Land in agriculture rose in Global South and fell in Global North, 1961–2020

Horizontal bar chart showing type of world agricultural land in hectares in 1961 and 2020 and vertical bar chart comparing levels of cropland, rainfall; cropland, irrigated; and permanent pasture in Global South and Global North in 1961 and 2020.

From 1961 to 2000, agricultural output nearly quadrupled, mostly achieved by increases in productivity as new resources were brought into the production process, the use of inputs intensified, and the efficiency with which resources were used improved.


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