Data or statistical facts on the situation and perspectives of agri-food systems and the impact of policies
December 31, 2020 represents the cutoff date from which the regulation applies to deforestation and forest degradation that occurred thereafter (Sarmiento, 2025).
0.5 hectares as minimum area, trees higher than 5 metres and canopy cover of more than 10% define the technical criteria to classify land as forest under the European Deforestation Regulation (Sarmiento, 2025).
75% of the genetic diversity of traditional Latin American crops has been lost in the last century, evidencing the importance of germplasm banks and in-situ conservation strategies to preserve adaptation options to climate change (Velásquez, A., 2025).
38% of global agrobiodiversity is found in Latin America, a region that has contributed fundamental crops such as corn, potato, cocoa, tomato, avocado, and many others to global food, constituting a strategic asset to face climate change (Velásquez, A., 2025).
62.7% of bird species and 77.7% of mammals gain habitat from the abandonment of cropland, but 74.2% and 86.3% would have benefited even more in the absence of recultivation.
3 ecosystems at risk from agricultural pollution in Trinidad and Tobago: coral reefs, beaches and mangroves of Caroni and Nariva (Govia & Roopnarine, 2024).
80% of deforestation, 70% of biodiversity loss and 70% of freshwater use are caused by food systems (WWF, 2022).
More than 3,000 protected areas and 250 million hectares of productive landscapes have been strengthened or intervened by UNDP's global biodiversity program since 2000.
86% of endangered species, or 24,000 out of 28,000, are threatened by agriculture, which is the main driver of biodiversity loss.
USD 329 billion annually could be generated with climate-smart practices, ensuring food security until 2050 without affecting biodiversity and carbon (Sutton, Lotsch & Prasann, 2024).
