ABSTRACT
Urban expansion occurs in most cases at the expense of agricultural land, reducing the availability of soil resources for agriculture production, limiting the availability of food. The food crises of 2008, 2010, and 2012, as well as the continuing food price volatility, underscore the vulnerability of the world's food system. The extraordinary increases in yield obtained in agriculture after the Second World War were largely due to a massive and unprecedented use of subsidiary fossil energy. Until a few years ago, the relatively low prices of fossil fuels meant that the cost component of food related to transport, conservation and distribution was almost irrelevant compared to other factors. Sprawling cities tend to consume the best agricultural lands, forcing agriculture to move to less productive areas. The importance of land take as a threat to soil varies among EU countries. In countries with high land-take rates and high PAP, such as the Netherlands, land take is a particularly important issue.
