Agricultural workforce as a potential bottleneck of future cropland availability (opens in new tab)

Global cropland has historically expanded and this trend is expected to continue as global food demand is projected to grow. However, cropland abandonment is also steadily occurring, with workforce shortages recognized as one of major contributing factors. Here we demonstrate that the agricultural workforce will be a dominant constraint on cropland availability and its future changes, complementing the currently considered environmental constraints. On the basis of the historical trajectory, ...