Approximately 1.7 billion people live in regions where agricultural output is declining due to widespread human-induced land degradation, according to the recent FAO SOFA 2025 report. Released in Rome, the report highlights that land degradation is undermining productivity, threatening livelihoods, and accelerating food insecurity across continents.
The study paints a stark picture of how environmental neglect and unsustainable farming methods are eroding soil fertility, reducing crop yields, and disrupting vital ecosystem services essential for human survival.
Understanding the Depth of the Crisis
Land degradation, as defined by the FAO, is a persistent decline in the land’s capability to provide essential ecosystem functions and services. It arises from a mix of natural and human factors, but human actions now dominate the process.
Deforestation, overgrazing, poorly managed irrigation, and unsustainable cropping practices are among the primary drivers weakening soil health and reducing productivity. Over time, these pressures create a “degradation debt,” a deficit that severely limits the land’s future regenerative potential and food output.
Measuring the Loss: Data and Methodology
To assess this crisis, SOFA 2025 employs a debt-based analytical model comparing three vital indicators—soil organic carbon, erosion rates, and soil water retention—against natural baseline conditions. This advanced model, powered by machine learning, merges ecological and socio-economic data to isolate human-driven impacts from natural variability.
Through this approach, the FAO estimates that about 1.7 billion people reside in areas experiencing at least a 10 percent reduction in crop yields due to human-induced degradation. Among them, 47 million children under five suffer from stunting, making this not only an environmental crisis but also a severe public health concern.
Human and Regional Impact
Asia faces the greatest burden, with its dense population and significant degradation debt amplifying the scale of food security challenges. These findings reveal critical vulnerability hotspots. In these areas, poverty, hunger, and land stress converge. This convergence exposes millions of rural livelihoods to heightened risk.
However, the FAO report emphasizes that reversing even part of this degradation could bring transformative benefits. Restoring just 10 percent of degraded croplands through sustainable land management could significantly boost production. This increase could feed 154 million more people annually. It also eases pressure on fragile ecosystems.
Pathways to Reversal and Recovery
The SOFA 2025 report calls for immediate, coordinated global action backed by policy and investment. Integrated land-use planning, deforestation controls, and incentive-based conservation programs are central to rebuilding soil health.
Encouraging crop rotation, cover cropping, and regenerative farming can preserve soil structure. These practices enhance biodiversity. They also create long-term resilience against climate stressors. Tailoring these strategies according to national farm structures is essential. Smallholders often face tighter financial limits compared to large-scale commercial growers.
A Call for Sustainable Stewardship
FAO Director-General QU Dongyu urges countries to act decisively. He calls for collaboration to restore the planet’s soils and secure food systems for future generations. Sustainable land management, he notes, must be embedded in policy frameworks that reward long-term stewardship and innovation.
This collective shift towards responsible land use can prevent further degradation. It nurtures biodiversity. It builds an agricultural system that sustains both people and the planet.
