The article discusses the global burden of pathogens and pests on major food crops, including wheat, rice, maize, potato, and soybean. The authors conducted an expert-based assessment to provide numerical estimates of yield losses associated with 137 pathogens and pests for these crops. The results show that the highest yield losses (21.5% to 30.0%) are associated with food-deficit regions with fast-growing populations and emerging or re-emerging pests and diseases. The study highlights the importance of crop health management to improve the sustainability of agroecosystems and food security. The authors also analyze the variation in crop losses across different food security hotspots, finding that losses are often lower in regions with large food surpluses and higher in food-insecure regions. The analysis provides a basis for prioritizing research and policy efforts to manage crop health and reduce the impact of pathogens and pests.The article discusses the global burden of pathogens and pests on major food crops, including wheat, rice, maize, potato, and soybean. The authors conducted an expert-based assessment to provide numerical estimates of yield losses associated with 137 pathogens and pests for these crops. The results show that the highest yield losses (21.5% to 30.0%) are associated with food-deficit regions with fast-growing populations and emerging or re-emerging pests and diseases. The study highlights the importance of crop health management to improve the sustainability of agroecosystems and food security. The authors also analyze the variation in crop losses across different food security hotspots, finding that losses are often lower in regions with large food surpluses and higher in food-insecure regions. The analysis provides a basis for prioritizing research and policy efforts to manage crop health and reduce the impact of pathogens and pests.