Farm406

farm406 26 A new map developed and recently released by the United States Geographical Survey (USGS) with collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and others provides better details on cropland found throughout the world. It is built primarily from Landsat satellite imagery with 30-meter resolution, which is the highest spatial resolution of any global agricultural research-gathering instrument. Croplands in any country and sub-national regions, including states, provinces, districts, counties and villages, can be seen. It shows farm fields at any location in the world and can indicate a comparison of one field to another. It is important to know "which crops are present and where, when they grow, their productivity, if lands are left fallow, and whether the water source is irrigation or rain fed," said Prasad Thenkabail, USGS research geographer and Principal Investigator for the GFSAD30 Project Team. Analyses from this map provide a better understanding of crops and their dynamics, leading to knowledge of potential food supply for a growing population that is to reach 10 billion by 2050. Since 80 percent of fresh water is used in agriculture, a better idea of water use throughout the world can be gained. Insight on "crop per drop," which signifies the crop production per water unit, is now available through this mapping. Serving as a baseline for future comparisons, the map also gives a detailed understanding of world agriculture right now. The 2017 assessment reveals that there is 15 to 20 percent more cropland than formerly determined. Now we know that there are 187 billion hectares (1 hectare = roughly 2.5 acres) of cropland in the world. Specifics on Cropland throughout the World It is also worth noting the percentage of cropland to total land in different countries. Formerly, it was thought that China or the United States had the most cropland, but this map indicates that India cultivates more land (9.6 percent of the world's land) than any other nation. Cultivating 8.9 percent of the world's land, the United States is second. China is third (8.8 percent), and Russia is fourth (8.3 percent). Europe is distinguished as the world's cropland capital. The countries of the southern and central parts of Europe, such as Moldova, San Marino, and Hungary, devote more than 80 percent of their land to crops. Other European countries and India raise crops on more than 70 percent of the land. In comparison the United States has only 18 percent of its land in cropland. For statistical purposes, the term "farm," which takes up 40.5 percent of the nation's total land, has three subdivisions: cropland, pasture and range, and timber. The USGS national map indicating cropland areas in green.

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