This publication offers a synthesis of the major factors at play in the global food and agricultural landscape. Statistics are presented in four thematic chapters, covering the economic importance of agricultural activities, inputs, outputs and factors of production, their implications for food security and nutrition and their impacts on the environment. The Yearbook is meant to constitute a primary tool for policy makers, researchers and analysts, as well as the general public interested in the past, present and future path of food and agriculture.

This pocketbook presents, at a glance, selected key indicators on agriculture and food security, and is meant to serve as an easy-to- access and quick reference for all stakeholders and partners involved in policy formulation or decision making processes. The indicators are presented in two sections, one thematic and one country-specific; they are organized along four main themes: 1) The setting, which measures the state of the agricultural resource base by assessing the supply of land, labour, capital and inputs; 2) Hunger dimensions, to gauge the state of food insecurity and malnutrition, and highlight the four dimensions - availability, access, stability and utilization - that determine the scale of hunger and the shape of undernourishment; 3) Food supply, which evaluates the past and present productive capacity of world agriculture, together with the role of trade, in meeting the world's demand for food, feed and other products; 4) Environment, which examines the sustainability of agriculture in the context of the pressure it exerts on its ecological surroundings. The pocketbook is part of FAO's efforts to support national, regional and international partners in improving the availability of high quality and timely data, in view of sustainable agricultural development and zero hunger.