UNCCD Highlights Links between Land Degradation and Agriculture on World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

17 June 2008: The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) selected “Combating land degradation for sustainable agriculture” as the theme for 2008 World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, celebrated on 17 June. On the occasion, UNCCD Executive Secretary Luc Gnacadja highlighted that the conversion of land to “unsustainable uses can exacerbate the vicious circle of land degradation, loss of biodiversity and climate change.”

He emphasized the need for “a global response to increase the productivity of land ecosystems and make sustainable agricultural production a priority through pro-poor policies in view of adaptation to climate change and biodiversity protection.” He also stressed the role that science and technology play in combating land, including through developing “guidelines and standards for alternative uses of agricultural goods and services, such as for biofuel production,” and integrating scientific research with “proven policies and strategies aimed at sustainable development, market-oriented mechanisms and appropriate capacity-building.”
 

In his message to mark the day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that increasing demand for agriculture production is pressing “more and more of the good land…into service, without proper attention to conservation, and poor farmers and pastoralists are forced onto marginal land.” He emphasized that the UNCCD offers the sole international legal framework to reclaim dry and degraded land, and suggested that “these unused lands could also serve for biofuel production, and thus offer new benefits for their inhabitants.” [UNCCD Press Release] [UN Secretary-General’s message]