Picture a single industry that uses 70% of our fresh water, occupies nearly half the planet's habitable land, and feeds the world while simultaneously contributing to some of its greatest environmental challenges.
Key Takeaways
- Global agricultural land occupation stands at approximately 4.8 billion hectares
- Approximately 70% of global freshwater withdrawals are used for agriculture
- Livestock grazing occupies about 26% of the terrestrial surface of the planet
- Global corn production reached 1.2 billion metric tons in the 2021/2022 marketing year
- Wheat production globally totaled approximately 770 million metric tons in 2022
- Rice production is concentrated in Asia, which accounts for 90% of global output
- Agriculture is responsible for 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)
- Livestock production contributes 14.5% of all anthropogenic GHG emissions
- Rice paddies contribute 10% of global man-made methane emissions
- Global food export value reached $1.8 trillion in 2021
- The US agricultural trade surplus fell to $2 billion in 2022 from previous highs
- China is the world's largest importer of soybeans, taking 60% of global trade
- Approximately 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted or lost annually globally
- 828 million people suffered from hunger globally in 2021
- 30-40% of the food supply in the United States is wasted
Global agriculture uses vast land and water while facing major environmental and food security challenges.
Economics and Trade
- Global food export value reached $1.8 trillion in 2021
- The US agricultural trade surplus fell to $2 billion in 2022 from previous highs
- China is the world's largest importer of soybeans, taking 60% of global trade
- Governments in 54 countries provide $817 billion annually in support to farmers
- Fair Trade certified sales exceed $10 billion globally
- The global organic food market is valued at over $120 billion
- Food prices rose by 28% in 2021 according to the FAO Food Price Index
- Transportation costs account for 10% of the final retail price of food on average
- The global tractor market size is valued at $75 billion
- Developing countries' share of global agricultural exports increased to 42%
- 80% of the world's food is produced by family farms
- The agricultural machinery industry is dominated by four companies holding 45% market share
- Agricultural insurance premiums globally exceed $30 billion
- Roughly 33% of the total cost of farm production in the US goes to fertilizer and fuel
- The value of the global agrochemical market is approximately $250 billion
- Food manufacturing is the largest manufacturing employer in many OECD countries
- Russia and Ukraine together accounted for 30% of global wheat exports prior to 2022
- Agricultural subsidies in the EU (CAP) make up 33% of the total EU budget
- Small-scale fishers produce 40% of the global catch but receive only 20% of subsidies
- The global vertical farming market is expected to reach $20 billion by 2030
- AgTech startups raised $51 billion in venture capital in 2021
- The average net farm income in the US for 2022 was projected at $160 billion
- Global logistics for cold chain storage in agriculture are worth $250 billion
- Tariffs on agricultural products averaged 15% globally compared to 4% for industrial goods
- The palm oil industry contributes 3.5% to Indonesia's GDP
- Flower exports from Kenya account for 1% of the country's GDP
- The livestock sector provides livelihoods for 1.3 billion people
- Global expenditure on R&D for agriculture is roughly $50 billion annually
- Coffee exports provide over 50% of foreign exchange earnings for some African nations
- Wine trade reached a record value of $34 billion in 2021
Economics and Trade Interpretation
The world's dinner plate is a dizzying paradox where a record $1.8 trillion in global food exports coexists with soaring prices and fragile family farms, all while being propped up by nearly a trillion in subsidies, dominated by a handful of machinery giants, and constantly reshuffled by geopolitics, venture capital, and the stubborn realities of weather, fuel, and fertilizer.
