United for Land: Combating Desertification and Drought

The issues of desertification and drought are often spoken about in the future tense. But with 40% of all the land area worldwide already considered degraded, there is an increasingly small window of opportunity to effect positive change. 

This year’s World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (June 17th) falls on the 30th anniversary of the Bonn based UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The UNCCD is the sole legally binding international treaty on land management and drought, making up one of the three Rio Conventions alongside climate change and biodiversity. 

The day aims to raise awareness of the presence of desertification and drought, and highlight methods to combat and prevent the two states. Healthy land provides us with almost 95% of our food, and with 10 billion people expected to inhabit the planet by 2050, we can’t afford to continue to lose healthy land at current rates. Every second an equivalent of four football fields of healthy land becomes degraded, adding up to a total 100 million hectares lost every year. 

Not only do desertification and drought pose key threats to global food security, they are also key contributors to forced migration, conflict and instability. Each year, tens of millions of people are at risk of displacement because of these environmental challenges. 

While the threat posed by inaction in the face of current levels of desertification and drought is significant, investing in land restoration and protection is a huge opportunity. Every USD invested in land restoration can yield up to 30 USD in return, helping to create job prospects for rural populations and scale up best practices connected to land management.

Over 130 countries have pledged to achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030, describing a state in which human impact has a neutral, or even positive impact on land. In order to meet this goal, governments and key institutions need to invest in the future of land stewardship. 

Land stewardship is “the most precious resource to ensure the stability and prosperity of billions of people around the world.” Sustainable land management has the power to address today’s global challenges and create a blueprint to a better future on land for all generations. 

Smallholder farmers play a key role in land management. Globally at least 2 billion people are dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods, especially in low and middle income countries. Current food systems contribute to processes of desertification: overproduction places a strain on soil health, with a failure to protect and maintain depleting water resources, and prioritisation of yields at the expense of environmental health. 

All of Haller’s work with smallholder communities in Kenya and beyond focuses on equipping farmers with the knowledge and skills needed to practise regenerative agriculture. Boosting crop yields, but also protecting ecosystems, preventing degradation and restoring biodiversity. 

In the face of increasingly unpredictable climatic conditions, this work has become even more critical. Ensuring that smallholders can adapt sustainably to increased periods of drought without compromising their food security or environmental quality. 

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