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Report on Global Land Degradation and its Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

A recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) highlights that human-induced land degradation is a significant global threat to agricultural productivity, directly impeding progress towards key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The degradation of soil fertility affects 1.7 billion people, particularly in low-income regions, undermining efforts to achieve SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 15 (Life on Land). This report outlines the causes and impacts of land degradation and proposes industry actions aligned with achieving land degradation neutrality as targeted in SDG 15.3.

Analysis of Land Degradation and its Impact on SDGs

The Challenge to SDG 15: Life on Land

Land degradation is defined as the reduction of the land’s capacity to provide essential agricultural services. This process directly contravenes the objectives of SDG 15, which aims to protect, restore, and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and halt land degradation. The primary drivers include:

• Extreme weather events such as drought.
• Human activities like deforestation.
• Soil erosion from water and wind.
• Nutrient depletion from continuous cropping.
• Salinisation in irrigated areas.

Impact on SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 1 (No Poverty)

The FAO’s analysis reveals a stark disparity in the impact of land degradation, which has profound implications for global equity, poverty, and food security.

1. Threat to Food Security (SDG 2): An estimated 1.7 billion people reside in areas where human-induced land degradation has caused crop yield reductions of 10 percent or more. This directly threatens food availability and access, a core component of SDG 2. The report focused on staple crops such as maize, rice, wheat, and soybean, but the issue extends to all agricultural products.
2. Exacerbation of Poverty (SDG 1): While high-income nations can often offset yield losses through intensive inputs like fertilizers, poorer regions in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa suffer significant, unmitigated declines. This reduction in agricultural productivity traps rural communities in poverty, hindering progress on SDG 1.

Industry’s Role in Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (SDG 15.3)

Aligning Agricultural Practices with SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

The food and beverage industry has a critical role in mitigating land degradation by adopting sustainable practices that align with SDG 12. Such changes can enhance environmental outcomes while maintaining long-term profitability. Key recommendations include:

• Implement Regenerative Techniques: The introduction of cover cropping and crop rotation can reduce soil erosion, preserve soil health, and improve biodiversity, contributing directly to the targets of SDG 15.
• Reduce Chemical Dependency: A reduction in the excessive use of chemical inputs can lessen the negative environmental impact of agricultural activities.
• Combat Nutrient Mining: Industries must address nutrient mining, where soil nutrients are extracted faster than they are replenished, to ensure the long-term fertility and productivity of agricultural land.

By adopting these long-term strategies, the industry can become a key partner in reversing land degradation, ensuring a resilient food system, and advancing the global Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 2: Zero Hunger

   • The article directly addresses threats to food production by focusing on how land degradation reduces “soil fertility and agricultural productivity worldwide.” It highlights that lower crop yields affect the global food supply, which is a core concern of SDG 2, aiming to end hunger and ensure food security.

2. SDG 15: Life on Land

   • The central theme of the article is “land degradation,” which is a primary focus of SDG 15. The text details the causes, such as “drought, deforestation, erosion, nutrient loss and irrigation salinisation,” and discusses the need to “preserve soil health.” This aligns with SDG 15’s goal to protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and halt land degradation.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 2.4: Sustainable food production and resilient agricultural practices

   • This target aims to “ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that… progressively improve land and soil quality.” The article directly supports this by suggesting solutions like “crop rotation and cover cropping to preserve soil health” and reducing the excessive use of chemicals and nutrient mining. These are all examples of sustainable and resilient agricultural practices.

2. Target 15.3: Combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil

   • This target is to “combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil… and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.” The article’s entire focus is on the problem of land degradation, its human-induced causes, and its global impact. The discussion of how industry can address the issue through improved agricultural practices is directly related to restoring degraded land and soil.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Indicator 2.4.1 (Implied): Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture

   • The article implies this indicator by discussing the negative impacts of non-sustainable practices, such as “nutrient depletion from continuous cropping” and “nutrient mining.” It contrasts this with solutions like “cover cropping and crop rotation,” which are methods for sustainable agriculture. The difference in yields between high-income countries using “intensive inputs” and poorer regions suffering declines provides a basis for measuring agricultural productivity and sustainability.

2. Indicator 15.3.1 (Mentioned): Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area

   • The article provides a specific statistic from the FAO report that directly relates to this indicator: “1.7bn people live in areas where yields are 10% lower as a result of human-induced land degradation.” This quantifies the extent and impact of degraded land, which is precisely what Indicator 15.3.1 is designed to measure.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: foodnavigator.com