Land degradation will likely curb agricultural production increases in the developing countries of Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. Growing populations and weak economies in many countries will seriously hamper efforts to bring new land under cultivation. Forty percent of the world's available land is being farmed, representing the best soils, but cultivating the remaining sparsely populated and often marginal 60 percent of land will require expensive farming techniques and new technology. Improved land management will likely spur per capita food increases in the developed countries.