The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It was founded on 16 October 1945 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. In 1951 its...
Luc Gnacadja est architecte de formation. Il a aussi été Ministre de l'environnement du Bénin, il reçoit en 2002 le Green Award de la Banque mondiale. Depuis 2007, il est le secrétaire exécutif de la...
The World Resources Institute (WRI) is an environmental think tank established in 1982 and based in Washington D.C. This independent research institute, non partisan and not for profit, is composed...
Fred Pearce is journalist specialized in the environment and development. He was born in the United Kingdom and studied geography in the University of Cambridge. His latest book is When the Rivers...
Lester Russel Brown, famous author of more than 50 books on the environment and founder of the Worldwatch Institute in the United States, urges us to become more aware of the many services forests...
With the world’s experts wondering how to meet the ever-growing food needs of a population expected to total 9 billion in the year 2050, soil has become a fundamental resource requiring urgent protection.
Three well-known authors provide their analysis of the causes and risks of soil degradation in the ecosystem and for humans, and discuss possible solutions that could be adopted to correct this damage.
Lester Brown, a famous American environmental analyst draws our attention to the phenomenon of soil damage. According to him, a third of the world’s croplands are losing arable topsoil faster than it forms, thus reducing land productivity. Brown says that one of the possible factors behind the destruction of certain civilizations like the Mayas is soil erosion, which shrunk agricultural production intended for human consumption.
In an article published by the New Scientist, renowned environmental journalist Fred Pearce establishes a clear parallel between current soil conditions and climate change. After extended periods of drought, we are now witnessing the equally worrying “desertification” of certain regions like southern Spain. Vegetation loss due to global warming increases the vulnerability of soil to erosion. Water shortages in these areas force governments to rapidly adapt cultural habits and irrigation practices to soil conditions and the climate by preserving water, developing new technology and by phasing out intensive cultivation.
The World Resources Institute, a famous American think tank, has published an article by three of its experts on drylands management policy. In their view, current policies do not provide the help necessary to achieve goals because these policies are guided by a traditional approach to drylands management, development and evaluation. The authors believe that an ecosystem-based approach promises to be more successful due to its more comprehensive and foreward-looking focus.
Sofuentes, Espagne : une voiture fuit un feu de forêt près de Sofuentes dans la province de Saragosse, juin 2006.© AFP
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