The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) [December 9] launched a landmark report highlighting the worsening state of the earth’s soil, land and water resources and the challenges it poses for feeding a global population expected to near ten billion by 2050.

“The pressures on soil, land and water ecosystems are now intense, and many are stressed to a critical point,” FAO Director-General QU Dongyu wrote in the foreword to the synthesis report, entitled the State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture – Systems at breaking point (SOLAW 2021). “Against this background, it is clear our future food security will depend on safeguarding our land, soil and water resources.”

“Current patterns of agrifood production are not proving sustainable,“ the Director-General said in remarks at the launch. “Yet, agrifood systems can play a major role in alleviating these pressures and contributing positively to climate and development goals,” he added.

Sustainable soils, land and water are the foundations for resilient agrifood systems. So the sustainable use of these resources is key to achieving climate mitigation and adaptation targets.  For example, wise use of soils alone can potentially sequester one-third of greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural land.

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here.