The State of THE WORLD’S LAND AND WATER RESOURCES FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE 2025

Chapter 1 Challenges for land and water resources

Biodiversity loss

Biodiversity supports essential ecological processes that underpin agriculture. Loss of pollinators, natural pest control agents and soil organisms can lead to reduced crop yields and increased vulnerability to pests and diseases. For instance, a decline in pollinators can directly impact the production of many crops. Healthy soils, maintained by soil biodiversity, are crucial for water regulation and food production potential; loss of soil biodiversity can lead to soil degradation and reduced water retention. Unsustainable agricultural practices themselves contribute to biodiversity loss and can degrade land, further impacting productivity. Loss of biodiversity exacerbates the current trend for a growing dependence of global food production on a limited number of crop species. While more than 6 000 plant species have been cultivated for food, fewer than 200 make substantial contributions to global food output, with just 9 accounting for 66 percent of total crop production in 2014 (FAO, 2019).

This flagship publication is part of The State of the World series of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Required citation:
FAO. 2025. The State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture 2025 – The potential to produce more and better.
Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd7488en

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VIET NAM. A lone farmer walks between rice paddy fields in Yen Bai.