num_pages: 190
description: During the next twenty to twenty-five years, the global human population will most likely exceed eight billion. Whether the earth's resources can support this unprecedented population increase remains an open question. The papers collected here examine one facet of this question by assessingthe production potential of available land in relation to the predicted demand for food. The authors describe in detail current pressures on land and water resources; the effects of climate on productivity; the need for crop improvement and better management of water, soil and nutrients; economicfactors; and environmental limitations. They also provide practical suggestions for guaranteeing adequate supplies of food in the future. The papers were developed from a meeting of the Royal Society in London in December 1996 and a follow-up meeting hosted by the Ciba Foundation in London, and theywere previously published as an issue of The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London .
language: English
title: Land resources: On the edge of the Malthusian precipice?
titlecomplete: Land resources: On the edge of the Malthusian precipice?
publisher: Oxford University Press