentum and the demand on land and water resources, 3: The economic determinants of land degradation in developing countries, 4: Climate and Potential Crop Productivity 5: Adapting and improving crops: the endless task, 6: Agroecological zones and the assessment of crop production potential, 7: Potential and attainable food production and food security in different regions, 8: Water as a Limiting Factor 9: Meeting water requirements of an expanding world population, 10: Managing water resources for crop production, 11: Soils as a Limiting Factor 12: Trees, soils and food security, 13: Soil resources and their assessment, 14: Nutrient resources for crop production in the tropics, 15: Interactions between plant nutrients, water and carbon dioxide as factors limiting crop yields, 16: Degradation and resilience of soils, 17: Concluding Session 18: Managing soils for long-term productivity, 19: The environmental implications of intensified land use in developing countries,