(MENAFN) A recent report by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Monday highlighted that providing sustenance for a projected 10 billion people by 2050 will demand "bold and smarter choices in how the world manages its land, soil and water."

The publication, State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture (SOLAW 2025), emphasized that these natural resources are limited and must be protected to guarantee global food security "now and in the decades ahead."

According to the report, around 673 million individuals faced hunger in 2024, while numerous regions continue to endure severe and recurring food crises.

"These pressures will intensify as the global population approaches 9.7 billion by 2050, requiring agriculture to produce 50 percent more food, feed and fibre than in 2012, alongside 25 percent more freshwater," it added.

However, addressing this growing demand will be increasingly difficult. Over the last six decades, worldwide agricultural output "tripled" with only an 8% increase in farmland, but this came at "high environmental and social costs."

The report noted that over 60% of human-driven land degradation happens on agricultural terrain, stressing that converting forests or fragile ecosystems into farmland is "no longer viable."

The FAO proposed science-backed strategies to manage land, soil, and water more sustainably.

It indicated that the planet could support up to 10.3 billion people by 2085, but achieving this will depend on production methods and the environmental and social consequences they entail.

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