Soil is a limited and finite resource – the sustainable use of which
is crucial to ensuring food security, addressing water stress and
combatting poverty. The objective of this session is to look
at the global pressures on soil and land, and the policies, initiatives
and actions needed at different levels to ensure a more sustainable
approach to soil and land management.
Failing to address land degradation has heavy economic and social
costs. Once degraded, land loses its immediate value for agriculture
and grazing, putting the food, energy and water security of millions
of people at risk.
In the past, land has been a forgotten cause, but it is now being
addressed not only in the outcome to Rio+20 and the followup
discussions about potential Sustainable Development Goals,
but also through initiatives such as the Food and Agriculture
Organization’s Global Soil Partnership and Economics of Land
Degradation, which look at the economic benefits of sustainable
land management.
Members of the panel gave their views on the growing threat
of land degradation, the measures that can be taken to combat
it and the environmental, social and economic benefits of doing so.
