Source  NATURE REVIEWS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT

Published  APR 2025

DOI: 10.1038/s43017-025-00652-3

IF  71.5

Abstract

The prevalence ofcropinsect pests, which damage crops and reduce their yield, is increasing globally owing tochangesinclimateandlanduse, posing a threat to food security. In this Review, we synthesize evidence on how tropical, temperate, migratory and soilcroppests respond tochangesinclimate,landuse and agricultural practices. In general,croppests are responding to warming with expanded geographic ranges, advanced phenological events and increased number of reproductive generations per year. Increasedpestdamage under warming is projected to exacerbate yield losses of 46%, 19% and 31% under 2 degrees C warming for wheat, rice and maize, respectively. Pests at mid-high latitudes respond more positively to warming than those in the tropics. Moderate drought can increasepestdamage to crops owing to enhanced feeding on plants as a water source and decreased resilience of plants and natural enemies of pests. Increased precipitation reduces small pests through washing them away, but favours pests in general through buffering thermal-hydro stresses.Landuse change, such as deforestation and conversion to cropland, enhances warming and reduces biodiversity, leading to enhancedcropdamage. Agricultural intensification, particularly fertilization and irrigation, increases the quality and quantity of host plants and buffers pests from environmental extremes, favouring proliferation. Globalization of trade networks increasespestinvasions, with associated damage exceeding US $423 billion in 2019. Future research should examine the mechanisms underlyingchangesinpeststatus and develop monitoring and prediction systems to inform management approaches.