Data or statistical facts on the situation and perspectives of agri-food systems and the impact of policies
Around 3.4 billion people, 45 percent of the global population, live in rural areas of developing countries, and most depend on smallholder farms for their livelihoods and sustenance (IFAD, n.d.).
Food value chains support 800 million livelihoods, mostly in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture (Blue Food Assessment, 2021).
Agriculture accounts for 4 percent of the global gross domestic producto (GDP) and in some least developing countries it can account for more than 25 percent of GDP (Blue Food Assessment, 2021).
86% of endangered species, or 24,000 out of 28,000, are threatened by agriculture, which is the main driver of biodiversity loss.
43% of the world's agricultural labor force is made up of women, who play key roles in food production, processing, marketing and consumption.
Nearly 6 billion people use non-timber forest products (FAO, 2024).
15% increased wood use efficiency between 1961 and 2022 (FAO, 2024).
90% of the 608 million agricultural farms worldwide are family farms (FAO, 2024).
Between 4.3 and 20.2 trillion USD are estimated to be the annual economic losses linked to ecosystem degradation (FAO, 2024).
Between 340 and 370 million hectares of the Earth's surface are affected annually by fires (FAO, 2024).
