FAO's work on energy
Energy is needed at every stage of agrifood systems. Producing the world’s food and getting it from farm to fork accounts for about 30 percent of global energy consumption and contributes to 31 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
Feeding
a global population of nearly 10 billion by 2050, while not exceeding the 1.5 degrees threshold of global warming, requires a radical transformation of our agrifood systems to make them more efficient, sustainable and resilient. Decarbonization
by mid-century is simply not possible without considering energy used in agrifood systems.
FAO works closely with governments and partners to increase access to innovative, green energy solutions and transition towards Energy-Smart Agrifood Systems.
Download the brochure to learn more about our work on energy-smart agrifood systems.
Facts and figures
Agrifood systems use about 30 percent of globally available energy. (IRENA and FAO, 2021)
Agrifood systems contribute about 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, mainly due to reliance on fossil fuels. (IRENA and FAO, 2021)
70 percent of energy consumed in agrifood systems occurs after farmgate, on transportation, processing, packaging, shipping, storage and marketing. (IRENA and FAO, 2021)
30 percent of the global population lacks access to stable and sustainable energy for cooking and heating. (World Bank, 2025)
666 million people do not have access to electricity. (World Bank, 2025)
2.1 billion people lack access to clean cooking facilities, relying instead on traditional biomass (e.g., solid biomass, kerosene or coal) with adverse effects on health, the environment and economic development. (World Bank, 2025)
Approximately one-third of the food we produce is lost or wasted (UNEP 2023 and FAO 2024), and with it around 38 percent of energy consumed in agrifood systems. (FAO, 2014)
526 million tonnes of food are lost or wasted due to lack of refrigeration. (UNEP and FAO, 2022)
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