Land degradation driven by human activity is undermining agricultural productivity, rural livelihoods, and food security, according to The State of Food and Agriculture 2025, released on 3 November 2025. The report, titled "Addressing land degradation across landholding scales” estimates that 1.7 billion people live in areas where crop yields have fallen by at least 10 percent due to human-induced land degradation.

The publication shows that deforestation, overgrazing and intensive cropping are degrading the world’s productive land base, threatening rural livelihoods and ecosystems. FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu described land restoration as "a critical, non-negotiable investment in our future ability to feed a growing population”.

The State of Food and Agriculture 2025 offers the most comprehensive global assessment to date of how human-driven land degradation affects crop yields, poverty and food insecurity. It highlights that 85 percent of the world’s 579 million farms are under 2 hectares, yet they manage only 9 percent of global agricultural land. 

In contrast, 0.1 percent of farms exceeding 1 000 hectares cultivate nearly half of all farmland. The report concludes that supporting smallholders to sustainably increase productivity is essential, but tackling land degradation at scale will also require action from large commercial farms.

The report calls for integrated land-use planning, stronger governance frameworks, and policies that incentivize restoration while preventing further degradation.

At the launch event, representatives from different countries underscored the central role of land restoration in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to FAO, H.E. Raed bin Mohammed Al Thukair noted, "The future of our food depends on the future of our land".

H.E. Jhenifer María Mojica Flórez, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Colombia to FAO stressed that improved land tenure and governance, including providing titles to 2 million hectares, has been critical for incentivizing sustainable agriculture.

Barron J. Orr, Chief Scientist at UNCCD also praised the report for reframing land degradation "through a scale lens”, while David Laborde, Director of the Agrifood Economics and Policy Division at FAO, stressed the need to align short-term incentives with the long-term value of soil health, warning that “land is a long-term asset, but short-term gains drive decisions”.