Fighting desertification is essential to ensuring the long-term productivity of inhabited dry lands. Unfortunately, efforts to combat the ever-increasing problem have often failed and, as a result, land degradation continues to worsen. The main causes are climate change, inappropriate agricultural policies and practices, deforestation and overgrazing.
Key figures about desertification
- 6 million hectares throughout the world - twice the size of Belgium - are turned into deserts each year (PNUE)
- It is estimated that 10 million hectares of arable land disappear from the surface of the planet each year (desertification and soil degradation) (PNUE)
- 12000 years: the time needed by soil to form and become suitable for cultivation (Atlas de la Terre)
- 12 million euros: The amount China decided to invest in order to plant trees and to fight desertification that already affects 8 million hectares (China Human Development Report 2002/UNDP)
- Financial aid to organic farming and to the various forms of agriculture preserving soil represents only 2% of agriculture budgets. (UNEP)
- 1 million dollars: the yearly amount to support the world program designed to fight desertification launched by the United Nations. This figure represents one day of military spending of the USA. (FAO)
- Over 250 million people are directly affected by desertification. One billion people in over 100 countries are at risk.