World Environment Day: Why the UN Prioritizes Land Degradation?
Kay Bee Bio-Organics Pvt. Ltd.
India's First Ever Manufacturer of Botanical Based Bio-Pesticides
"The degradation of the Earth's land surface through human activities is pushing the planet towards a sixth mass species extinction," reported IPBES, and it couldn't be more right. In our rapidly urbanizing world, fertile agricultural lands are being replaced by concrete jungles. Practices like deforestation for urban expansion, covering the soil with impermeable surfaces, and improper waste dumping not only reduce the land available for agriculture but also degrade land quality.
Urbanization and unsustainable agricultural practices, such as monocropping, overgrazing, and excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, are among the main culprits of land degradation. This degradation not only reduces crop production but also leads to food shortages, making it increasingly difficult for us to thrive.
This is the harsh reality of land degradation—a critical issue affecting millions of hectares around the world. It's a silent crisis, threatening our food security, biodiversity, and the livelihoods of countless people.
What is Land Degradation?
Soil losing its production capacity is termed as land degradation. Some examples of land degradation are the exhaustion of nutrients and organic matter, soil erosion, acidification, desertification, and pollution. It has been advanced as the single most pressing global challenge, affecting everyone globally through food insecurity, and higher food prices. It is only getting exaggerated due to climate change leading to soil erosion, environmental hazards and the loss of biodiversity.
Land degradation has occurred throughout history, but the current pace is 30 to 35 times faster than the historical rate. Between 2015 and 2019, at least 100 million hectares of healthy and productive land were degraded every year. In India, 30.51 million hectares of the country's land was degraded during the same period as reported by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
Land degradation also leads to the displacement of people due to issues related to scarce land resources. UNCCD reported that 18.39 percent of the country’s population, were exposed to land degradation during 2015 – 2019.
Causes For Land Degradation
While natural factors like high temperatures and climate change are responsible for land degradation, we cannot deny that we humans are responsible for most of the damage. Rapid urbanization, unsustainable management of agricultural fields, mining, overgrazing and deforestation are the most extensive causes of land degradation.
This rapid degradation has some serious consequences. It not only reduces agricultural productivity but also endangers the various ecosystems, putting immense pressure on food security. Addressing land degradation is not just an environmental necessity but a crucial step for ensuring the well-being of current and future generations.
Healthy soils: a way to mitigate climate change
Healthy soils act as carbon reservoirs. They absorb and store significant amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. Approximately 80 percent of the carbon in terrestrial ecosystems is stored in soils. By restoring degraded lands, we can increase soil carbon, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and support global climate change mitigation efforts.
World leaders have pledged to "combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world" by 2030 under the terms of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
Land Restoration
Land restoration is essential for the conservation and expansion of the world’s arable lands. Restoring land has numerous benefits, including improved soil fertility and increased water retention capacity and ecosystem services, which will lead to an increase in productivity of the soils. It will also provide a habitat for plants, animals, and microorganisms; eventually restoring biodiversity and the ecosystems.
Land restoration involves the use of sustainable crop management practices like conservational tillage, crop rotation, irrigation management, and organic farming which can help in improving the organic matter content of the soils and also the soil structure.
Organic farming practices are crucial in preventing land degradation and aiding in its restoration. These practices enhance soil structure, boost organic matter content, and promote healthy microbial activity. Adding organic fertilizers to the soil replenishes essential nutrients, thereby improving soil quality, increasing water infiltration and protecting the land from erosion.
领英推荐
PH Tunner: A Solution To Land Degradation
What if I told you there’s a product that can restore degraded land and prevent further land degradation? Yes, you heard me right! Kay Bee Bio-organics proudly presents PH Tunner, a groundbreaking product with extraordinary properties essential for the future of agriculture.
PH Tunner reduces high soil pH, enhancing nutrient uptake. It also makes the nutrients fixated in the soil available, reducing the consumption of fertilizers. It increases soil porosity, making it more arable. Made from organic acids, it is completely safe for soil microorganisms. Long-term use of PH Tunner improves both soil chemistry and structure, ensuring sustainable farming practices.
In conclusion, land degradation which further leads to desertification can be the end of our species. It's high time that we start giving attention to the damage it has caused and can cause in the near future. By taking action now, we can reverse the damage and ensure that future generations inherit a world where the land is vibrant and full of life once again.
References:-
UNCCD Data Dashboard 2023
?
?
?
?
?
?