(sq. km)
China is the top country by agricultural land area in the world. As of 2021, agricultural land area in China was 5.21 million sq. km that accounts for 10.89% of the world's agricultural land area. The top 5 countries (others are the United States of America, Australia, Brazil, and Russian Federation) account for 36.51% of it. The world's total agricultural land area was estimated at 47.8 million sq. km in 2021.
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What is agricultural land area?
Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded. Land under permanent crops is land cultivated with crops that occupy the land for long periods and need not be replanted after each harvest, such as cocoa, coffee, and rubber. This category includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber. Permanent pasture is land used for five or more years for forage, including natural and cultivated crops.
Greetings, I am an agricultural expert with a profound understanding of global land-use patterns and a deep knowledge of the intricacies within the realm of agriculture. My expertise extends to a comprehensive understanding of the various categories of agricultural land and the factors influencing their distribution across nations. Allow me to provide you with a detailed breakdown of the concepts embedded in the information you've shared.
The data you've presented revolves around the agricultural land area, specifically in China, and touches upon the global distribution of such land. Agricultural land area, as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), encompasses several key components. It includes arable land, which refers to land under temporary crops, meadows, market or kitchen gardens, and temporarily fallow areas. Notably, double-cropped areas are counted once to avoid duplication in the measurements.
The second category mentioned is land under permanent crops, which entails land cultivated with crops that occupy the space for extended periods, eliminating the need for replanting after each harvest. This category covers a diverse range of crops such as cocoa, coffee, rubber, flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines. However, it explicitly excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber.
The third component is permanent pasture, which involves land utilized for five or more years for forage, encompassing both natural and cultivated crops. This category represents areas where livestock graze and forage over an extended period.
Now, delving into the specifics of the provided information, China emerges as the leading country in terms of agricultural land area, boasting 5.21 million square kilometers as of 2021. This constitutes approximately 10.89% of the world's total agricultural land area, which was estimated to be 47.8 million square kilometers in the same year.
Furthermore, the article highlights the top 5 countries in terms of agricultural land area, namely the United States of America, Australia, Brazil, and the Russian Federation, collectively accounting for 36.51% of the global agricultural land area.
In essence, this data emphasizes the significant role of China in the global agricultural landscape and underscores the importance of understanding the diverse categories of agricultural land to grasp the complexity of worldwide land-use patterns.
