Latest news with #landdegradation
Zawya
18-07-2025
- General
- Zawya
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) strengthens the resilience of farming and pastoral communities through mechanical restoration of degraded land
In Niger, farmers and herders lose nearly 100,000 hectares of land every year due to degradation. This situation reduces available space for productive activities and undermines their hopes of achieving food and nutrition sovereignty. Ongoing land degradation is a major contributor to the country's recurring cereal and fodder shortages, exposing farming and pastoral households to repeated food crises. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is supporting Niger in its efforts to build more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems to improve production, nutrition, the environment, and livelihoods, leaving no one behind. Through the Action Against Desertification programme, FAO is working to restore degraded land for agricultural and pastoral use in support of the Great Green Wall (GGW) initiative. This support focuses on land restoration activities, reseeding, plant care, establishing community management committees, training members in association life, management and marketing, benefit-sharing from restored sites, and networking. In total, FAO has helped restore and utilize over 20,000 hectares of land across 55 sites in the regions of Tillabéri, Dosso, and Tahoua. The mechanical land preparation is carried out using a Delfino plough, which can cover more than 15 hectares per day. The machine carves half-moon shapes that enhance rainwater infiltration and retention, up to 1,000 litres per basin, giving trees, shrubs, and forage the best chance of growing and surviving in the early months after planting. The Delfino tractor-plough unit has become a central tool in the collaboration between FAO and the National Agency of the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), enabling large areas to be treated and significantly reducing the need for manual labour. Half-moons are better than those we dig by hand At the Awanchalla site in Bagaroua, Tahoua region, communities expressed their amazement at the Delfino plough, which restored 100 hectares in a very short time in an area where labour has become increasingly scarce. 'Our dream has come true, to see this land recovered by the machine. We had abandoned it for decades because it was unfit for farming or livestock. The work of the Delfino is impressive, fast, and saves us time. The half-moons it creates are better than those we dig by hand,' said Bizo Abarchi, a community member and representative of the village chief. For fellow community member Issa Matto, the restored site offers new opportunities: 'Now that the land is recovered, I no longer need to migrate. I can stay in the village. With FAO's support, we'll grow forage for sale, a highly profitable activity in our pastoral zone. We'll also receive plant seedlings based on our selections, tend to them, and eventually sell the fruits. These activities expand our farming space and give me hope that my life will improve,' he said. To ensure the site is well-managed and sustainable, 'we're determined to give our best,' said Abdoul Moumouni Djimraou, another local. 'We've already set up a management committee. We've thought through the mechanisms for successful land use, marketing, benefit-sharing, working with local authorities, and managing potential conflicts between users and surrounding communities.' Partners with the European Union By promoting the mechanical use of the Delfino plough to restore degraded land at scale, thanks to the European Union funded project 'Knowledge for Action in Implementing the Great Green Wall' (K4GGWA), FAO, together with the EU, national authorities and local communities, is helping to create the conditions for advancing the Great Green Wall in Niger and strengthening the resilience of farming and pastoral communities. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Regional Office for Africa.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Sand, dust storms affect about 330 million people due to climate change: UN
A new report by the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has found that sand and dust storms are leading to 'premature deaths' due to climate change, with more than 330 million people in 150 countries affected. On Saturday, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) marked the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms and its designation of 2025 – 2034 as the UN Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms. The storms 'are fast becoming one of the most overlooked yet far-reaching global challenges of our time', said Assembly President Philemon Yang. 'They are driven by climate change, land degradation and unsustainable practices.' The secretary-general of WMO, Celeste Saulo, said on Thursday that sand and dust storms do not just mean 'dirty windows and hazy skies. They harm the health and quality of life of millions of people and cost many millions of dollars through disruption to air and ground transport, on agriculture and on solar energy production.' Airborne particles from these storms contribute to 7 million premature deaths annually, said Yang, adding that they trigger respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and reduce crop yields by up to 25%, causing hunger and migration. 'About 2 billion tonnes of dust are emitted yearly, equivalent to 300 Great Pyramids of Giza' in Egypt, Laura Paterson, the WMO's UN representative, told the UNGA. More than 80% of the world's dust comes from the deserts in North Africa and the Middle East, added Paterson, but it has a global effect because the particles can travel hundreds and even thousands of kilometres across continents and oceans. Undersecretary-General Rola Dashti, head of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, told the assembly the storms' economic costs are 'staggering'. In the Middle East and North Africa, it costs $150bn, roughly 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), annually to deal with dust and sand storms, she said. 'This spring alone, the Arab region experienced acute disruption,' Dashti said, citing severe storms in Iraq that overwhelmed hospitals with respiratory cases and storms in Kuwait and Iran that forced school and office closures. Dust from the Sahara Desert in Africa has travelled as far as the Caribbean and Florida, she said. For the United States, dust and wind erosion caused $154bn in damage in 2017, a quadrupling of the amount since 1995, according to a study in the scientific journal Nature. The WMO and World Health Organization also warned that the health burden is rising sharply, with 3.8 billion people – nearly half the global population – exposed to dust levels exceeding WHO safety thresholds between 2018 and 2022, up from 2.9 billion people affected between 2003 and 2007.
