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Politics : Evolution -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TigerPaw who wrote (68545)	9/6/2015 6:54:38 AM
From: Solon	Respond to of 69300

Populations Growing, Farmland Dwindling Written by Jason Simpkins Do you want a slam-dunk investment? Invest in agriculture. There aren't many sure-things out there, but one thing is guaranteed: People have to eat. And food is becoming scarcer. There are about 7 billion people on the planet right now. And in just 35 more years, there will be nearly 2.5 billion more mouths to feed. And higher birth rates in emerging markets will require a 70% increase in food production. Yet, by 2050 the amount of available farmland will be cut nearly in half— from 0.218 hectares per person today, to 0.181 hectares per person. That's largely due to human activity, but it also relates to our changing climate. The ten hottest years on record have all occurred since 1998, with 2014 being the hottest. One result of that is severe water shortages, like the one California is experiencing. Floods and wild fires are another threat to agriculture. Of course, such a dramatic shift will create opportunities, as well as risks. That's especially true in the United States, which has long relied on its agricultural industry. Farming accounts for 3.75 million jobs. Those aren't all field workers, either. As with the automotive industry there's a massive chain from farm to table. That includes scientists modifying crops and fertilizers, factory farms, and distribution. And even though its already vast in terms of size and scale, the industry is still expanding. Net farm income totaled $108 billion in 2014, up 24% from 2004. Indeed, at time when much of America's manufacturing base as dissipated, produce is one of the few things we're still exporting to the rest of the world. U.S. agricultural exports rose to a record $152.5 billion in last year. In all, they made up about 9% of total U.S. exports, reaping a $42 billion surplus. Obviously, China is a major partner in that arena, as it makes up about $25 billion of our agricultural export revenue. U.S. pork exports to China surged 654% from 2003 to 2012, from 57,000 tonnes to 430,000 tonnes. The country takes in about 30% of our soybean exports, as well. This trend is going to continue.

To: TigerPaw who wrote (68545)	9/6/2015 5:18:46 PM
From: Brumar89	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 69300

I've posted lots of references for you to show that population growth rates are slowing worldwide with a couple dozen countries in population decline. IMO you don't want to admit this for some reason.