Organic Waste Recycling

4 Organic Waste Recycling: Technology and Management

Another concern for rapid population growth is the pressure exerted on our fixed
arable land area on earth. Table 1.2 projects the ratio of arable land area over world
population in the year 2063 to be half of that in the year 2000. There is an obvious
need to either control population growth or produce more foods for human needs.

Figure 1.1 World population increases with human advances in science and technology
(United Nations, 2005)

Table 1.2 Population growth and arable land

Year Estimated

population

billion

Arable land

ha/capita

2000 6 1
2020 10 0.6
2063 22 0.3
2100? 0.1-0.2
Note: Earth total surface is 51 billion ha. Only 6 billion ha is arable land suitable for crop production
(adapted from Oswald 1995)