Al Jazeera
12-07-2025
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
Sand, dust storms affect about 330 million people due to climate change: UN
A new report by the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has found that sand and dust storms are leading to 'premature deaths' due to climate change, with more than 330 million people in 150 countries affected. On Saturday, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) marked the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms and its designation of 2025 – 2034 as the UN Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms. The storms 'are fast becoming one of the most overlooked yet far-reaching global challenges of our time', said Assembly President Philemon Yang. 'They are driven by climate change, land degradation and unsustainable practices.' The secretary-general of WMO, Celeste Saulo, said on Thursday that sand and dust storms do not just mean 'dirty windows and hazy skies. They harm the health and quality of life of millions of people and cost many millions of dollars through disruption to air and ground transport, on agriculture and on solar energy production.' Airborne particles from these storms contribute to 7 million premature deaths annually, said Yang, adding that they trigger respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and reduce crop yields by up to 25%, causing hunger and migration. 'About 2 billion tonnes of dust are emitted yearly, equivalent to 300 Great Pyramids of Giza' in Egypt, Laura Paterson, the WMO's UN representative, told the UNGA. More than 80% of the world's dust comes from the deserts in North Africa and the Middle East, added Paterson, but it has a global effect because the particles can travel hundreds and even thousands of kilometres across continents and oceans. Undersecretary-General Rola Dashti, head of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, told the assembly the storms' economic costs are 'staggering'. In the Middle East and North Africa, it costs $150bn, roughly 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), annually to deal with dust and sand storms, she said. 'This spring alone, the Arab region experienced acute disruption,' Dashti said, citing severe storms in Iraq that overwhelmed hospitals with respiratory cases and storms in Kuwait and Iran that forced school and office closures. Dust from the Sahara Desert in Africa has travelled as far as the Caribbean and Florida, she said. For the United States, dust and wind erosion caused $154bn in damage in 2017, a quadrupling of the amount since 1995, according to a study in the scientific journal Nature. The WMO and World Health Organization also warned that the health burden is rising sharply, with 3.8 billion people – nearly half the global population – exposed to dust levels exceeding WHO safety thresholds between 2018 and 2022, up from 2.9 billion people affected between 2003 and 2007.
Arab News
20-06-2025
- General
- Arab News
Why healthy land is our greatest economic asset
The signs are becoming harder to ignore. Crops are failing more often. Wells are yielding less water. Dust settles where food once grew. In many parts of the world, the land is growing tired — less able to support the people who depend on it. And as the soil weakens, so too do the livelihoods, economies and communities built upon it. While land degradation is a global concern, its impact is especially pronounced in the Arab region. Stretching from North Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, this part of the world is among the most vulnerable. Nearly 90 percent of land is already degraded and a combination of rising temperatures, water scarcity and stressed agricultural systems is placing an increasing strain on people and ecosystems alike. Here, land degradation is not just about the environment — it affects the fundamentals of daily life. It shapes whether families can grow enough to eat, whether young people envision a future at home and whether communities can remain self-reliant. In some areas, it has already contributed to displacement and tension over dwindling natural resources. While agriculture still employs 38 percent of the workforce across the Arab region, half of all calories consumed are imported. With droughts intensifying and arable land diminishing, pressure is mounting on food production and rural livelihoods across the region. Without meaningful investment in sustainable land use, the divide between those with access to fertile land and food and those without will only deepen. Still, this is not just a problem to solve; it is a chance to rethink how we value and manage land. Not as something to be used up, but as a foundation to be protected and solidified. We now know that land restoration delivers real returns. For every dollar invested, studies show a return of $7 to $30 in benefits. Globally, restoring 1 billion hectares of degraded land could generate up to $1.8 trillion in value annually. These are not distant ambitions — they are within reach. Healthy land is not just an environmental priority, but a cornerstone of long-term resilience and prosperity. Ibrahim Thiaw Yet the financing gap remains stark. To meet global restoration targets by 2030, investments to the tune of $1 billion dollars per day are needed. The private sector currently contributes 6 percent of total investment. Scaling up both public and private finance and redirecting harmful subsidies toward sustainable land use will be necessary to keep our economic models sustainable. Encouragingly, the Arab region is taking meaningful steps. The Arab Coordination Group has pledged $10 billion by 2030 to address land degradation and strengthen drought resilience. It is a significant move, but far more is needed. Globally, $7 trillion continues to support land-harmful subsidies and unsustainable practices, underlining the urgency of shifting resources toward land restoration. To shift direction, we need smarter tools for investment. One of these is the Sustainable Return on Investment — a way of measuring success that includes not only financial returns, but also climate stability, biodiversity, food security and human well-being. This approach can guide both public and private capital toward lasting impact. As we marked World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought on June 17, our message was clear: Healthy land is not just an environmental priority, but a cornerstone of long-term resilience and prosperity. Because when we restore land, we restore choices. We restore hope and dignity. And we rebuild the foundation of a more secure, equitable, and livable world for all. • Ibrahim Thiaw is under-secretary-general of the UN and executive secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
Times of Oman
17-06-2025
- General
- Times of Oman
FAO: Over 46 million hectares of agricultural land degraded in Arab region
Geneva: More than 46 million hectares of agricultural land, particularly in the Arab region, are at risk due to excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides, soil salinisation from irrigation practices, increasing sand and dust storms, rising temperatures, and water scarcity linked to climate change, according to a study by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The organization noted that with less than 4% of land in the Arab region allocated for restoration, the area is falling short of global targets. It added that restoring 26 million hectares of degraded agricultural land could reduce the yield gap by up to 50% for oil crops and enable cereals, roots, and tubers to achieve optimal productivity. FAO emphasised the urgent need for a specialized regional initiative—one that facilitates cross-country cooperation—tailored to local contexts and focused on rehabilitating agricultural land to enhance food security, reduce poverty, and build sustainable, resilient agrifood systems. Globally, the organisation estimates that up to 1.66 billion hectares have been degraded by human activity, with over 60% of this area comprising agricultural land, including pastures. Given that 95% of global food production depends on land, this widespread degradation poses significant challenges to agrifood systems, prompting calls for integrated solutions to prevent, reduce, and reverse land degradation.
