Production-Based and Consumption-Based Accounting of Global Cropland Soil Erosion

The effective control of cropland soil erosion is urgent for all countries because of its threat to global food security. Cropland soil erosion is caused by agricultural production and driven indirectly by consumption. Analyzing the causes and preventive strategies from the consumption side is essential for soil erosion control. However, there is not yet sufficient research or practice. In this study, we estimated global cropland soil erosion with the revised universal soil loss equation, allocated it to specific types of crops, and quantified the cropland soil erosion footprint of the economies with a multiregional input-output analysis model. Our results showed that developed economies, usually importing cropland soil erosion from developing or agriculturally developed economies, are the beneficiaries in the current crop trading system. The European Union is the largest net importer, while Brazil is the largest exporter. The indirect and induced sectors are the main contributors, consuming approximately 70.48% of the total cropland soil erosion. Our results revealed the region- and product-specific contributors that could inform the reduction of global cropland soil erosion for sustainable food production and consumption.