According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of theUnited Nations, croplands cover 1.53 billion hectares (about 12% ofEarth’s ice-free land), while pastures cover another 3.38 billion hectares(about 26% of Earth’s ice-free land) (Supplementary Fig. 1). Altogether,agriculture occupies about 38% of Earth’s terrestrial surface—the largestuse of land on the planet14,18. These areas comprise the land best suitedfor farming19: much of the rest is covered by deserts, mountains, tundra,cities, ecological reserves and other lands unsuitable for agriculture20.Between 1985 and 2005 the world’s croplands and pastures expandedby 154 million hectares (about 3%). But this slow net increase includessignificantexpansioninsomeareas(thetropics),aswellaslittlechangeora decrease in others (the temperate zone18; Supplementary Table 1). Theresult is a net redistribution of agricultural land towards the tropics, withimplications for food production, food security and the environment.