Econnections: Use of land resources

Use of land resources

Canada's rural areas have undergone enormous changes in the 20^th century. This change has largely resulted from the trend toward urban living. A hundred years ago, less than a quarter of the Canadian population called the city home. Today, three quarters of us are city dwellers. While these changes have had obvious economic benefits, there have been costs too. The land surrounding cities - often prime farm land - has increasingly given way to urban sprawl.

Home sweet home... but what's the impact?

Econnections offers two indicators describing the use of land resources. The Urban land use indicator measures the transition from rural to urban land in the last 25 years, providing an indication of the pressure on our rural areas. The Agricultural land use and supply indicator measures the cultivation of land since 1901 and compares this with the area of prime farmland available. Together, these two indicators provide key information concerning the interaction between our economy and our land resources.

Did you know...

Despite Canada's size, agricultural land is a scarce resource in this country. Less than one percent of our land is high-quality farmland. And the vast majority of this farm land is located within 160 kilometres of our largest cities.