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The United States’ use of its land has varied with time. Between 1982 and 1992, the net amount of land devoted to crops, pasture, and range, respectively, declined by 39 million cropland acres (of which 36.4 million were enrolled in the Conservation Reserve program), 6 million pasture acres, and 10 million rangeland acres. Forest land showed a modest increase during the period.
The net acreage gained or lost to different land uses reveals only part of the story. Although 60 million acres shifted from cropland to other uses between 1982 and 1992, about 21 million acres shifted from other uses into cropland during this same period. Nearly 3 million acres of cropland were developed for residential purposes (or 68% of total conversions). But this rate had slowed compared to earlier decades. The ten-year rate of expansion in urban areas was 18%, which was half the rate of growth in the 1950s (39%).
Although the rate of cropland conversion has been decreasing, we know that we can not continue to convert the Nation’s cropland indefinitely without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their needs for food and fiber. How much agricultural land we need in the future will depend on many different variables such as population, dietary patterns, world trading patterns, and advances in science and technology.
Reference:
Natural Resource Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, America’s Private Land: a Geography of Hope. Program Aid 1548. Washington, D.C., December 1996.
Link(s) to be added, when feasible, to data at level of detail suitable for use at the community level.
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http://www.sdi.gov/indicators/lc_convt.htm Last Modified: May 13, 2002 |