Tradeoffs and synergies for agriculture and environmental outcomes in the tropics (a sair)

Global population is projected to continue increasing until 2100. Even in the absence of increasing incomes, feeding a growing population will require more land, more machinery, more agricultural inputs, and continued innovation in agricultural technology. The relationship between increased agricultural production and environmental degradation is a central challenge to human well-being. This article compiles available evidence on the relationship between agriculture and the environment, focusing on the tropics, where potential tradeoffs between food production and environmental quality are particularly acute because much larger shares of the population depend upon agriculture for work and subsistence. While our main focus is on land use, where applicable we also touch on associated environmental services, such as soil and air quality and attempt to catalog policies that highlight synergies and tradeoffs between agricultural livelihoods and environmental quality.