Value Of Soil
Down To Earth|September 01, 2019
The benefits of action against land degradation through sustainable management are seven times higher than its cost in 15 years
Pushpam Kumar
Value Of Soil

LAND DEGRADATION and desertification are some of the greatest environmental challenges for the world in light of climate change, rapidly growing population and increasing demand for food, fiber and biomass energy. As the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says, land “provides the principal basis for human livelihoods and well-being, including the supply of food, fresh water, and multiple other ecosystem services, as well as biodiversity.” But the problem of land degradation and desertification is acute in Asia and Africa. Under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 15.3, a land degradation-neutral world by 2030 would not only depend upon the success of Africa and Asia to combat it, but the overall success would be critically determined by the success in achieving them in the two continents. UN agencies and the scientific community have been in a continuous discourse on identifying and generating empirical and scientific methods for monitoring, assessing and reporting the progress on land degradation and desertification.

In Asian countries, the degraded areas mainly include the deserts of China mainland, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan; the sand dunes of Central Asia; the steeply eroded mountain slopes of Nepal; and the deforested and overgrazed high-lands of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Asia holds almost 60 percent of the world’s population. Of this, nearly 70 percent live in rural areas and depend directly on land and land-based ecosystem services. As a result, Asia is most severely affected by land degradation, desertification, and drought in terms of the number of people.

Esta historia es de la edición September 01, 2019 de Down To Earth.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición September 01, 2019 de Down To Earth.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE DOWN TO EARTHVer todo
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Down To Earth

A SPRIG TO CARE FOR

Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 01, 2024
DIGGING A DISASTER
Down To Earth

DIGGING A DISASTER

Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 01, 2024
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Down To Earth

REVIEW THE TREATMENT

Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 01, 2024
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
Down To Earth

MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE

As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 01, 2024
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Down To Earth

Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?

Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 01, 2024
TROUBLED WOODS
Down To Earth

TROUBLED WOODS

Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health

time-read
10+ minutos  |
November 01, 2024
BLINDING GLOW
Down To Earth

BLINDING GLOW

The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
November 01, 2024
GROUND REALITY
Down To Earth

GROUND REALITY

What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?

time-read
6 minutos  |
November 01, 2024
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
Down To Earth

GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC

On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.

time-read
6 minutos  |
November 01, 2024
Vinchurni's Gandhi
Down To Earth

Vinchurni's Gandhi

A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 01, 2024