Everything ties us human beings to the land

No matter what country you live in, your background or your beliefs, whether you are wealthy or poor, whether you live in the city or the country, we, fellow human beings, share the same umbilical cord: land. 

This statement, so obvious as to be trite, came to light recently in Riyadh at COP16 of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification — the only global treaty addressing the existential challenges of land degradation and drought.

Land provides us with everything: the air we breathe, the water that keeps us hydrated, the clothes that cover us and protect us from the rigours of the seasons, and of course the food that sustains us.

Everything links us to the land, even though we take it for granted or assume, mistakenly, that it has unlimited resources.

At COP16, scientists sounded an alarm: we are exceeding the limits beyond which we are jeopardizing our own security. Relayed by local authorities and appeals from the indigenous peoples who have turned out en masse, the messages could not be clearer.

With up to 40 percent of productive land already degraded while the needs of a growing population increase, we are heading for a precipice. The land is suffocating under the cumulative weight of more frequent droughts and growing aridity.

The loss of fertile land not only has consequences for ecosystems and nature: the decline in agricultural productivity is leading to food insecurity, forced migration, and conflict, exacerbated by the scarcity of water.

The loss of fertile land not only has consequences for ecosystems and nature: the decline in agricultural productivity is leading to food insecurity, forced migration, and conflict.

Ibrahim Thiaw

For millions of people, particularly indigenous peoples, whose only assets are the lands they tend year after year, land degradation represents their economic downfall.

Loss of soil fertility is a source of concern for human health. We now know that good quality food is the best medicine. Beyond the notions of food security and food sovereignty, we now have to worry about the quality of nutrition. It is not just about eating enough, but eating well.

With the onset of climate change, the world is experiencing an increase in the frequency and severity of droughts, jeopardizing harvests and undermining the social structures of the most vulnerable communities. Indeed, the least well-off countries suffer appalling economic losses every time a drought hits.

The time has come for humanity to better anticipate, better prepare, and shield itself against these phenomena.

This is the essence of the Riyadh Global Partnership on Drought Resilience, launched on the first day of COP16 to provide substantial support to the 80 countries most vulnerable to drought. 

We must take stock of the planet’s health and reduce our vulnerability, so that future generations can enjoy a prosperous and peaceful future.

• Ibrahim Thiaw is under-secretary-general of the UN and executive secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.