David Pimentel & Mario Giampietro - At the present growth rate of 1.1% per year, the U.S. population will double to more than half a billion people within the next 60 years. It is estimated that approximately one acre of land is lost due to urbanization and highway construction alone for every person added to the U.S. population. This means that only 0.6 acres of farmland would be available to grow food for each American in 2050, as opposed to the 1.8 acres per capita available today. At least 1.2 acres per person is required in order to maintain current American dietary standards. Food prices are projected to increase 3 to 5-fold within this period. If present population growth, domestic food consumption and topsoil loss trends continue, the U.S. will most likely cease to be a food exporter by approximately 2025 because food grown in the U.S. will be needed for domestic purposes. Since food exports earn billion for the U.S. annually, the loss of this income source would result in an even greater increase in America’s trade deficit. Considering that America is the world’s largest food exporter, the future survival of millions of people around the world may also come into question if food exports from the U.S. were to cease. From a report linked here
