Data or statistical facts on the situation and perspectives of agri-food systems and the impact of policies
60% of total agri-food emissions come from the demand for animal-based diets (Sutton, Lotsch & Prasann, 2024).
36 kg of beef per person per year is consumed in North America, four times the world average of 9 kg (Sutton, Lotsch & Prasann, 2024).
46% of agri-food emissions in high-income countries come from out-of-production processes, compared to 35% in middle-income countries and 6% in low-income countries (Sutton, Lotsch & Prasann, 2024).
85 gigatons of CO₂ could be sequestered with efficient land use, equivalent to more than 1.5 years of global emissions, with no negative economic impact (Sutton, Lotsch & Prasann, 2024).
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).
USD 4.3 trillion in 2030 could be generated in health, economic and environmental benefits by investing in low-emission agriculture and land-use transformation, with a 16 to 1 return on costs (Sutton, Lotsch & Prasann, 2024).
USD 20 trillion per year, almost 20% of world GDP, is the cost of negative externalities of the global food system, including impacts not directly perceived by their generators (Sutton, Lotsch & Prasann, 2024).
64% of total employment in low-income countries is in the agrifood sector, compared to 39% in middle-income countries and 11% in high-income countries (Sutton, Lotsch & Prasann, 2024).
15 % emissions could be reduced by reducing fertilizer use or adopting organic agriculture, but this could also reduce agricultural production by 5 %, increase food prices by 13 % and make healthy diets more expensive by 10 % (Sutton, Lotsch & Prasann, 2024).
18-fold increase in annual investments, reaching USD 260 billion, will be required to halve food system emissions by 2030 (Sutton, Lotsch & Prasann, 2024).
