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A sweeping new global survey has revealed deep financial and environmental pressures facing farmers across continents, with many reporting worsening incomes, unfair pricing, and mounting climate-driven production losses.

The Voice of the Farmer 2026 survey, conducted by the agricultural knowledge platform Wikifarmer, collected responses from 10,234 farmers across 158 countries between November 2025 and March 2026. It is the largest international survey of farmers ever conducted.

Key findings of the study include unfair pricing; 51.1% of respondents said they do not receive fair prices for their produce. Regarding income, 45.1% reported lower net income than last year, with 24.1% describing it as “much worse.” Only 9.4% saw significant improvement.

The report highlights regional disparities. Europe recorded the steepest income decline (55.7%), compared with Oceania (27.1%), South Asia (44.1%), and Africa (43.4%).

Regarding climate-related losses, 83% of respondents reported losing part of their production to weather or pests; 25.2% lost more than a quarter of their output. Drought was the most damaging hazard, causing severe losses for 37.4% of affected farmers, followed by heat, flooding, storms, and frost.

The study also highlighted the extent of government support for farmers. Nearly half (47.7%) rated their government’s support at the lowest possible level, with only 13% giving positive ratings.

Over one-third reported high stress, with the highest rates among farmers aged 41–50. Larger farms (50+ hectares) reported higher stress than smaller holdings. 

Farmers selling directly online were 35% less likely to report a decline in income, making digital sales the strongest protective factor identified.

“This survey suggests the pressures reshaping agriculture are broader and more complex than many assume,” said Georgios Myrisis, lead researcher and agronomist at Wikifarmer. “Across regions and farm sizes, large numbers of farmers told us they do not feel fairly paid for what they produce. That should be the starting point for serious conversations about the future of food systems.”

Among respondents, 81.9% were full-time farmers, 54.5% worked five hectares or less, and Africa contributed the largest share of responses (38%), followed by Europe (22.1%), Latin America (18.7%), and South Asia (15.9%). The top contributing countries were Pakistan, France, Algeria, Uganda, and Mexico.

The findings highlight a profession under sustained strain, as climate hazards and economic pressures converge to threaten livelihoods. They also challenge assumptions about resilience, showing that larger farms are not necessarily more secure and that direct-to-consumer sales may offer a lifeline.