UN warns against 60% expansion in cropland to meet food demand

Global demand for food is growing at such a pace that around 60% more land could be devoted to cropland by 2050, one UN report states.

The report, unveiled by the UN at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, suggests rising demand for food could lead to a global cropland expansion of 320 to 850m hectares (ha).

This, says the UN, would put greater strain of the environment’s capacity for regeneration.