Soil and Population Growth

People have a large impact on biomes and the soils in them. We convert natural biomes into urban or agricultural land (forests and farms). As the population continues to grow, we use our soil resources too. Population is growing rapidly, and so are the demands for food, fuel, and fiber. The demand is higher than any other time in human history.

Biodiversity is lost, soil is lost, and other things that impact ecosystem functions suffer. Birth rates in the developing nations are still six times higher than those in industrialized nations. A drop in birth rates can come with improvements in education, economic developments, and technological improvements. 

Over 50% of the worlds population live in South and East Asia, and this area had a lot of improvement in agricultural advances. However, in sub-Saharan Africa where poverty and low agricultural productivity remains. The population here is set to double. 

Agricultural area has moved into less productive areas, over 76% of the global population lives on the least productive lands.  More people have moved into urban areas. Over 50% of people now live in cities, and some of these areas are very productive. Urban expansion takes 0.5 million hectares a year. 

We cannot increase the amount of suitable land for crops, we need to learn how to produce more food in the same amount of space. We also have to reverse current trends of soil degradation from poor soil management. Soil scientists work on it all! 

Visit the Soil and People Section to learn more about the role that humans play in soils.