1. Today, more than two billion hectares of previously productive land is degraded and over 70 per cent of natural ecosystems have been transformed. By 2050, this could hit 90 per cent
2.By 2030, food production will require an additional 300 million hectares of land and the fashion industry is predicted to use 35 per cent more land – over 115 million hectares
3. The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed every year on 17th June to promote public awareness of international efforts to combat desertification
4. Year 2020 focus on changing public attitudes to the leading driver of desertification and land degradation: humanity’s relentless production and consumption under the slogan “Food. Feed. Fiber.”
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Photo: Soil
erosion in Kenya Credit: Martin
Harvey / Alamy Stock Photo
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5. The health and productivity of existing arable land is declining, worsened by climate change.
6. Desertification and Drought Day of 2020, running under the slogan “Food. Feed. Fiber.” seeks to educate individuals on how to reduce their personal impact.
7. Food, feed and fiber must also compete with expanding cities and the fuel industry. The end result is that land is being converted and degraded at unstainable rates, damaging production, ecosystems and biodiversity.
8. Food, feed, fiber is also contributing to climate change, with around a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions coming from agriculture, forestry and other land use. Clothing and footwear production causes 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, a figure predicted to rise almost 50 per cent by 2030.
9. With changes in consumer and corporate behavior, and the adoption of more efficient planning and sustainable practices, there could be enough land to meet the demand. If every consumer were to buy products that do not degrade the land, suppliers would cut back the flow of these products and send a powerful signal to producers and policymakers.
10.Changes in diet and behaviors – such as cutting food waste, buying from local markets and swapping clothes instead of always buying new – can free up land for other uses and lower carbon emissions. Dietary change alone can free up between 80 and 240 million hectares of land.
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