This finding is consistent with the trend that people in all regions of the world have been eating more calories since 2000, with the highest spike in Asian countries in 2021.
Europe and North America consumed the most calories last year – at 3,540 per day – while African countries consumed the least: 2,600. Oceania’s calories are closest to that of the United States and Europe, at around 3,150.
The heater is on
Data from the United Nations agency also shows that the average temperature in 2021 is 1.4 degrees Celsius warmer than 1951-1980.
Europe experienced the highest temperature change, followed by Asia, while Oceania reported the lowest temperature change to date.
The FAO says greenhouse gas emissions on farmland also fell by 4% between 2000 and 2020, with 70% being generated from farms.
Rice leads to emissions
The UN agency’s 2022 Statistical Yearbook also notes that while cattle emit about 50 times more carbon dioxide than chickens, growing rice releases five times more carbon into the atmosphere than rice. wheat and coarse grains.
Based on data from more than 20,000 indicators covering more than 245 countries and territories, the FAO data processing tool found that 866 million people work in the agricultural sector today.
rich harvest
That number accounts for more than a quarter of the global labor market and its value is $3.6 trillion; compared with 2000, this represents “a 78% increase in economic value, driven by 16% fewer people producing, with Africa having twice the growth rate”, the UN agency said.
Since 2000, production of major crops such as sugarcane, corn, wheat and rice has increased by 52% from 2000 to 2020, reaching 9.3 billion tons.
Vegetable oil production increased by 125% during that period, with palm oil production increasing by 236%. Meat production, led by chicken, increased by 45%, while vegetables and fruits grew by 20% or less.
Of the many FAO-provided facts that can be visualized in a pub quiz, sugarcane is the world’s largest harvested crop by volume, with 1.9 million tonnes annually. Next is corn, at 1.2 million tons.
A farmer plants rice in a rice field in the Philippines.
international take away
Additionally, global food exports have grown to $1.42 trillion, a 3.7-fold increase since the turn of the century.
Worldwide, the largest food exporting countries overall are the US, the Netherlands and China. The largest net exporters – those that export more than they import – are by far Brazil, followed by Argentina and Spain. The largest net importers are China, Japan and the UK.
An astounding 4.74 billion hectares of the planet’s surface is farmland, including grasslands and pastures, as well as crops.
However, the total area used for farming has decreased by 3% since 2000, and that is six times lower than per capita than at the turn of the century, with Africa once again leading the way.
old recipe
FAO data experts also note that worldwide pesticide use peaked in 2012 and began to decline in 2017. Countries with the highest levels of pesticide use per hectare are Saint Lucia, Maldives and Oman.
