Key Facts on Agriculture and Land Use Issues
- Each year, the world population increases by more than 90
million, while the amount of topsoil decreases by more than 20
billion tons.
- It is estimated that by the year 2050, global demand for food
will be three times what it is today.
- More than 2.5 billion kilos of pesticides are used annually
throughout the world, with developing countries accounting for
15 per cent of global pesticide use. These countries also account
for about 375,000 cases-or over half the world's total-of accidental
poisoning from pesticides every year.
- Many of the pesticides exported to developing countries, such
as DDT, chlordane and heptachlor, have been banned in their country
of manufacture for health and environmental reasons.
- Every year, soil erosion robs Ethiopia of 1.5 million tons
of grain, equivalent to all the food relief shipped into the country
during the famine in 1985.
- Six billion tons of valuable soil are lost in India every
year. The former Soviet republics of eastern Europe and central
Asia lose two and a half billion tons.
- During Africa's drought of 1984-1985, 10 million farmers became
environmental refugees as a direct result of land degradation.
- On a global basis, average yields per hectare of wheat, rice
and maize have climbed steadily since 1961. However, this increase
probably will not be able to keep up with population growth.
- Each year, the towns and cities in developing countries, which
are already bulging at the seams, must absorb more than 80 million
more people. Many of these people migrate to cities because of
environmental degradation in their homelands.
All photos, text and illustrations Copyright ©1996
The United Nations Environment Programme.