Agriculture

Agricultural resource poverty is a structural component of environmental poverty, which is principally determined by climatic, topographic and soil constraints, as well as lack of water resources for irrigation, where needed. This global map shows a quantified estimate of the constraints to agriculture as imposed by the biophysical environment, using an index approach, scaled to a range 0-100, with 100 expressing the highest degree of resource poverty. The map has been compiled as a synthesis of individual thematic resource poverty maps (climate, topography, soils and irrigation water resources).

This map differentiates land according to the presence of key constraints of climate, topography and soils in the following classes:

No major agricultural resource constraints
Severe soil constraints: SRPI > 50
Severe topographic constraints: TRPI > 50
Severe topographic and soil constraints: TRPI > 50 and SRPI > 50
Severe climatic constraints: CRPI > 75
Severe climatic and soil constraints: CRPI >75 and SRPI > 50
Severe climatic and topographic constraints: CRPI >75 and TRPI > 50
Severe climatic, topographic and soil constraints: CRPI >75 and TRPI > 50 and SRPI > 50