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THE UNITED NATIONSFOOD AND AGRICULTURE

ORGANIZATION

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Committee: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Topic B: Tackling Land Degradation and Desertification Written by: Daniela Martellotto and Alexandra González

I. Committee Background

The Food and Agriculture Organization, also known as FAO, has three main goals which are

as follows: the eradication of hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition; the elimination of poverty

and social progress for all; and, the sustainable management of natural resources. This organization

was founded on October 16, 1945 in Quebec City, Canada mostly on account of food shortages and

lack of sustainable agriculture. Now, its headquarters are located in Rome, Italy and it is present in

130 countries with regional level offices. The creation of this committee also set a neutral forum

where nations negotiate agreements as equals, providing knowledge and information to help

developing countries and nations in transition, to modernize and improve certain aspects. The issues

that FAO addresses when aiding these nations are agriculture, forestry and fishery practices to

ensure nutrition and food security.

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II. Topic information

A) History of Topic

According to World Health Organization, “desertification” is a form of land degradation by

which fertile land becomes a desert. Land degradation and desertification occurs when the ground is

negatively affected and therefore unable to provide the goods and services to support an

ecosystem. The root of these problems comes from the nutrients in plants being lost. This could be

caused by humans or animals eating away plants excessively, or even when the nutrients are

diminished due to intensive farming and intensive cropping in places such as the Amazon.

Other aspects that affect land degradation are extreme weather conditions such as droughts

and harmful human activities that produce contamination and pollution. This has a direct impact on

the soil quality as well as on the use of land. In some areas, deserts expand causing the land to

degrade and water resources to dry up. Food production is to reduce, the population is obligated to

move to more hospitable places, leaving the land useless. The range of impact of land

desertification includes various health issues; like the spread of infectious diseases when people

begin to migrate, water and food transmitted diseases increase due to the lack of hygiene and

availability of clean water, as well as respiratory diseases which are caused by atmospheric dust from

the wind erosion and air pollutants.

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Land degradation has affected nations worldwide. This problem affects 1.5 billion people

globally. Relying on the United Nations, “2.6 billion people depend directly on agriculture, but 52%

of the land used for agriculture is moderately or severely affected by soil degradation”. This

demonstrates how the consequences of reduced land productivity, socio-economic problems,

uncertainty in food security, migration, limited development and damaged ecosystems have

impacted the world.

Desertification and land degradation started because of natural and anthropogenic means in

the Mediterranean. There were many powerful changes in the environment until 5000 BCE.

Consequently, to the present day, human interactions have been growing. Although the human

impact has been growing over time, the repercussions or consequences were not as severe as they

are now. Initially, the reasons for land use were agriculture and the keeping of livestock. The

consequences of this were land erosion and forest degradation. Due to the fact that land

degradation is the result of the human interactions, the problem expanded with the growth of the

human population and the greater demands this population placed on the natural resources.

Land use is also another major cause of land degradation and desertification. According to

the World Resources Institute, the first documented evidence of land degradation was found in

Africa’s Rift Valley region and around the Tigris and Euphrates river systems in the Middle East. In

such places, irrigated land and secondary salinization together with waterlogging has resulted in the

decline of fertile soil. To the present day, “technological advancement, industrialization of agriculture

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and subsidy policies have accelerated the rate of land degradation during the last 50 years in the

areas vulnerable to desertification.”

There is no evidence in the Mediterranean or western Europe that can explain the physical

degradation continuing to desertification without human action. According to findings of the

Archaeomedes project, “land degradation is immediate when physical degradation is in phase with

agro-pastoral (crops and livestock) activities. Furthermore, impact breaks the ecosystem, so that

minor instability in the physical boundaries bring serious land degradation.” In conclusion, the

degradation and desertification of land worldwide is occurring due to human interaction. Much

needs to be done to ensure safe and eco-friendly land practices that will protect the health and

stability of ecosystems worldwide.

