FAO warns of rising human-induced land degradation threatening crop yields, child nutrition
The report further underscores that land degradation is not merely an environmental issue but a global development challenge that touches every aspect of food production, rural livelihoods, and ecosystem health.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has sounded a stark warning over increasing human-driven land degradation, cautioning that crop yields are now about 10 per cent lower in affected regions.
The crisis, it says, is not only threatening global food security but also worsening child malnutrition, with millions at risk of stunting.
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In its latest “State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2025 report”, it reveals that an estimated 1.7 billion people live in areas where agricultural productivity is falling because of human-induced land degradation.
The report further underscores that land degradation is not merely an environmental issue but a global development challenge that touches every aspect of food production, rural livelihoods, and ecosystem health.
Land degradation, according to the organisation, is the long-term decline in the land’s ability to deliver essential ecosystem functions and services.
It notes that while natural processes such as soil erosion and salinisation play a part, human activities, particularly deforestation, overgrazing and unsustainable cropping and irrigation practices, are now the dominant drivers.
“These pressures are undermining agricultural productivity and threatening ecosystem health worldwide,” the report reads.
In human terms, the impact is severe. The report estimates that about 47 million children under the age of five are already suffering from stunting due to declining food production and quality linked to land degradation.
Asia bears the heaviest burden, both because of its high population density and extensive areas of degraded farmland.
Yet, amid the grim outlook, the FAO report offers hope. It estimates that reversing just 10 per cent of human-induced degradation on existing croplands could restore enough production to feed 154 million more people every year.
Sustainable land management practices such as crop rotation, cover cropping and soil conservation could help regenerate degraded soils, reduce erosion and promote biodiversity.
FAO thus calls on governments to take coordinated action through integrated land-use strategies and targeted policy interventions.
These include regulatory measures like deforestation controls, incentive-based programmes that reward sustainable farming and compliance mechanisms that tie agricultural subsidies to environmental outcomes.
The organisation also highlights the need to consider differences in farm structure when designing policies.
Smallholders, it notes, face financial and technical barriers that differ from those of large farms, which control most of the world’s agricultural land and have greater capacity for innovation.
Tailored approaches, therefore, are essential to promote sustainable practices and prevent further degradation.
FAO further says that reversing land degradation is achievable but requires urgent global collaboration.
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