Data or statistical facts on the situation and perspectives of agri-food systems and the impact of policies
43 million cattle and 14 million sheep in intensive systems depend on pasture for their feed (UNCCD, 2024).
50% of the Earth's land surface is covered by grasslands, which consist of grasses, herbaceous plants and shrubs, and are used as grazing by livestock and wildlife (UNCCD, 2024).
0.65 or less is the aridity index of many drylands where grasslands are located, characterized by water scarcity (UNCCD, 2024).
16% of world food production and 70% of food for domestic herbivores comes from grasslands, mainly in Africa and South America (UNCCD, 2024).
10% of the world's meat production comes from pastoralism, which is practiced in more than 100 countries and supports 200 million households (UNCCD, 2024).
25% of the world's beef supply and 10% of the world's milk supply come from South America (UNCCD, 2024).
14 million hectares of natural ecosystems have been replaced by pasture and cropland since 2010, encroaching on indigenous territories and protected areas (UNCCD, 2024).
33.3 million heads of beef cattle and 3 million heads of dairy cattle are in Mexico (UNCCD, 2024).
97 million hectares of rangeland expanded between 2001 and 2013, surpassing the expansion of cropland (44 million hectares) (UNCCD, 2024).
67 million square kilometres of grasslands, representing 45% of the world's land surface, are used for livestock production, with almost half in drylands (UNCCD, 2024).
