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A new study by the University of Colorado Boulder looked at the trends in the number and size of farms around the world starting from the 1960s and projecting through the end of the 21st century.

The analysis shows that the number of farms globally will shrink in half while the size of the average existing farms doubles.

The study used data from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization on agricultural area, GDP per capita, and rural population size of more than 180 countries. The analysis found that the number of farms around the world would drop from 616 million in 2020 to 272 million in 2100. A key reason for the trend is that as a country’s economy grows, more people migrate to urban areas, leaving fewer people in rural areas to tend the land.

This decline has been ongoing in the US and Europe for decades. For example, in the US, there were 200,000 fewer farms in 2022 than in 2007.

This trend has troubling consequences. Larger farms typically have less biodiversity and more monocultures. The greater biodiversity and crop diversity of smaller farms makes them more resilient to pest outbreaks and climate shocks.

Currently, 600 million farms provide for 8 billion people. By the end of the century, it is likely that half the number of farmers will be feeding even more people. That is a weighty responsibility for agricultural workers. Support systems and education for farmers becomes ever more important.

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The number of farms in the world is declining, here’s why it matters to you

Photo, posted January 18, 2011, courtesy of 2010 CIAT / Neil Palmer via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The Amazon rainforest covers extensive parts of Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and small parts of six other countries. It is the largest rainforest in the world and is instrumental in driving the weather and climate in South America.

The raging wildfires in the Amazon rainforest are a source of great concern. The Amazon is always prone to wildfires during the dry season in South America, but the extent and number of fires this year cannot be attributed simply to drought. The surge in fires has come from illegal deforestation by loggers and farmers, who are using the cleared-out land for cattle ranching.

Rainforests produce consistently high amounts of rainfall throughout the year by pulling water from the soil and then releasing it into the atmosphere. The Amazon rainforest essentially makes it rain in South America.

Over time, the forest plays a crucial role in cycling carbon out of the atmosphere by turning it into biomass. The Amazon jungle sucks up as much as a quarter of the planet’s atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Pristine rainforest burns less frequently and less intensely than cleared and recovering forest. As more and more of the Amazon rainforest is deforested, it becomes more likely to burn each year.

The major disruption of the water dynamics in South America has the potential to not only drive the weather in South American countries but even potentially influence natural resources like snow packs in the Northern Hemisphere.

The skies of Sāo Paulo, Brazil’s financial hub have been dark at midday because of the Amazon fires. This is like having a fire in California and seeing the smoke in Boston. The Amazon rainforest fires are a big problem for the whole world.

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The Amazon Rainforest has been burning for weeks. Here’s why that matters.

Photo, posted August 21, 2019, courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Fewer Farms In The World | Earth Wise

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The Importance Of The Amazon Rainforest Fires

The Amazon rainforest covers extensive parts of Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and small parts of six other countries. It is the largest rainforest in the world and is instrumental in driving the weather and climate in South America.

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