Page 4 - AWA Vol.41-No.6 2025

Study Reveals Alarming Agricultural Land Degradation

in the Arab Region

A new study by the Food and Agriculture Organi‑ dedicated regional initiative – which would facili‑
zation (FAO) has revealed concerning levels of ag‑ tate collaboration among countries – tailored to lo‑
ricultural land degradation, particularly in the Arab cal contexts and focused on restoring agricultural
region, where more than 46 million hectares of agri‑ lands to enhance food security, reduce poverty, and
cultural land—two-thirds of the 70 million hectares build sustainable and resilient agrifood systems.
affected by human‑induced degradation—are at Building on existing regional and global momen‑
risk. Published in the MDPI journal Agriculture, the tum, including the Riyadh Action Agenda launched
study stresses the urgent need to restore degraded at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desert‑
lands and improve food security. ification (UNCCD) 16th Conference of the Parties
Globally, FAO estimates that 1.66 billion hectares (COP16) in December 2024, the proposed initiative
are degraded due to human activities, with over 60 aims to reinforce efforts to advance land restoration,
percent of this affecting agricultural lands, includ‑ improve drought and water resilience, and promote
ing croplands and pastures. Given that 95 percent of sustainable agrifood systems, thereby preventing
global food production depends on land, this wide‑ further degradation.
spread degradation poses significant challenges to FAO’s work on ecosystem restoration and
agrifood systems. against desertification in the Arab region
The study calls for integrated solutions to prevent, The Arab region is an area acutely affected by
reduce, and reverse land degradation. It emphasiz‑ desertification, land degradation, and drought. At
es sustainable soil, land, and water management, COP16 – held in the Arab region for the first time –
urging the international community to prioritize FAO emphasized the urgent need to restore degrad‑
agrifood system transformation to achieve land ed agricultural lands as a cornerstone for transform‑
degradation neutrality (LDN), boost productivity, ing agrifood systems and ensuring food security.
preserve biodiversity, and address climate change This contributed to and helped shape the landmark
impacts. UNCCD decision on agricultural land - Decision 19/
COP.16 Avoiding, reducing and reversing land and
Key findings from the study include:
soil degradation of agricultural lands.
• The Arab region exhibits particularly alarming FAO also leads the NENA Regional Investment
rates of land degradation, with cropland being Framework for Ecosystem Restoration and De‑
especially vulnerable. Factors contributing to this velopment Solutions, developed in collaboration
degradation include excessive use of fertilizers and with the United Nations Environment Programme
pesticides, soil salinization from irrigation practic‑ (UNEP), UNCCD, and the League of Arab States.
es, increased occurrences of sand and dust storms, This initiative promotes “champion countries” to
rising temperatures, and water scarcity linked to lead scalable restoration projects across the region.
climate change.
In addition, FAO launched the Suitability Crop
• With less than 4 percent of land in the Arab re‑ Platform, an innovative tool providing vital soil
gion designated for restoration, the region is falling and crop data to guide sustainable agricultural
short of global targets. Restoring 26 million hectares planning. These efforts are part of a broader push
of degraded cropland could reduce the yield gap to integrate land restoration into national policies,
by up to 50 percent for oil crops and enable cereal, enhance resilience to climate change, and support
root, and tuber crops to reach their potential yields. biodiversity and livelihoods in dryland areas of the
• The findings underscore the pressing need for a Arab region.

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