B) Current Issues

New Zealand:

New Zealand has been facing problems in land including soil, water and food. Some areas in

New Zealand are showing intense land degradation and loss of topsoil due to erosion. There has

also been land instability and erosion problems. “Ecological fall away” has been caused by land

degradation, insects and weeds. There is land degradation since the potential of wind erosion has

been increasing and causing droughts. The agriculture of the country needs to change and more

sustainable practices should be promoted.

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Ethiopia:

Land degradation is affecting the lives of thousands of people in Ethiopia and it will have a

great impact on future generations. In this country, the major cause of land degradation is the rapid

population increase, soil loss, deforestation and unbalanced crop and livestock production. When

land is not used correctly, it causes desertification and produces the loss of agrobiodiversity. Since

the land supplies such as fertilizer and farm machinery are low, the equilibrium that exists between

crops, livestock and forest production are disturbed. Several United Nations sponsored projects are

researching possible solutions to Ethiopia’s land degradation issue. These projects include the Soil

Conservation Research Project, the National Soil Service Project and the Land Use Project.

Malawi:

Land in Malawi has been a very important part in the country’s economic growth and

development. The main source of employment is in the agricultural and natural resource sectors.

Land degradation and desertification is a significant problem that has been greatly affecting Malawi

in the past decade. It happens because of the incorrect use of land, the small and large scale farms

that are practiced and managed, building and road construction. Traders in forest and wildlife

products are a major cause as well. Since there is a lack of coordination on policy between

departments who are in charge of protecting and helping to manage land, it has been a challenge

for Malawi. However, there are various initiatives to help reduce land degradation and

desertification. The United Nations Convention for Combating Desertification (UNCCD), the

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Southern Africa Action Programme for Combating Desertification, the United Nations Convention on

Biological Diversity (UNCBD), and many more who are supporting Malawi with this problem.

Vietnam:

Nguyen Ba Ngai, the director of Administration for Forestry in Vietnam, said that “Vietnam

needs to take stronger action against desertification, defined as the direct consequences of long-

term unsustainable land use”. According to Vietnam News, “Vietnam has 9.3 million hectares that

could be categorised as going through a process of desertification, accounting for 28 per cent of the

total land”. In this nation, land degradation has been happening due to a natural anthropogenic

phenomena. Since this country is located in East Asia and is tropical, more than 75% of the country’s

landmass is mountains and hills. The decreasing of the land’s biological productivity happens

because of natural soil erosion, landslides, lateralization and acidulation. For the last two decades

the economic development and population growth has been rapidly increasing and this has caused

a high amount of pressure to be placed on natural resources.

Rwanda:

Erosion and land degradation have been major cause for the poverty and food insecurity that

is found in Rwanda. It has been a significant problem in the southwest of Rwanda. The Gikongoro,

Kibuye and higher zones of Cyangugu, Butare and Gitarama have reported 246 tonnes per hectare

of soil loss per year, as well as declining land productivity in this territory. In a study conducted by the

Rwandan government in 2006, “Farmers reported that 56 percent of the fields in Kibuye and 49

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percent of the fields in Gikongoro had declined in fertility since they had started cultivating their

land”. The devastating cause of the degradation is the incrementation of the rural population, which

is putting more pressure on already depleted farmland.

Kenya:

Desertification in Kenya is a major problem that is preventing the country from developing. In

Kenya, the major cause of land desertification is the poor use of land. Due to this, the land in this

country has been suffering from serious erosion. There is a project in Kenya called School and

Dropout Services that has the objective to increase and raise awareness in the community. This

means that this project is encouraging people to use natural resources in a sustainable way to lessen

the impact of farming and manufacturing on the land.

Indonesia:

One of the most important areas of tropical forests worldwide is in Indonesia. This country has

been affected mostly by land degradation. According to the World Resources Institute, it is

estimated that the land in Indonesia has been degraded from 12 to 74 million hectares. The main

cause has been mostly focused on farmers using unsustainable cultivation practices. To prevent

further harm, Indonesia must reverse its outdated agricultural methods that could only worsen land

conditions.

