Title: Agricultural inputs, outputs, and population density at the country-level in Latin America: decadal changes augur challenges for sustained food production and forest conservation

Authors: Daniel Ervin; David López-Carr

Addresses: Department of Geography, University of California, 4836 Ellison Hall, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4060, USA ' Department of Geography, University of California, 4836 Ellison Hall, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4060, USA

Abstract: We examine country-level data for agricultural inputs and outputs for Latin America. We examine data demonstrating a steeply increasing use of resources for agriculture and contrast this with the modest increases in output. We analyse the connection between these processes and a measure of rural population density, and finally discuss the agricultural dominance of Brazil and Mexico in the region. We conclude that the evidence continues to point to both Malthusian and Boserupian processes at work simultaneously in the region, and that global demographic, political and economic factors are increasing in importance relative to local population production and demand.

Keywords: Latin America; agriculture; Malthus; resources; population density; Mexico; Brazil; intensification; extensification; agricultural inputs; agricultural outputs; sustainable food production; forest conservation; rural populations; sustainability.

DOI: 10.1504/IER.2015.069412

Interdisciplinary Environmental Review, 2015 Vol.16 No.1, pp.63 - 76

Received: 28 Aug 2014
Accepted: 29 Jan 2015
Published online: 14 May 2015 *

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