Summary
This paper by Ramankutty and colleagues, published in Global Change Biology in 2018, synthesises long-term global data on cropland trends, examining how agricultural land area and cropping intensity have shifted across world regions. It likely draws on remote sensing, census and statistical datasets to characterise patterns of cropland expansion in tropical regions alongside abandonment or consolidation in parts of Europe and North America. The paper contributes to understanding the drivers and consequences of agricultural land-use change for global food systems and environmental sustainability.
UK applicability
As a global-scale analysis, the findings are not directly transferable to UK-specific land-use decisions, but they provide important contextual framing for UK policy discussions on sustainable land use, agricultural intensification and the UK's role within global food supply chains.
Key measures
Cropland area (Mha); harvested area; cropping intensity; regional land-use change rates
Outcomes reported
The study examined long-term trends in global cropland area, including expansion, contraction and intensification across regions. It likely reported changes in harvested area, cropping intensity and land-use transitions between the mid-twentieth century and the early 2000s.
Topic tags
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