Map of world farmers
| The false-color map above shows the percentage of the total workforce employed in agriculture, forestry, and fishing. Notice that relatively few people are employed in food production in the well developed nations of North America, Europe, and Australia. Compare this map to the map in the "Crop Yield" topic. Even though relatively few people are involved in food production in these countries, the crop yields are the highest in the world. This is because the nations in North America and Europe are able to use advanced techniques and tools in agriculture, allowing them to be much more efficient. In Africa and Southeast Asia, on the other hand, the majority of the population is needed to produce enough food to feed everyone. |
Credit: Earth Forum, Houston Museum of Natural Science; World Resources Institute data
For more info: http://www.wri.org