Land degradation threatens food security: key messages for Latin America and the Caribbean

The 2025 edition of The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) addresses one of the most urgent challenges facing the world’s agrifood systems: land degradation. The report shows that this phenomenon—driven mainly by human activities such as deforestation, agricultural expansion, intensive input use, and unsustainable farming practices—threatens productivity, food security, and ecosystem resilience worldwide.

Globally, 1.7 billion people live in areas where soil degradation is reducing agricultural yields, with direct impacts on poverty, nutrition, and rural livelihoods. Although land degradation affects countries at all income levels, its impacts are uneven: in regions dominated by smallholders with limited resources, yield gaps widen, while in more intensive agricultural systems, excessive input use temporarily masks soil damage but increases environmental and economic costs in the long term. 

The report also presents new data on the structure and distribution of agricultural holdings, showing that while 85 percent of the world’s farms are smaller than 2 hectares, nearly half of global agricultural land is concentrated in a very small number of large-scale holdings. This landscape highlights the need for differentiated policies according to farm size, alongside strategic investments, secure land tenure, and mechanisms that align private incentives with public benefits. 

Three key messages for Latin America and the Caribbean from SOFA 2025 

1. High land concentration and predominance of large holdings Latin America and the Caribbean accounts for only 2.8 percent of the world’s agricultural holdings yet stands out for the presence of large units that concentrate a significant share of agricultural land. This reflects a highly unequal structure that influences soil degradation and opportunities to adopt sustainable practices. 
2. Massive deforestation Between 2001 and 2023, the region increased its cropland area by 25 million hectares but lost 85 million hectares of forest—one of the highest figures worldwide. Agricultural expansion continues to be a key driver of deforestation, particularly in tropical areas of high environmental value.
3. Increase in average farm size Unlike other regions where farms are becoming smaller, in Latin America the average farm size has increased over the past two decades, reflecting processes of concentration and consolidation that affect land governance, access to resources, and rural inequality. 

In this context, SOFA 2025 stresses that reversing land degradation in Latin America and the Caribbean is an essential condition for ensuring food security, protecting ecosystems, and reducing rural inequalities. Moving toward more sustainable agrifood systems requires strengthening policies for restoration and sustainable soil management, land-use zoning and territorial planning, halting deforestation, promoting resilient production practices, and ensuring more equitable access to land—with special attention to smallholders, Indigenous Peoples, and rural communities.