The discovery arrives in the last Status of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) Report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), broadcast Monday in Rome.
“The report delivers a clear message: Land degradation is not just an environmental problem: it impacts agricultural productivity, rural livelihoods and food security“, declared the United Nations agency.
Human activity causes degradation
Land is at the heart of agri-food systems, supporting more than 95 percent of food production in addition to providing essential ecosystem services that support life on the planet.
Land degradation usually results from a combination of factors, FAO explained, including natural factors such as soil erosion and salinization.
However, human activities such as deforestation, overgrazing and unsustainable irrigation practices are now among the main contributors.
Measuring the impact
To measure degradation, the report compared current values of three key indicators – soil organic carbon, soil erosion and soil water – with conditions that would exist without human activity under native or natural conditions.
The data was processed through a machine learning model that integrates environmental and socio-economic drivers of change to estimate the baseline state of land in the absence of human activity.
The report estimates that around 1.7 billion people worldwide live in areas where agricultural yields are 10 percent lower due to human-caused land degradation. Among them, 47 million children under the age of five suffer from stunted growth.
“In absolute numbers, Asian countries are the most affected – both because of their accumulated debt degradation and their high population density.“, said the FAO.
Millions of people could benefit
The report presents concrete opportunities for integrated sustainable land use and management practices, as well as adapted policies.
Reversing just 10 percent of human-induced degradation on existing croplands through crop rotation or other sustainable land management practices could produce enough to feed an additional 154 million people per year.
“To seize these opportunities, we must act decisively. Sustainable land management requires enabling environments that support investment, innovation and long-term management,” wrote FAO Director-General Dongyu Qu in the report’s foreword.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
