Conclusion
To measure this, the report applies a debt-based approach, comparing current values of three key indicators—soil organic carbon, soil erosion, and soil water—against conditions that would exist without human activity under native or natural states.
These data are processed through a machine-learning model that integrates environmental and socio-economic drivers of change to estimate the land’s baseline condition in the absence of human interference.
In terms of the human toll of land degradation, the report estimates that around 1.7 billion people worldwide live in areas where crop yields are 10 percent lower due to human-induced land degradation.
Of these, 47 million are children under 5 years of age who are suffering from stunting. In absolute numbers, Asian countries are the most affected—both because of their accumulated degradation debt and their high population densities.
Yet, the report also offers hope: reversing just 10 percent of human-induced degradation on existing croplands (for example by adopting sustainable land management practices such as crop rotations and cover cropping to preserve soil health, reduce erosion and contribute to biodiversity) could restore enough production to feed an additional 154 million people every year.
These figures are not abstract, they represent real opportunities to strengthen food security, ease pressure on natural ecosystems, and build more resilient agrifood systems.
To achieve this, SOFA 2025 calls for integrated land-use strategies and policy interventions—including regulatory measures like deforestation controls, incentive-based programs and cross-compliance mechanisms that link subsidies to environmental outcomes.
Land degradation affects farms of all sizes. However, the report highlights that policies must be tailored to farm structure, since smallholders face distinct financial constraints compared to larger farms, which manage most land and have greater capacity for scaled implementation.
Policies tailored to countries’ specific farm distribution and associated challenges and opportunities reduce land degradation by incentivizing sustainable farming practices and discouraging deforestation and overgrazing.
FAO’s role
The international community has recognized land degradation as a critical global challenge, with more than 130 countries pledging to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
FAO is at the forefront of efforts to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation through data, policy guidance, and on-the-ground initiatives.
As the custodian agency for SDG Indicator 2 (Zero Hunger), FAO monitors and updates the global distribution of agroecological yield gaps using its Global Agro-Ecological Zoning (GAEZ v5) system–which is used in this report. It also provides critical soil health data through the FAO Global Soil Organic Carbon Map (GSOC Map).
“In 2025, FAO is reaffirming its commitment to sustainable land management. This edition of The State of Food and Agriculture is part of this commitment to provide a comprehensive evidence base to guide policy, investment and action at all levels,” the director-general wrote. FAO News
