The Agricultural Territory

An agricultural territory is land that has been developed for the purpose of practising agriculture. 

A national agricultural territory is a space that encompasses all the agricultural land in a province, state or country.

The Earth’s agricultural territories help us fulfil an essential need: feeding people all over the world. Because of its importance, agriculture activities occupy a vast portion of the Earth’s surface and employ millions of people every year. 

In 2021: 

• Agricultural territories covered 4787.6 million hectares, which is 37% of the planet’s total land area.^[1] 
• 873 million people worked in the agriculture industry. This represents 27% of the global labour force.^[2] 

Global agricultural production reached 9.5 billion tonnes.^[1]

Agricultural territories are found on every continent except Antarctica, and are usually located in rural areas.

All agricultural territories have a number of common characteristics. The type of agriculture practised in a region depends on both natural and human factors present in the area.

For more on this topic, read our concept sheet on The Characteristics, Planning and Development of Agricultural Territories.

The development and infrastructure of agricultural land varies based on the type of agriculture being practised.

The region’s natural characteristics determine what infrastructure is needed. For example, agriculture in a region with a variable climate may require greenhouses to protect crops. 

Other elements that affect the planning, development and infrastructure of agricultural territories are: 

• Type of agriculture: subsistence or commercial
• Type of agricultural practice: intensive or extensive 
• Type of production: dairy farming, corn, etc.

Commercial agriculture is the first step in a very important industry: agri-food. 

The agri-food industry encompasses all the activities related to selling agricultural products for consumption: 

• Production 
• Commercialization, including processing and distribution.

The agricultural territory used for this industry requires different infrastructure, especially for food commercialization.

To learn more, read our concept sheet on The Characteristics, Planning and Development of an Agricultural Territory.

Agricultural territories face several challenges: 

• Protecting agricultural territories from urbanization
• Feeding the global population
• Protecting the environment

Agricultural territories are often located near urban centres. This means that workers and consumers are close by, which can make it easier to commercialize agricultural products. This proximity to urban centres comes with its share of issues. When cities expand, they sometimes take over what was once an agricultural territory.

Once infrastructures such as roads or buildings have been built, the land can never again be used for farming.

Agricultural territories have to feed the entire world’s population, which is a major issue. 

Between 2022 and 2050, it is estimated that the world’s population will grow by 2 billion people.^[3] This means that our agricultural territories must be able to feed not only the current population, but also the increasing population in the coming years.

Some agricultural practices also have negative effects on the environment, such as: 

• Soil degradation
• Overexploitation of water resources
• Contamination from fertilizers and pesticides 

Different solutions must be implemented to balance agricultural production that feeds the population with environmental protection.

To learn more about these topics, consult our concept sheet on Issues Affecting an Agricultural Territory.

For access to the rest of the unit, consult the following concept sheets.