A strategy has been launched at the Cop16 climate conference in Riyadh to address the consequences of land degradation on food security amid concerns that over-cultivation could result in dwindling crop yields and soaring prices.
The presidency of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification conference – known as Cop16 – launched the Riyadh Action Agenda on Friday to develop a framework to protect the planet's natural resources.
Intensive agriculture can permanently damage the fertility of land and soil, with farmers and communities left to count the cost.
Why is this important?
According to the UNCCD, crop yields could decline by as much as 50 per cent by 2050 and cause food prices to spike by an estimated 30 per cent as a result of land degradation.
That is because agriculture is the main cause of land degradation, with existing agri-food systems playing a significant role in deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions and the loss of biodiversity.
The UNCCD reports that agriculture is responsible for 23 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, 80 per cent of deforestation, and 70 per cent of global freshwater consumption.
"Around 95 per cent of our food comes from the soil, and yet we continue to treat it like dirt. Unsustainable land management, farming practices and industrial-scale profiteering, are creating a simply unsustainable pace of land degradation, with every year 24 billion tonnes of fertile soil being lost." said Dr Osama Faqeeha, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister for Environment, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, and adviser to the Cop16 Presidency.
"This is a leading cause of global food and water insecurity, impacting everyone from farmers toiling increasingly barren fields, to consumers paying more for essential goods.”
Take for example the impact of cotton production on the Aral Sea, shared by Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
Once the world's fourth-largest freshwater lake, it was used for large-scale agriculture irrigation. Decline of the waterbody began in the 1960s and by 2010 the lake had lost 90 per cent of its original size.
Once a 40-metre-deep fishing-scape is now a sandy desert with stranded ships. This impacted the livelihoods and lives of the farmers and communities surrounding the shores of the lake.
On the sidelines of Cop16, researchers from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust), published a policy paper, Bending the Curve: A Call to Action on Land Restoration and Sustainability, which outlines a framework for halving degraded land by 2050.
Speaking to The National from Cop16, Professor Fernando Maestre, one of the paper's authors, said the initiative aims to reverse the negative impacts of land degradation, which include increased food insecurity and reduced water resources.
"One of the one of the key policy actions that should be implementing is reducing food waste. We are proposing a very ambitious target of reducing food waste by 75 per cent by 2050," said Prof Maestre.
He told The National that a balance is needed between the initiatives to prevent food waste and those that encourage more sustainable food systems. According to the UN, roughly one third of food produced globally is wasted every year.
"We are wasting food every year, and the cost is approximately over $750 billion per year. Can you imagine if we can recover a fraction of that amount? We can use that money to incentivise farmers to do a more." said Prof Maestre.
The Kaust policy paper has called for synergies across UN Conventions for climate, biodiversity and land to provide joint policy recommendations and oversee implementation – to put food on the table and agendas of governments. This includes establishing an Integrated Conventions Panel to ensure accountability and track progress.
Prof Maestre said that such international collaboration on the global food system will support policy shifts that could transform the way land is farmed and industry is incentivised.
"In Europe, for example, the way that we produce food is mainly driven by the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, by subsidy, people plant whatever is paid for," he said.
But Prof Maestre has proposed that instead of subsidising farmers for crops that may not be fully harvested, farmers could be paid for capturing carbon in plots of land that are at risk of being overcultivated.
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.
There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.
More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.
The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.
Crime%20Wave
%3Cp%3EHeavyweight%20boxer%20Fury%20revealed%20on%20Sunday%20his%20cousin%20had%20been%20%E2%80%9Cstabbed%20in%20the%20neck%E2%80%9D%20and%20called%20on%20the%20courts%20to%20address%20the%20wave%20of%20more%20sentencing%20of%20offenders.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERico%20Burton%2C%2031%2C%20was%20found%20with%20stab%20wounds%20at%20around%203am%20on%20Sunday%20in%20Goose%20Green%2C%20Altrincham%20and%20subsequently%20died%20of%20his%20injuries.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%26nbsp%3B%E2%80%9CMy%20cousin%20was%20murdered%20last%20night%2C%20stabbed%20in%20the%20neck%20this%20is%20becoming%20ridiculous%20%E2%80%A6%20idiots%20carry%20knives.%20This%20needs%20to%20stop%2C%E2%80%9D%0D%20Fury%20said.%20%E2%80%9CAsap%2C%20UK%20government%20needs%20to%20bring%20higher%20sentencing%20for%20knife%20crime%2C%20it%E2%80%99s%20a%20pandemic%20%26amp%3B%20you%20don%E2%80%99t%20know%20how%20bad%20it%20is%20until%20%5Bit%E2%80%99s%5D%201%20of%20your%20own!%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
