In Africa 6.3 million hectares of degraded farmland have lost fertility - FAO
LONDON (AlertNet) - Land degradation and pressure on the world's soil resources are threatening global food security, the head of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Wednesday at the start of a three-day meeting to launch a global partnership for improving soil conditions.
"Soil is an essential component of the world's production systems and ecosystems," FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said. "But it is also a fragile and non-renewable resource. It is very easily degraded and it is slow, difficult and expensive to regenerate."
In Africa alone, 6.3 million hectares of degraded farmland have lost their fertility and water-holding capacity, and must be regenerated to meet food demand for a population that's set to more than double in the next 40 years, according to the FAO.
Today's drought and hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa "is caused to a large extent by inadequate soil and water management policies and practices," the agency said in a statement.
Longer-term measures – including better soil management – are needed to build resilience to land degradation, drought and climate change, and reduce human vulnerability to disasters, it added.
The new "Global Soil Partnership" launched by the U.N. aims to help implement the provisions of the 1982 World Soil Charter, which governments have been slow to follow, and raise awareness about the importance of soils for food security and tackling climate change. It will also mobilise international funds and expertise for soil protection and management.
(Editing by Rebekah Curtis)
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