Soil erosion; quiet crisis in the world economy
Brown, L.R.; Wolf, E.C.
Worldwatch Paper, Worldwatch Institute, USA 60: 49pp
1984
Document Number: 413437
The paper estimates world topsoil loss from cropland which, though admitted to be inexact, draws attention to a process that will eventually undermine the world economy if not arrested. It examines the causes of soil erosion, the dimensions of the problem, the erosion of productivity, the indirect costs of erosion, the economics of conserving soil, the governmental role, and the global balance sheet. It is concluded that in the absence of successful efforts to stem the loss of topsoil, the social effects of erosion will probably first be seen in Africa, in the form of acute food shortages and higher mortality rates, particularly for infants. Africa's record population growth and rampant soil erosion, and the absence of an effective response to either, combine to ensure that the continent will be at the forefront of this unfolding global crisis. Historically, soil erosion was a local problem. Individual civilizations whose food systems were undermined in earlier times declined in isolation. In the integrated global economy of the late 20th century, food is a global commodity. The excessive loss of topsoil anywhere ultimately affects food prices everywhere. The paper is an updated version of the chapter "Conserving soils" that appeared in State of the world 1984 (W.W. Norton & Co., 1984).