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C) UN Action

The United Nations has been educating farmers in more sustainable cultivation practices. The

UN’s goal is to tackle the effects of land degradation and desertification that happens because of

erosion. The efforts are mainly focused in Africa and China, which has been able to reverse

desertification after five decades of sustainable farming practices. Jan McAlpine, the director of the

United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), said that the Forum’s Secretariat is taking part in initiatives

like the Global Partnership with Forest Landscape Restoration. This partnership is working on the

restoration of the billions of hectares that have been degraded in land across the world. They are

also trying to rejuvenate the large tracts of the agricultural and forest lands that have been affected

by desertification. According to the United Nations General Assembly, “the UN Decade for Deserts

and the Fight Against Desertification, which runs from January 2010 to December 2020 to promote

action that will protect the drylands. The Decade is an opportunity to make critical changes to secure

the long-term ability of drylands to provide value for humanity's well being”.

III. Conclusion

Tackling land desertification is a serious and severe problem that must be solved. According

to the United States Department of Agriculture, about 33% of the world’s territory is considered

desertificated and more than one billion people have been affected by it. Land serves many

purposes and so it has a great impact on life around it. Countries need to address this issue because

if land continues to be lost to degradation and desertification, it can no longer be used for farming,

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leading to a world food crisis. This is why many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like

Partnership for African Environmental Sustainability (PAES), Cological Society Ruzgar and Green Asia

Network are working to promote consciousness and build environments and lands that are

sustainable to use. In conclusion, governments must tackle the issue or land degradation and

desertification or face a worldwide crisis that will result in population upheaval, lack of food and

clean water and the spread of disease.

IV. Essential Questions

1. How is your country affected by land degradation?

2. What is your country doing to combat land degradation?

3. How common is land desertification in your country?

4. What are your country’s solutions to eradicate this problem?

5. What is your country’s position on this topic?

6. How can countries reverse the effects of land degradation and desertification on their

ecosystems?

7. Are there any NGO’s in your country that are helping with this problem? If so, which ones and

how are they helping?

8. Which farming methods are utilized in your nation? How have these impacted the environment?

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V. Resources

"Desertification, Desert, Drought, Arid, Climate Change, Drylands, Poverty, Ecosystem, Biodiversity,

UNCCD." UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. <http://www.un.org/en/events/

desertificationdaybackground.shtml>

"Desertification Research in Argentina." - Torres. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. <http://

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ldr.2392/abstract>

"Desertification and Land Degradation: Origins, Processes and Solutions. A Literature Review."

Desertification and Land Degradation: Origins, Processes and Solutions. A Literature Review. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2016. <http://www.desire-his.eu/en/study-site-contexts/wp11-information-review-

thematicmenu165/515-desertification-and-land-degradation-executive-summary>

"ETH Zurich - Natural and Social Science Interface - Land Degradation in Vietnam." ETH Zurich -

Natural and Social Science Interface - Land Degradation in Vietnam. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.

<https://www1.ethz.ch/uns/res/models/landdeg/index>

"Ethiopia Commits to Restore One-Sixth of Its Land." World Resources Institute. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

<http://www.wri.org/blog/2014/10/ethiopia-commits-restore-one-sixth-its-land>

"Kenya." Kenya. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.<http://www.unesco.org/mab/doc/ekocd/

kenya.html>

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"Land Degradation Assessment." Natural Resources and Environment: Land Degradation

Assessment. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. <http://www.fao.org/nr/land/degradation/en/>

"Land Degradation and Desertification." WHO. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. <http://www.who.int/

globalchange/ecosystems/desert/en/>

"Tackling Land Degradation Crucial for Human Well-being, UN Officials Stress." UN News Center.

UN, 17 June 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.

<http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=35050#.Vs27GYTMwUU>

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