Agriculture's Major Impact on Planet

 
STATISTA: Agriculture's Major Impact Upon the Planet

by Anna Fleck,

 Oct 15, 2024

Over the centuries, agriculture has transformed the face of our planet. According to figures published by WWF in its “Living Planet 2024” report, around 40 percent of all habitable land is now used for agricultural purposes, of which around 70 percent is used for livestock grazing alone. It is estimated that over 80 percent of the world's agricultural land is used to feed livestock.

On a global scale, the impact of agriculture on the environment weighs heavily. Food production is the main cause of the destruction of terrestrial habitats, leading to the loss of biodiversity worldwide. It is estimated that 90 percent of tropical deforestation results from the conversion of forests to farmland, and that as a result, over 80 percent of threatened terrestrial bird and mammal species are threatened by habitat loss due to agricultural activities. In addition, agriculture is by far the largest consumer of water on Earth. Today, 70 percent of the world's freshwater withdrawals are absorbed by agricultural production, mainly for irrigation, the application of pesticides and fertilizers, and livestock breeding.

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STATISTA: Where Eating Local is Considered Important

by Katharina Buchholz,

 Oct 16, 2024

According to the United Nations, global food systems as well as food packaging and distribution are responsible for more than a third of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. In order to limit the impact on the environment, the UN recommends consuming more foods of plant origin, which are less resource-intensive than those of animal origin, and to buy products produced locally to restrict emissions linked to transportation.

According to a survey carried out by Statista Consumer Insights between July 2023 and June 2024 in 21 countries, around one in four consumers cited the regionality of products among the most important criteria when purchasing food (several answers possible among 16 criteria). The Swiss as well as Austrians are the most inclined to turn to local products (45 percent cited this aspect as important), followed by Germans (38 percent), the French (34 percent) and Italians (32 percent).

Conversely, the regionality of food products seems to be of much less importance for American and Chinese consumers: Only 10 percent of them said regionality was important for their purchasing decisions. However, beside perception of importance, there are several other factors that have an influence on the purchase of regional foods, for example price and availability.

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