State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2025 Report

• 08 Nov 2025

Why in News?  

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has released the State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2025 report titled “Addressing Land Degradation Across Landholding Scales”. 

Key Points 

• Key Findings: 
  • Global Cropland Decline: Around 20% of global croplands show declining productivity due to soil erosion, nutrient depletion, and loss of organic carbon. 
  • Regional Impact: Asia and Africa are the most affected, with severe yield gaps (up to 70% below potential levels) in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. 
  • India’s Status: India recorded one of the highest yield gaps globally, attributed to land misuse and declining soil fertility. 
  • Key Drivers: Deforestation (90% of forest loss), monocropping, excessive fertilizer use, unsustainable irrigation, and poor soil management. 
• Land Degradation: 
  • Land degradation is defined as the long-term decline in land’s ability to provide essential ecosystem services, caused by natural processes and human actions like deforestation, overgrazing, and unsustainable irrigation. 
• Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN): 
  • It refers to a global goal aimed at ensuring that the amount and quality of land resources remain stable or improve over time. 
  • The concept was adopted under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 2015 as part of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15.3. 
  • Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Hierarchy: Avoid > Reduce > Reverse land degradation- a core FAO principle to restore ecological balance.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 

• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was established in 1945. 
• It is headquartered in Rome, Italy. 
• It functions as a specialized agency of the United Nations. 
• It has 194 member countries, including the European Union. 
• It aims to end hunger, improve nutrition, ensure food security, and promote sustainable agriculture.  
• Flagship Reports: 
  • State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 
  • State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 
  • State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) 
  • State of the World’s Forests (SOFO) 
• India and FAO: India is a founding member; FAO supports India’s National Food Security Mission, Soil Health Card Scheme, and Sustainable Land Management initiatives.