Environmental Impact and Climate
- Agriculture is responsible for 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)
- Livestock production contributes 14.5% of all anthropogenic GHG emissions
- Rice paddies contribute 10% of global man-made methane emissions
- Agricultural runoff is the leading cause of impaired water quality in the United States
- More than 1,000 species of insects are known to be resistant to at least one pesticide
- The "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico, caused by nutrient runoff, averages 5,000 square miles
- 75% of global crop diversity has been lost since 1900 as farmers turn to genetically uniform varieties
- Global warming could reduce agricultural productivity by up to 30% by 2050 in Africa
- Every 1 degree Celsius increase in global temperature reduces wheat yields by 6%
- Agriculture uses 30% of the world's total energy consumption if food processing is included
- Nitrous oxide from fertilizers is 300 times more potent than CO2 for global warming
- Climate change has slowed global agricultural productivity growth by 21% since 1961
- Regenerative agriculture practices can sequester up to 0.5 tons of carbon per hectare per year
- Pollinators like bees contribute to 35% of global crop production by volume
- 40% of the world's insect species are declining, with habitat loss to agriculture cited as a primary cause
- Approximately 24% of the Earth's land has seen declining productivity over the last 25 years
- Ammonia emissions from livestock and fertilizers account for 90% of total ammonia emissions in Europe
- Forest fires started for land clearing in the Amazon increased by 30% in 2020
- Invasive species cost the global agricultural industry $120 billion a year in damages
- Desertification threatens the livelihoods of 1.2 billion people globally
- No-till farming is practiced on about 15% of total global cropland
- Manure management is responsible for about 10% of total agricultural GHG emissions
- Plastic mulching in agriculture creates 6 million tonnes of plastic waste annually
- Ocean acidification due to carbon absorption affects bivalve farming profits by 10-15%
- Dust storms originating from eroded farmland lead to $13 billion in annual health costs
- The cattle industry is responsible for 80% of current deforestation in the Amazon
- Use of cover crops in the US increased by 50% between 2012 and 2017
- Carbon credits for farmers are valued at between $15 and $30 per ton of CO2 sequestered
- 1 in 3 hectares of agricultural land is degraded
- Soil stores three times more carbon than the atmosphere, making it a critical agricultural asset
Environmental Impact and Climate Interpretation
While agriculture currently labors as a heavy-drinking, waste-spewing tenant on our shared planetary home, it holds the spare key—in our living soil—to potentially becoming a sober, rehabilitative caretaker.
Food Security and Waste
- Approximately 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted or lost annually globally
- 828 million people suffered from hunger globally in 2021
- 30-40% of the food supply in the United States is wasted
- Post-harvest losses in developing countries can reach 50% for fruits and vegetables
- 45% of deaths among children under 5 are linked to undernutrition
- Biofuel production uses 15% of global maize production, competing with food supply
- Two-thirds of the world's wasted food is still edible
- Households are responsible for 61% of global food waste
- Reducing food waste by 50% could meet the nutritional needs of world population growth by 2050
- Roughly 2.3 billion people face moderate or severe food insecurity
- Vitamin A deficiency affects 250 million preschool children
- Only 43% of the calories produced by global cropland are consumed by humans directly
- Global demand for food is expected to increase by 70% by 2050
- 14% of the world's food is lost between harvest and retail
- The economic cost of food waste is estimated at $1 trillion per year
- Drought causes 80% of damage and losses in the agricultural sector in low-income countries
- 25% of all food calories in the world are lost or wasted
- Food banks in Europe redistributed 900,000 tonnes of food in 2021
- Iron deficiency affects over 2 billion people, predominantly in agricultural communities
- Per capita food waste in high-income countries is 100kg per year
- 10% of total global greenhouse gas emissions come from food that is produced but not eaten
- Food price volatility has increased by 15% since 2010
- School feeding programs reach 388 million children globally
- Retailers account for 13% of total food waste in developed markets
- The "Hunger Hotspots" report identifies 19 countries at risk of famine in 2023
- Caloric intake per capita has increased globally to 2,900 kcal/day
- 3 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet
- South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa account for 60% of the world's food insecure population
- Use of hermetic storage bags can reduce grain loss to zero for smallholders
- 17% of total global food production is wasted at the retail and consumer levels
Food Security and Waste Interpretation
We are a species that starves amid plenty, meticulously wasting a feast we cannot afford to spare on a planet we cannot afford to waste.
