Well-nourished land and healthy ecosystems for a food secure planet
FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo participated at the UN General Assembly High-Level Debate on Land Degradation, Desertification and Drought, a multi-stakeholder platform aiming to elevate the discourse on the linkages between land action and inclusive, resilient and sustainable development
New York, 14 June 2021 – Unsustainable soil management practices, biodiversity loss and climate change are but a sample of the wide array of drivers adding pressure on the land that produces our food and houses rich and diverse ecosystems. Against this backdrop, which is threatening our ecosystems and the planet’s food security and nutritional needs, the President of the General Assembly convened a high-level dialogue to assess the progress made in the fight against desertification, land degradation and drought.
The event served as an auspicious opportunity to take stock of recurrent challenges, assess the milestones yet to accomplish and map the way forward in view of the end of the UN Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification and the start of the UN Decade of Action in working towards the 2030 Agenda. The high-level debate took place ahead of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, which will be observed on 17 June, and further builds momentum ahead of the UN Food Systems Summit.
Opening the dialogue was Volkan Bozkır, President of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly, who called for conscientious actions that ensure a symbiotic relationship between humankind and nature.
“Restoring nature is the test of our generation and, indeed, of this multilateral institution. This is a challenge the UN was born to meet,” he said, adding that by redoubling efforts and upscaling land action today, “we can safeguard global food and water security, reduce emissions, conserve biodiversity and guards against future systematic health and environmental risks.”
The virtual dialogue helped bring attention to post-pandemic recovery opportunities that can align with actions to address desertification, land degradation and drought through decent employment opportunities and implementation-ready project initiatives on land restoration, regenerative agriculture and biodiversity conservation, coupled with investments in sustainable land management to strengthen our planet’s resilience.
To this end, FAO Deputy Director-General, Maria Helena Semedo, served as a panelist on the segment entitled “Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) to Accelerate COVID‑19 Recoveries and the Decade of Action,” which aptly complemented and aligned with the recently launched UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
An undeniable linkage between climate change and land degradation, desertification and drought
Land degradation currently affects almost 2 billion hectares of land worldwide, and every year 12 million hectares of land are being degraded while 24 billion tons of fertile soils are lost to erosion.
“Today, 33 percent of land is moderately or highly degraded, and it affects over 1.5 billion people,” Semedo said, not before swiftly offering a selection of priority actions that the international community at large can work on. In unison, they can help move the world forward towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, such that natural resources are used sensibly and sustainably in order to meet food security and nutrition needs.
Semedo outlined key lines of action, which included (i) reversing negative trends through land degradation neutrality; (ii) recovering degraded land for forest cover; (iii) ensuring that family and small-scale farmers enjoy access to land and productive assets, especially women; and (iv) investing in and pursuing nature-based solutions.
“The way we treat our natural resources today will define the future of our food and nutrition tomorrow,” she remarked.
With FAO championing these best practices in different corners of the world, Semedo turned the spotlight to a noteworthy example of joint collaboration, where FAO and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) are developing a technical guide to integrate the Responsible Governance of Land Tenure in Land Degradation Neutrality by combating sand and dust storms and supporting countries on drought preparedness.
Tapping into nature-based solutions to reverse negative trends
A leading priority of this high-level dialogue was to encourage UN Member States to adopt and implement land degradation neutrality targets and national drought plans, two areas familiar to FAO.
Maria Helena Semedo spoke of the unparalleled importance of pursuing and investing in nature-based solutions moving forward, not only to reconcile humanity’s relationship with nature in a post-pandemic world, but also to safeguard global food security and guard against future systemic health or environmental risks.
In order to recover the capacity of our lands to deliver the multiple ecological functions, nature-based solutions must be part and parcel of these efforts, Semedo said, pointing to solutions that increase land productivity in a sustainable manner through, among others, minimum soil disturbance practices, permanent soil cover techniques, species diversification and land use planning, including the use of integrated digital tools that can support landscape management.
The dialogue and its fruitful exchanges were anchored in a shared commitment to safeguarding our natural resources and meeting global food security and nutrition needs in a sensible and sustainable fashion. As such, the dialogue served as a vital stepping stone that elevates this important discussion ahead of other important fora taking place this year, such as the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), which will adopt the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and the 26th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26).
Related links
- Read more about FAO’s actions against desertification
- Stay informed ahead of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
- Visit the high-level dialogue’s dedicated website