Combating desertification is key to tackling global food crisis

Business Mirror (Philippines): Even as national governments make strong efforts to fight off bankruptcy for their financial institutions, the lands that support their farmers and ensure food security for their populations are facing ever-increasing threats of degradation.

According to Dr. William Dar, director general of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) and the chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the business-as-usual cannot continue when it comes to dealing with land degradation.

“The health of our lands is the basis of our food chain and our climate, and of the livelihoods of our poorest peoples. Without healthy lands, people cannot thrive. Without a healthy atmosphere, land and biological systems cannot be sustained. Science tells us that the dynamics of land, climate and biodiversity are intimately connected. And we know that the lives of the poor hang in the balance, because they depend directly on these ecosystem services,” Dr. Dar, a former secretary of the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture, stated.

He said that positive impacts on combating land degradation can come only with the application of good science. “We live on a precious planet that hosts abundant, diverse and intelligent life that is unique in the universe. If we fail to combat land degradation and desertification, the consequences can be disastrous. We must use science to become better stewards of our precious inheritance.”

…Failing to take measures to address desertification, land degradation and drought threats to sustainable land management will have a severe impact on food and water security, Dr Dar said. The UNCCD mechanism provides the platform for bringing together policy- makers and global scientific institutions to combat land degradation and desertification…..

A dust storm engulfs Stratford, Texas, 1935