OCHA/Viviane Rakotoarivony
© FAO
1.5 billion people, living with soil too salty to be fertile
Between 20 to 50 per cent of irrigated soils in all continents have grown too salty to be fully fertile, creating significant challenges for more than 1.5 billion people trying to grow their own food.
© UNICEF
News in Brief 18 October 2021
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Polio vaccination set to recommence across Afghanistan in November - WHO
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Syrians agree to start drafting new constitution, says UN negotiator
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Salt-affected soils cause increasing problems for agriculture, FAO warns
© FAO/Manan Vatsyayana
Contribution of life in soil ‘remains largely underestimated’, says UN agriculture agency
Even though soil organisms play a crucial role in boosting food production, enhancing nutritious diets, preserving human health, and combating climate change, the real contribution of these tiny life forms remains largely underestimated, the UN agriculture agency (FAO) said on Friday.
“Invest in healthy soils” says UN on World Day to Combat Desertification
Approximately 12 million hectares of productive land is degraded every year, according to the United Nations.
On World Day to Combat Desertification the UN is highlighting the importance of land to sustain life on Earth.
To find out more about this issue, Joshua Mmali spoke with Louise Baker, a senior adviser at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
She first spoke about this year’s theme of the day.
Duration: 4’57”