ABSTRACT
The world’s population is expected to reach 6 billion by the year 2000, a 40% increase over 1980. In order to maintain the existing pattern of food consumption and nutrition, food production will have to rise at an equivalent rate. Furthermore, a majority of the world’s population are either undernourished or wish to improve the quality of their diet; to close the gap, additional food production and more equitable distribution is required. As the population increases, so does the demand on land. Industry, energy projects, mining, and transportation are large users of land. Individuals also need land for living space. In one aerial survey of forty-four counties in the western United States, it was found that “built-on land” ranged from 80 to 1740 square metres per person. Loss of farmland occurs not only from conversion to other uses but through soil degradation and environmental stress. The most serious is soil erosion.
