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Forests, not conflict, new FAO report highlights their crucial role in agriculture
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Saturday, 29 November, 2025, 15 : 00 PM [IST]
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Belem, Brazil
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At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, FAO unveiled a powerful new report affirming that forests and trees are not in opposition to farming rather, they underlie agricultural success. The jointly published “climate and ecosystem service benefits of forests and trees for agriculture” brings together data and analysis from global research, underscoring how forests deliver vital ecosystem services that boost crop productivity, stabilise climate, and support rural livelihoods.
Far from being mere backdrops to agriculture, forests actively regulate climate: they moderate temperatures, sustain rainfall, regulate water cycles, and maintain soil health all essential for agriculture. The report warns that deforestation undermines these functions, jeopardizing food security and water supply in large parts of the world.
As summed up by Zhimin Wu, FAO’s forestry director, “Forests and trees are often seen as competing with farming for land, or being peripheral to agriculture, but conserving and restoring forests is in fact crucial to boosting agricultural productivity.”
The consequences of forest loss are stark. In tropical regions, converting forests to farmland can reduce evapotranspiration by up to 30%, leading to rising land-surface temperatures and disrupted rainfall patterns directly hitting crop yields.
More broadly, the report calls for integrated landscape approaches combining sustainable forest conservation, agroforestry practices (such as shelter belts or buffer forests), water-cycle management, and climate-adapted farming — to build resilient agrifood systems able to withstand climate volatility.
With global agriculture facing mounting pressures from climate change, erratic rainfall, and rising temperatures, the report argues that forests are not optional extras but foundational infrastructure for sustainable food systems. For policymakers, investors, and farmers, the message is clear: protecting and restoring forests is not a trade-off with agriculture it’s a long-term investment in food security, rural livelihoods, and climate resilience.
As COP30 continues, this evidence-rich perspective makes a compelling case for rethinking forest-and-farmland dynamics, putting ecosystems back at the heart of agricultural strategy worldwide.
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