Global Production and Yield
- Global corn production reached 1.2 billion metric tons in the 2021/2022 marketing year
- Wheat production globally totaled approximately 770 million metric tons in 2022
- Rice production is concentrated in Asia, which accounts for 90% of global output
- Soybean yields in the US have increased from 25 bushels per acre in 1960 to over 50 bushels in 2022
- Brazil is the world's largest producer of sugarcane, yielding over 700 million tonnes annually
- Global milk production reached 918 million tonnes in 2021
- The world produces over 340 million tonnes of meat annually
- Aquaculture now accounts for more than 50% of the fish consumed by humans globally
- China produces 50% of the world's vegetables by volume
- Average global cereal yields have increased from 1.5 tonnes per hectare in 1961 to 4.1 tonnes in 2020
- Global egg production has increased by 150% over the last three decades
- Vegetable oil production is led by palm oil, which accounts for 36% of the global total
- Global coffee production fluctuates around 170 million 60-kg bags per year
- The European Union produces roughly 150 million tonnes of sugar beet annually
- Potato production is highest in China and India, making up 38% of global share
- Global cotton production is approximately 25 million metric tons per year
- Fruit production has grown by 54% over the last 20 years
- Poultry is the fastest-growing meat sector with a 16% increase in production projected by 2030
- Cassava production in Africa accounts for roughly 60% of the world total
- Global honey production is estimated at 1.8 million tonnes per year
- Yield gaps in sub-Saharan Africa are the highest in the world, with actual yields at only 20% of potential
- Precision agriculture can increase crop yields by up to 15% through optimized input application
- Hybrid seeds account for 90% of corn planted in developed nations
- Total global grain stocks are projected to hit 600 million metric tons by end of 2023
- Global banana production exceeds 120 million tonnes annually, dominated by India
- Genetically modified crops are grown on 190 million hectares worldwide
- Aquaculture production of seaweed reached 35 million tonnes in 2020
- Fertilizer use efficiency for nitrogen is often less than 50% in cereal production
- Global pulses production has grown to 90 million tonnes annually
- Sheep and goat meat production has seen an 18% increase globaly over the last decade
Global Production and Yield Interpretation
While we've grown mountains of corn and wheat to feed a world demanding more meat, milk, and coffee, the stark reality is that these agricultural triumphs rest on a shaky foundation of inefficiency, widening yield gaps, and an increasingly fragile concentration of key crops in a handful of regions.
Land and Resource Use
- Global agricultural land occupation stands at approximately 4.8 billion hectares
- Approximately 70% of global freshwater withdrawals are used for agriculture
- Livestock grazing occupies about 26% of the terrestrial surface of the planet
- Irrigated agriculture represents 20% of the total cultivated land but contributes 40% of total food produced worldwide
- The United States loses roughly 1.7 billion tons of topsoil annually due to agricultural erosion
- Brazil has increased its cropland area by nearly 5% annually over the last decade
- Organic farming covers 1.6% of the total global agricultural land area as of 2021
- About 33% of the world's soil is moderately to highly degraded due to erosion and chemical pollution
- Nearly 80% of global deforestation is driven by agricultural expansion
- Tropical forests are being cleared at a rate of 10 million hectares per year for commodity crops
- Groundwater depletion for agriculture has increased by 25% since 2000 in the Central Valley of California
- Phosphorus usage in global fertilizers is expected to reach 49 million tonnes by 2024
- Permanent meadows and pastures account for 68% of the world's total agricultural land
- Only 3% of the Earth's water is fresh, and of that, agriculture claims the majority
- Agriculture consumes 92% of the global water footprint including rain and irrigation
- Vertical farming markets are projected to use 95% less water than traditional field farming
- Nitrogen fertilizer application has grown 9-fold globally since 1961
- India utilizes over 90% of its annual groundwater extraction for agricultural purposes
- Arable land per capita has decreased from 0.45 hectares in 1961 to 0.21 hectares in 2020
- China accounts for 30% of global nitrogen fertilizer consumption
- Approximately 11% of the world's land surface is used for crop production
- Salinization affects about 20% of the world's irrigated land, reducing productivity
- Agricultural land in Australia accounts for 58% of the country's total land area
- Pesticide use globally has increased to 4.1 million tonnes per year
- Smallholder farms under 2 hectares operate only 12% of global agricultural land
- More than 1 billion people are employed in the global agricultural sector
- The average age of farmers in the United States is 57.5 years
- Agriculture's share of global GDP is approximately 4%
- Over 500 million small farms worldwide provide up to 80% of food consumed in a large part of the developing world
- Only 1 in 5 farms globally is managed by women despite their high labor contribution
Land and Resource Use Interpretation
The planet endures humanity turning half its skin into farms and most of its blood into irrigation, yet somehow still trusts us with the rest.
