Loss of Agricultural Land in Africa

The New York Times published on 30 July 2017 a long article titled "Loss of Fertile Land Fuels 'Looming Crisis' across Africa" by Jeffrey Gettleman.

Discussions of global agricultural land usually note that Africa has by far that largest percentage of unused cultivable land. Some suggest that Africa could feed the world in spite of the fact that Africa is a net food importer. This article points out that Africa's unused land is not as productive as often claimed. A recent NASA study explains that the degradation of Africa's agricultural land has resulted in more than 40 million Africans trying to survive on land whose agricultural potential is declining due to overuse and climate change. An expert at Michigan State University commented that the concept of land-abundant Africa is increasingly outdated. Finally, sub-Saharan Africa has the fastest growing population in the world, putting additional pressure on the land each year.

Air and Water Quality under Pressure in Africa: UNEP Assessment

The United Nations Environment Program released on 19 May 2016 its Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-6): Regional Assessments. It includes a four page summary for Africa and the entire regional report as well as those for other world regions. While Africa has 80 percent of the world's reserve of agricultural land, its environment is under pressure from urbanization and industrialization as well as a growing population. This has resulted in the degradation of air, land, and water quality.