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This book explores the fundamental determinants of long term changes in agricultural land use and the associated implications for environmental and food security. The book is designed around the idea that each chapter focuses on one driver, or underlying determinant, of land use change at global scale. It starts with key factors which have been influential in the past, such as growth population, incomes and agricultural productivity, thereafter turning to new drivers such as biofuels, climate change and demand for environmental services. Specialized topics include food security outcomes, projections of future agricultural prices, greenhouse gas emissions, the role of globalization and market integration. The book draws heavily on the emerging body of literature on these topics, summarizes key findings and organizes these within a unifying economic framework.
List of contents
Foreword.- Preface.- 1) Overview of global land use, food security and the environment.- 2) Population and income as drivers of global land use.- 3) Productivity growth and yield response in the crop sector.- 4) Potential for cropland area response.- 5) Biofuels and its impact on global land use.- 6) Climate change, land use and the environment.- 7) Competing demands for land in the 21st century.- 8) The global livestock industry as a driver of land use.- 9) Food security.- 10): Looking back to go forward: Global land use in 2050.- References.- Glossary.- Appendix.- Index.
Summary
This book explores the fundamental determinants of long term changes in agricultural land use and the associated implications for environmental and food security. The book is designed around the idea that each chapter focuses on one driver, or underlying determinant, of land use change at global scale. It starts with key factors which have been influential in the past, such as growth population, incomes and agricultural productivity, thereafter turning to new drivers such as biofuels, climate change and demand for environmental services. Specialized topics include food security outcomes, projections of future agricultural prices, greenhouse gas emissions, the role of globalization and market integration. The book draws heavily on the emerging body of literature on these topics, summarizes key findings and organizes these within a unifying economic framework.
Additional text
“The structure of Global Changes and the Challenges of Sustainably Feeding a Growing Planet makes it most suitable for an interdisciplinary master’s level course that might be co-taught for students in agricultural economics, environmental sciences, agronomy, natural resources, nutrition, and other disciplines. … The potential audience for this impressive book includes not only economists but a broad range of scientists. It should be required reading for anyone interested in long-run land use, food security, biofuels, and effects of climate change.” (George W. Norton, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 98 (5), October, 2016)
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"The structure of Global Changes and the Challenges of Sustainably Feeding a Growing Planet makes it most suitable for an interdisciplinary master's level course that might be co-taught for students in agricultural economics, environmental sciences, agronomy, natural resources, nutrition, and other disciplines. ... The potential audience for this impressive book includes not only economists but a broad range of scientists. It should be required reading for anyone interested in long-run land use, food security, biofuels, and effects of climate change." (George W. Norton, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 98 (5), October, 2016)
