Soil Suitability for Agriculture in the World’s Smallest Economies

Chapter 5 presents a comprehensive analysis of the soil structures of the world’s smallest economies. Given the contingent nature of soil fertility on climatic and plant conditions, the world’s smallest economies exhibit considerable variation in this regard. In order to assess the agricultural suitability of the soils found in the 93 countries analyzed and their regions, a typology based on the World Reference Base classification was created. Moreover, an analysis of the land use structure in the world’s smallest economies was conducted, with a particular focus on the proportion of land dedicated to agriculture. This encompassed arable land, permanent crops, permanent pasture, and grassland. The structure of agricultural land impacts the performance of the agricultural sector in the world’s smallest economies, which in turn affects their economic growth and development.