World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought – 17th June
World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought – 17th June
The United Nations General Assembly declared 17 June to be “World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought” adopted in December 1994. Desertification is the process by which fertile land becomes desert. This is usually a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture. When desertification occurs, biological productivity is lost. This is detrimental in areas that are already greatly affected by poverty and hunger.
Dryland ecosystems, which cover over one third of the world`s land area, are extremely vulnerable to overexploitation and inappropriate land use. Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, it is caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations, and affects the world’s poorest.
Droughts are among the greatest threats to sustainable development, especially in developing countries, but increasingly so in developed nations too. In fact, forecasts estimate that by 2050 droughts may affect over three-quarters of the world’s population. The number and duration of droughts has increased by 29 percent since 2000, as compared to the two previous decades (WMO 2021). When more than 2.3 billion people already face water stress, this is a huge problem.
In recent years, more than two billion hectares of productive land has become degraded. The good news is, there are some effective ways to prevent desertification. Some of these ways include: Protect the soil from degradation through land and water management, protect vegetative cover, integrate the use of land for grazing and farming to allow for a more efficient cycling of nutrients, apply traditional agriculture practices with land use technologies, give local communities the resources necessary to manage dryland, create economic opportunities in dryland urban centers.
Women hold a vital stake in the health of the land, yet they often don’t have control over it. In all parts of the world, women face significant barriers in securing land rights, limiting their ability to thrive and prosper. In many regions, they remain subject to discriminatory laws and practices that impede their right to inherit and access to services and resources. And when land becomes degraded and water is scarce, women are often the worst affected. This year, the theme of the International Day Against Desertification, and Drought “Her land. Her rights”, emphasizes that investing in women’s equal access to land and associated assets is a direct investment in their future and the future of humanity.
– Source: Internet –