Land is a finite resource because Earth has a fixed area, and only part of it is suitable for agriculture, settlement and other human uses. Pressure increases as population growth and rising consumption increase demand while degradation reduces the quantity and quality of usable land.
Level: SL and HL: Subtopic 5.2 Agriculture and food
Why Pressure on Land Increases
Land is a form of natural capital that provides natural income, including food, timber and ecosystem services. Although land itself does not disappear, fertile soil can be eroded, polluted, salinized or built over, making it less productive or unavailable for agriculture.
This creates competition between food production, housing, industry, transport, conservation and energy infrastructure. Expanding one land use often produces an opportunity cost by preventing another use.
| Source of pressure | How it affects land |
|---|---|
| Population growth | Increases demand for food, housing and infrastructure. |
| Rising consumption | Increases demand for meat, materials and energy, often requiring more land. |
| Agricultural expansion | Converts forests and other habitats, reducing biodiversity and ecosystem services. |
| Intensive agriculture | May cause erosion, nutrient depletion, salinization and pollution. |
| Urbanization | Replaces soil and habitats with buildings and impermeable surfaces. |
| Climate change | Can increase drought, desertification and the loss of productive land. |
The Aral Sea region provides a named example. Large-scale diversion of river water for cotton irrigation contributed to salinization and land degradation, reducing agricultural productivity and damaging local livelihoods.
A common misconception is that the main problem is simply insufficient global food production. In ESS, global agriculture produces enough food for eight billion people, but food is distributed inequitably and much is lost or wasted. Land pressure therefore reflects consumption, distribution and management as well as population size.
Exam Technique
For an explain question, establish the causal chain: fixed land area, rising demand, competing uses and degradation of productive capacity. For discuss or evaluate, include environmental, social and economic perspectives, a named example, and environmental justice, especiallyespecially how marginalized groups may bear the costs of land-use decisions.