by Joachim von Braun, Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn

UNCCD secretariat Recommendations for Policymakers: A Sustainable Development Goal for Rio+20 to secure the contribution of our planet’s land and soil to sustainable development, including food security and poverty eradication

In recent years, prices of agricultural land have increased quickly, actually doubling and tripling in many parts of the world. This land value reassessment has been prompted by rising crop prices and perceived land scarcity. But even as the value of land rises, land degradation continues and investments to prevent it are lagging. Awareness of environmental risks has moved to the forefront of global consciousness during the past 25 years. However, this awareness has not translated into comprehensive action to address the problem of land degradation, which poses a serious threat to long-term food security. This inaction is primarily the result of limited knowedge of the costs related to land degradation and of insufficient institutional support. Policy action and research are needed to resolve this paradox of high-value land and low levels of investment. – by Ephraim Nkonya, Nicolas Gerber, Joachim von Braun, and Alex De Pinto

Agriculture and a focus on land and soil should be central to both this year’s UNFCCC climate talks and the Earth Summit in June.

Collecting inputs for the Bonn2011 Nexus Conference preparatory process

The question of how to effectively use our water resources has been debated for decades, yet what we need more than ever is direct action at the field level.

A message from Felix Dodds, Executive Director of the Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future and International Steering Committee (ISC) Member

Agriculture and a focus on land and soil should be central to both this year’s UNFCCC climate talks and the Earth Summit in June.

The international community needs to agree on a sustainable development goal with a measurable target of achieving zero net land degradation by 2030. Such a bold decision would enhance efforts in all regions of the world to restore degraded land and sustainably manage non-degraded land by means of Sustainable Land Management (SLM) practices and techniques. “Land is the earth’s natural and indispensable infrastructure for life,” and demands “sustainable land use for all and by all, especially in the agricultural activities.” Dr Mansour N’Diaye, Chef de Cabinet, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) made these remarks this morning at the opening of the Asia Regional Media Workshop on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought taking place in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, China.

Food security is at the center of the Qatari government’s strategy presented in its “Vision 2030” plan. More than 90% of products eaten by the country’s two million residents (of which only 300,000 are Qataris) depend on imports. Water scarcity is another issue that needs to be resolved. This is why Qatar is building new desalination factories that will run on solar energy.

“The flapping of a butterfly’s wings may or may not have the capacity to trigger a tornado on another continent, but without a doubt, our food, water and energy systems have profound impacts upon each other (and us, and our planet). With that in mind, we’re excited to introduce our new GRACE website, which we built to reflect the interconnected nature of these three systems.”

“Improving irrigation in arable land in the developing world can be an effective way to increase food productivity and thus food security.”