New Delhi (NVI): World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is United Nations observance day held on June 17 every year to highlight the urgent need to curb the desertification process.
The day also aims to strengthen the visibility of the drylands issue on the international environmental agenda.
Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas. It is caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations.
It occurs because dryland ecosystems, which cover over one third of the world’s land area, are extremely vulnerable to overexploitation and inappropriate land use.
The day was officially declared by the UN General Assembly in December, 1994 as ‘World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought”, to promote public awareness of the issue.
This Day is being observed with a theme: Food.Feed.Fibre. The link between consumption and land. It seeks to educate individuals on how to reduce their personal impact.
According to United Nations (UN) report, today more than two billion hectares of previously productive land is degraded and an additional 300 million hectares of land will be required for food production by 2030.
As populations become larger, wealthier and more urban, there is far greater demand for land to provide food, animal feed and fiber for clothing. Meanwhile, the health and productivity of existing arable land is declining, worsened by climate change, the UN said.
This year’s global observance event, hosted by Korea Forest Service, will take place online considering the COVID-19 situation with a full-day program featuring a variety of exciting events and international talent.
