FAO warns of ‘silent crisis’ as land degradation threatens billions – UN News

Report on Land Degradation and its Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction and Key Findings

A recent report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), “The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA),” identifies human-induced land degradation as a significant impediment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report establishes that land degradation is not merely an environmental issue but a critical factor impacting agricultural productivity, rural livelihoods, and global food security, directly challenging the foundations of several SDGs.

• Core Resource Under Threat: Land, which supports over 95 percent of global food production, is facing severe degradation.
• Primary Drivers: While natural factors contribute, human activities are now the leading drivers of land degradation. These include:
  • Deforestation
  • Overgrazing
  • Unsustainable irrigation practices

Impact on SDG 2: Zero Hunger

The degradation of agricultural land directly undermines progress towards SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) by diminishing the capacity of agrifood systems. The report quantifies the severe consequences for food security and nutrition.

• An estimated 1.7 billion people reside in areas where human-driven land degradation has caused crop yields to decline by at least 10 percent.
• This reduction in food availability and quality is linked to severe health outcomes, with 47 million children under the age of five suffering from stunting in affected regions, a critical indicator for SDG 2.
• The most affected populations are in Asia, where high population densities and accumulated degradation debt create a severe challenge to achieving regional food security targets.

Implications for SDG 15: Life on Land

The report’s findings serve as a critical assessment of global efforts to meet SDG 15 (Life on Land), particularly Target 15.3, which aims to combat desertification and restore degraded land and soil. The methodology highlights the extent of human impact on terrestrial ecosystems.

1. Baseline Measurement: The study established a baseline condition for land in its natural state, absent of human activity.
2. Indicator Comparison: Current values for three key indicators—soil organic carbon, soil erosion, and soil water—were compared against this baseline.
3. Impact Quantification: A machine-learning model integrated environmental and socio-economic data to estimate the precise level of degradation attributable to human activity.

Recommendations and Pathways to Achieving SDGs

The FAO report outlines actionable strategies to reverse land degradation, presenting a clear pathway to advance multiple SDGs simultaneously. The recommendations emphasize the need for decisive, integrated action.

• Sustainable Land Management: The adoption of practices such as crop rotation and other sustainable management techniques is paramount. Reversing just 10 percent of human-induced degradation on existing croplands could yield enough food for an additional 154 million people per year, making a substantial contribution to SDG 2.
• Enabling Policy Environments: Achieving these goals requires strong policy support. The FAO Director-General stressed the need for environments that encourage long-term investment, foster innovation, and promote responsible stewardship of land resources.
• Integrated Approach: Addressing land degradation is essential not only for SDG 2 and SDG 15 but also for SDG 1 (No Poverty) by securing rural livelihoods and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by combating malnutrition.

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

The article primarily addresses issues related to two Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger

  This goal is central to the article, which explicitly links land degradation to “agricultural productivity, rural livelihoods and food security.” The text highlights how reduced crop yields due to degraded land directly impact the ability to feed the population and contribute to malnutrition, specifically mentioning “stunting” in children.

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  This goal is directly connected as the article’s main subject is “land degradation.” It discusses the causes, such as “deforestation, overgrazing, and unsustainable irrigation practices,” and the consequences for ecosystems, noting that land provides “essential ecosystem services that sustain life on the planet.” The entire analysis revolves around the state of terrestrial ecosystems.

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

Based on the article’s content, the following specific targets can be identified:

• Under SDG 2 (Zero Hunger):

  • Target 2.1: By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round.

    The article connects to this target by stating that land degradation impacts “food security” and that reversing it could “produce enough to feed an additional 154 million people a year,” directly addressing the issue of sufficient food access.

  • Target 2.2: By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons.

    This target is explicitly referenced when the article states that among the people affected by land degradation are “47 million children under the age of five who are suffering from stunting.”

  • Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.

    The article directly supports this target by discussing how land degradation reduces “agricultural productivity” and advocating for “sustainable land management practices” like “crop rotations” to reverse the damage and improve food production.

• Under SDG 15 (Life on Land):

  • Target 15.3: By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.

    This is the most relevant target, as the article’s core theme is “land degradation.” The report’s entire purpose is to measure the extent of this degradation and propose solutions for reversing it, which aligns perfectly with the goal of 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?

Yes, the article mentions or implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• Indicators for SDG 2 Targets:

  • Indicator 2.2.1: Prevalence of stunting (height for age

    The article provides a direct data point for this indicator by mentioning that “47 million children under the age of five who are suffering from stunting” live in areas affected by land degradation.

  • Indicator related to Target 2.4 (Productivity):

    While not a formal indicator number, the article uses a clear measure of agricultural productivity. It states that “around 1.7 billion people worldwide live in areas where crop yields are 10 per cent lower due to human-driven land degradation.” This percentage of yield loss is a direct measure of productivity impact, which is a component of Indicator 2.4.1 (Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture).

• Indicators for SDG 15 Targets:

  • Indicator 15.3.1: Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area.

    The article explicitly describes the methodology used to measure this indicator. It states that the report measured degradation by comparing “current values of three key indicators – soil organic carbon, soil erosion, and soil water – against conditions that would exist without human activity.” These three sub-indicators are the official components used to calculate the overall proportion of degraded land for Indicator 15.3.1.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: news.un.org