FAO Launches 2024 Statistical Yearbook Highlighting Global Agrifood Trends
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has unveiled its 2024 Statistical Yearbook, a comprehensive report that sheds light on the critical trends and challenges shaping global agrifood systems.
Released to coincide with African Statistics Day, the yearbook offers valuable insights into issues such as climate change, food insecurity, rising obesity rates, and environmental pressures on agriculture.
Structured into four thematic chapters, the report examines:
– The economic dimensions of agriculture.
– Production, trade, and pricing of commodities.
– Food security and nutrition.
– Sustainability and environmental impacts of agricultural practices.
Key Findings:
- Global Agricultural Growth:
The agricultural sector’s value has risen by 89% in real terms over the past two decades, reaching $3.8 trillion in 2022. However, agriculture’s share of global economic output has remained stable, while its workforce shrank from 40% in 2000 to 26% in 2022.
- Persistent Hunger and Rising Obesity:
Between 713 and 757 million people were undernourished in 2023, with Asia housing the largest number and Africa exhibiting the highest prevalence. Meanwhile, obesity has surged, affecting over 25% of adults in high-income regions like the Americas, Europe, and Oceania.
- Expanding Agricultural Production:
– Primary crop production grew by 56% between 2000 and 2022, reaching 9.6 billion tonnes.
– Meat production increased by 55% during the same period, with chicken surpassing pork as the most produced meat.
– Vegetable oil production, driven largely by palm oil, soared by 133%.
- Rising Environmental Pressures:
– Pesticide use increased by 70%, with the Americas accounting for half of global consumption.
– Inorganic fertilizer use reached 185 million tonnes in 2022, up 37% from 2000.
– Greenhouse gas emissions from agrifood systems rose by 10%, with livestock contributing 54%.
– Water scarcity is a growing threat in arid regions, particularly in the Near East and North Africa.
New Data and Features
The 2024 edition introduces country-level estimates of employment in agrifood systems and a new dataset on dietary patterns. “This yearbook reflects FAO’s commitment to providing timely and accurate data to inform policies,” said José Rosero Moncayo, FAO Chief Statistician.
The yearbook is available in both digital and interactive formats and is complemented by a pocketbook for quick reference. It aligns with FAO’s broader effort to enhance data accessibility, supplementing the FAOSTAT platform, which hosts agricultural data from over 245 countries and territories.
This comprehensive resource is designed to guide policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders in addressing the global challenges facing food and agriculture. As FAO emphasizes, reliable statistics are indispensable for crafting solutions to ensure a sustainable future for agrifood systems.