UN Warns Smarter Land, Water Use Needed to Feed 10B by 2050
The agency said more than 60% of human-induced land degradation now occurs on agricultural land.
An aerial view of the ruins of houses and buildings of the sunken village of Kallio of Phocis, Greece as the water level of the Mornos artificial lake dropped due to drought on November 2, 2025. Photo by Anadolu Images.
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he UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned Monday that the world must make “bold and smarter choices” in managing land, soil and water if it is to feed a projected global population of 10 billion by 2050.
Releasing its latest State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture (SOLAW 2025) report, the agency said these core resources are finite and under growing pressure, calling for urgent action to safeguard global food security “now and in the decades ahead.”
According to the report, an estimated 673 million people experienced hunger in 2024, while many regions faced severe and recurrent food emergencies driven by conflict, climate shocks and economic instability.
Rising demand as global population nears 10 billion
FAO warned that pressure on food systems will intensify sharply as the global population climbs toward 9.7 billion by 2050, requiring agriculture to produce 50% more food, feed and fiber than in 2012, along with 25% more freshwater.
Meeting that demand, however, is increasingly difficult. The report noted that over the last 60 years global agricultural output tripled, even though agricultural land expanded by just 8%. But this growth came “at high environmental and social costs.”
The agency said more than 60% of human-induced land degradation now occurs on agricultural land. Expanding farmland by converting forests or fragile ecosystems is “no longer viable,” it warned, given the escalating toll on biodiversity, soil health and water resources.
Smarter production needed, not simply more
FAO said the world still has the potential to sustainably feed up to 10.3 billion people by 2085, but only if countries adopt more efficient, climate-resilient and environmentally sound practices.
“Future productivity gains must come from smarter, not simply more, production,” the report said.
Recommended priorities include, closing yield gaps by raising productivity in underperforming regions, diversifying into resilient crop varieties suited to shifting climate patterns, strengthening soil health and water efficiency and adopting locally-tailored, resource-efficient farming techniques.
“There is no single pathway and no one-size-fits-all solution,” FAO stressed, urging countries to build coherent policies, invest in innovation and improve governance of land and water systems.
Climate crisis reshaping global agriculture
FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said rising climate impacts, worsening droughts, and ecosystem degradation are dramatically reshaping global food production.
“With the climate crisis reshaping global agriculture, the choices we make today for the management of land and water resources will determine how we meet current and future demands while protecting the world for generations to come,” he said.
The agency called for scaling up sustainable financing mechanisms, better risk management tools and more equitable access to land and water—warning that failure to act will deepen hunger, increase economic losses and accelerate environmental decline.
(Source: Anadolu Agency)
