Although China’s latest national land survey showed better-than-expected arable land figures, the country’s growing population, accelerating urbanization and pollution are eroding the country’s arable land and threatening food security. According to the results of the second national land survey released on Monday, China’s arable land totaled 2.03 billion mu (about 135.4 million hectares) at the end of 2012, 227 million mu more than the “bottom line” set by the government to ensure food security. The total arable land area was larger than in the previous land survey. However, the actual available arable land was just slightly above the government’s red-line after deducting land arranged for forest and pasture restoration or land deemed not suitable for farming because of pollution, said Wang Shiyuan, vice minister of land and resources at a press conference. The three-year survey showed that China’s per capita arable land area shrank […]