Agricultural land

People use land to make food.

Some land is for crops. This is called cropland. Other land is for animals. These are called pastures.

Farmers grow many things. They grow corn and wheat. They also grow fruit. Some farms use water to help plants grow. This is called irrigation. This land is very important for everyone.

People use land to grow food. This is called agricultural land.

There are different kinds of this land. Some land is for crops. We call this arable land. Farmers plant new crops there every year. Other land is for plants that stay for a long time. This is called permanent cropland. It includes places like fruit orchards.

Some land is for animals to eat. This is called pasture. Animals graze on the grass there. In 2011, most agricultural land was pasture.

Some farmers use water to help plants grow. This is called irrigation.

Across the world, the amount of land changes. In 2022, there were 4.78 billion hectares of this land. Asia has the most cropland. India has the largest share of cropland in the world. In some places, laws protect the land. This helps people farm without fear of new buildings. This land is very important for all people.

Agricultural land is the space people use to grow food. It is a way to control nature to produce crops and raise animals. This land is often called farmland or cropland. Sometimes people call it pasture or rangeland.

Different groups have different ways to group this land. The Food and Agriculture Organization uses a special list. They look at arable land, which is land for crops planted every year. They also look at permanent cropland, which is for plants that stay for a long time. This can include fruit orchards or coffee plantations.

There are many ways to use this land. Some farmers use irrigation to bring water to their plants. Other farmers use land that only gets rain. We can also divide land by what grows there. Permanent pastures are grasslands where animals graze. Arable land is used for crops like wheat or corn. Permanent crops include things like vineyards.

Some land is even protected by law. In British Columbia, Canada, a special group called the Agricultural Land Commission helps protect farmland. This keeps the land from being used for new buildings. It makes sure the land stays ready for farming.

History and numbers show how much land we use. In 2011, agricultural land covered 38.4% of all land on Earth. Most of that was permanent pasture at 68.4%. Arable land made up 28.4% of all agricultural land. Permanent crops were a smaller part at 3.1%. By 2022, the total global agricultural land was 4.78 billion hectares. This was a little bit less than it was in 2021. The amount of land for each person is also changing. As more people are born, there is less cropland for each person. In 2021, the world average was 0.20 hectares per person.

Different parts of the world use land in different ways. Asia had the largest share of cropland in 2021 at 37%. The Americas had 24% and Africa had 19%. In 2018, Africa's cropland area became larger than Europe's. Some countries have a lot of cropland for their people. India has the largest share of global cropland at 11%. The United States has 10% and China has 8%. In 2021, China also held 12% of the world's permanent pastures. Australia held 10% and the United States held 8% of those pastures.

Land can also be very different in price depending on where it is. In Russia, farmland can be quite inexpensive. It can cost as little as €1,500 to €2,000 per hectare. In France or Spain, poor quality land costs at least €10,000 per hectare. In the United States, prime land in Illinois was valued at $26,000 per hectare in 2018. The price of land changes based on supply and demand. If there is not enough land, the price goes up. If people do not want to buy land, the price goes down. This is how the land market works for farmers everywhere.

Agricultural land is the space humans use to manage life systematically. It involves the controlled rearing of livestock and the production of crops. This process is essential for producing food for humans across the globe. People often use different names for this land. They might call it farmland, cropland, pasture, or rangeland.

However, the term can have very specific meanings in science and law. In some places, agricultural land is protected by special zoning laws. This ensures the land stays available for farming instead of being used for buildings.

To understand how this land is classified, we can look at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) definitions. They divide agricultural land into several distinct categories based on how the plants grow. First, there is arable land, also known as cropland. This is land used for crops that require annual replanting. It also includes fallowland used for such crops within a five-year period.

Second, there is permanent cropland. This refers to land producing crops that do not need annual replanting. This category includes forested plantations for coffee, rubber, or fruit. It does not include tree farms or forests used for timber.

Another major category is permanent pastures. These are natural or artificial grasslands and shrublands. They are used specifically for grazing livestock. The FAO also distinguishes land by how it receives water. Some land is irrigated, meaning humans provide water through artificial systems. Other land is non-irrigated and relies on natural rainfall.

These categories help scientists and governments track how the Earth's surface is being used.

Global statistics show how much of our planet is dedicated to these activities. As of 2011, agricultural land covered 38.4% of the world's total land area. Within that agricultural area, permanent pastures made up the largest portion at 68.4%. This accounted for 26.3% of the global land area. Arable land made up 28.4% of all agricultural land, or 10.9% of the world. Permanent crops, such as vineyards, represent a smaller 3.1% of agricultural land. By 2022, the total global agricultural land area was 4.78 billion hectares. This was a slight decrease from the 4.79 billion hectares recorded in 2021.

Different regions of the world show different patterns of land use. In 2021, Asia held the largest share of global cropland at 37%. The Americas followed with 24%, and Africa had 19%. Europe held 18%, while Oceania had 2%. Interestingly, Africa's cropland area overtook Europe's in 2018. Some countries hold very large portions of specific types of land. In 2021, China owned 12% of global permanent meadows and pastures. Australia owned 10%, and the United States owned 8%. For cropland, India held the largest share at 11%, followed by the United States at 10%.

As the human population grows, the amount of land available for each person changes. Between 2000 and 2021, cropland area per capita decreased in every region. In 2021, the world average was only 0.20 hectares per person. This was an 18% decline from previous years. The largest decrease happened in Africa, where it dropped by 25% to 0.21 hectares per capita. In contrast, Oceania had the highest cropland area per capita at 0.77 hectares. Countries like Kazakhstan, Australia, and Canada also have high per capita amounts because they have vast areas of land.

The value of this land is determined by the agricultural land market. This market relies on the principles of supply and demand. If the supply of farmland reduces, prices and rents will rise. If the demand for agricultural land declines, prices will fall. Demand can drop if there is less need for farm produce. It can also drop due to changes in government subsidies or tax reliefs. For example, in the United States, prime farmland in Illinois was valued at $26,000 per hectare in 2018. In Russia, farmland can be much cheaper, sometimes costing only €1,500 to €2,000 per hectare.