Sources & References
- Reference 1FAOfao.orgVisit source
- Reference 2WORLDBANKworldbank.orgVisit source
- Reference 3NRCSnrcs.usda.govVisit source
- Reference 4IBGEibge.gov.brVisit source
- Reference 5STATISTICSstatistics.fibl.orgVisit source
- Reference 6UNEPunep.orgVisit source
- Reference 7WRIwri.orgVisit source
- Reference 8WATERwater.ca.govVisit source
- Reference 9NATIONALGEOGRAPHICnationalgeographic.comVisit source
- Reference 10WATERFOOTPRINTwaterfootprint.orgVisit source
- Reference 11AGRITECTUREagritecture.comVisit source
- Reference 12OURWORLDINDATAourworldindata.orgVisit source
- Reference 13CGWBcgwb.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 14DATAdata.worldbank.orgVisit source
- Reference 15AGRICULTUREagriculture.gov.auVisit source
- Reference 16ILOilo.orgVisit source
- Reference 17NASSnass.usda.govVisit source
- Reference 18IFADifad.orgVisit source
- Reference 19USDAusda.govVisit source
- Reference 20IRRIirri.orgVisit source
- Reference 21CONABconab.gov.brVisit source
- Reference 22INTERNATIONALEGGinternationalegg.comVisit source
- Reference 23OILWORLDoilworld.bizVisit source
- Reference 24ICOico.orgVisit source
- Reference 25AGRICULTUREagriculture.ec.europa.euVisit source
- Reference 26CIPOTATOcipotato.orgVisit source
- Reference 27ICACicac.orgVisit source
- Reference 28OECD-ILIBRARYoecd-ilibrary.orgVisit source
- Reference 29YIELDGAPyieldgap.orgVisit source
- Reference 30PRECISIONSAGprecisionsag.comVisit source
- Reference 31ISAAAisaaa.orgVisit source
- Reference 32IGCigc.intVisit source
- Reference 33NATUREnature.comVisit source
- Reference 34IPCCipcc.chVisit source
- Reference 35EPAepa.govVisit source
- Reference 36PANNApanna.orgVisit source
- Reference 37NOAAnoaa.govVisit source
- Reference 38PNASpnas.orgVisit source
- Reference 39RODALEINSTITUTErodaleinstitute.orgVisit source
- Reference 40BIOLOGICALCONSERVATIONbiologicalconservation.comVisit source
- Reference 41UNCCDunccd.intVisit source
- Reference 42EEAeea.europa.euVisit source
- Reference 43INPEinpe.brVisit source
- Reference 44CABIcabi.orgVisit source
- Reference 45UNun.orgVisit source
- Reference 46YALEFORESTFORUMyaleforestforum.orgVisit source
- Reference 47ECOSYSTEMMARKETPLACEecosystemmarketplace.comVisit source
- Reference 48WTOwto.orgVisit source
- Reference 49ERSers.usda.govVisit source
- Reference 50OECDoecd.orgVisit source
- Reference 51FAIRTRADEfairtrade.netVisit source
- Reference 52OTAota.comVisit source
- Reference 53GRANDVIEWRESEARCHgrandviewresearch.comVisit source
- Reference 54UN-ILIBRARYun-ilibrary.orgVisit source
- Reference 55STATISTAstatista.comVisit source
- Reference 56MORDORINTELLIGENCEmordorintelligence.comVisit source
- Reference 57EMERGENRESEARCHemergenresearch.comVisit source
- Reference 58AGFUNDERagfunder.comVisit source
- Reference 59GAPKIgapki.idVisit source
- Reference 60KENYAFLOWERCOUNCILkenyaflowercouncil.orgVisit source
- Reference 61IFPRIifpri.orgVisit source
- Reference 62OIVoiv.intVisit source
- Reference 63WHOwho.intVisit source
- Reference 64UNICEFunicef.orgVisit source
- Reference 65IEAiea.orgVisit source
- Reference 66IOPSCIENCEiopscience.iop.orgVisit source
- Reference 67EUROFOODBANKeurofoodbank.orgVisit source
- Reference 68WWFwwf.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 69WFPwfp.orgVisit source
- Reference 70WRAPwrap.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 71PURDUEpurdue.eduVisit source