esssay on land degradation
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cutting trees,soil erosion
Answer:
Land is a vital resource to humankind, like air and water. Land degradation—the deterioration or loss of the productive capacity of the soils for present and future—is a global challenge that affects everyone through food insecurity, higher food prices, climate change, environmental hazards, and the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Land degradation is happening at an alarming pace, contributing to a dramatic decline in the productivity of croplands and rangelands worldwide.
Land degradation is one of the world’s most pressing environmental problems and it will worsen without rapid remedial action. Globally, about 25 percent of the total land area has been degraded. When land is degraded, soil carbon and nitrous oxide is released into the atmosphere, making land degradation one of the most important contributors to climate change. Scientists recently warned that 24 billion tons of fertile soil was being lost per year, largely due to unsustainable agriculture practices. If this trend continues, 95 percent of the Earth’s land areas could become degraded by 2050.
Globally, 3.2 billion people are affected by land degradation, especially rural communities, smallholder farmers, and the very poor. The world population is projected to increase by about 35 percent to 9.7 billion in 2050, with rising demands for agricultural products including food, feed, fiber, and fuel. However, pressure on the global land resource is increasing due to other factors as well, such as agricultural production systems made less resilient by the loss of biodiversity, and natural factors such as climate variability and extreme weather events. Climate change exacerbates variations in yields and income from agriculture, threatening the resilience of agro-ecosystems and stability of food production systems.
The problems are particularly severe in the driest parts the planet. Dryland landscapes cover approximately 40 percent of the world’s land area and support two billion people. The vast majority of people who depend on drylands live in developing countries, where women and children are most vulnerable to the impacts of land degradation and drought.
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