What it is
FAOSTAT is the Food and Agriculture Organization's flagship statistical platform, providing global time series data on food security, agricultural production, trade, land use, inputs, and agrifood emissions for 245+ countries dating back to 1961. The database is freely accessible and downloadable in multiple formats, serving as the foundational data source for most quantitative work in agriculture and food policy.
Why we picked this
FAOSTAT data underpins the IPCC's finding that agriculture alone can mitigate 4.1 GtCO2-eq/yr at under 100 USD/tCO2-eq, with soil carbon sequestration adding 2-5 GtCO2/yr in potential. This is not a niche database: it is the statistical foundation for global food system analysis. Any serious claim about agricultural emissions, yields, or land use ultimately traces back to FAO data.
Key takeaways
- FAOSTAT covers 245+ countries and territories with time series data extending back to 1961, enabling long-term trend analysis across the global food system.
- The agrifood emissions database tracks farm-gate, land-use change, and pre/post-production emissions, providing the most comprehensive view of food system climate impact.
- All data is freely downloadable in CSV, Excel, and API formats, making it accessible for researchers, journalists, and policymakers worldwide.