Farming - also referred to as production agriculture - is about feeding the world. According to US Census Bureau data, the world population in 1961 was about 3 billion people; today it exceeds 6.9 billion. By 2050, it is estimated that more than 9 billion people will inhabit the planet. In 1961, the US population was about 184 million people. In 2010, it was more than 308 million, a 67 percent increase.
If agriculture today were no more productive than it was in1961, it would require expanding farm land by more than 60 percent, or the food supply per person would be that much smaller. Today, it takes less than half as much land on a per person basis to produce our meat, dairy and poultry supply compared to 45 years ago. Increases in agricultural productivity have made this possible.
American farmers provide people with more high-quality food than ever before. In fact, one farmer now supplies food for more than 150 people in the US and abroad compared with just 25.8 people in1960 - and on less land every year. Production of food worldwide rose in the past half century, with the World Bank estimating that between 70 and 90 percent of the increase resulted from modern farming practices rather than more acres cultivated. Efficiency is one of the core elements of sustainability.
