COMBATING LAND DEGRADATION AND PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY, RESILIENCE AND
FOOD SECURITY IN THE NENA REGION: AN OVERVIEW
Abstract
Land degradation, desertification (LDD) and climate change are
increasing in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region, impacting
the livelihoods of about 410 million people, food security and
migration. Agriculture is a vital socio-economic sector, contributing on
average 14 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (excluding oil
producing countries) and providing jobs and incomes for 38 percent of
the region’s economically active population. However, most NENA
countries import at least 50 percent of the calories they consume. It is
estimated that the total areas desertified or vulnerable to
desertification cover 9.84 million km2 or about 86.7 percent of the
total NENA region. Soil erosion by water and wind and sand and dust
storms (SDS) causes losses of about USD 13 billion in GDP each year. But
there are also opportunities to reverse these negative trends. Proper
land use planning, prioritization of target areas for restoration and
adoption of sustainable land and water management (SLWM) could reverse
the situation. This paper analyses the inter-linkages between LDD
resource base management and food security under different scenarios and
offers mitigation and remediation options. These include knowledge
management and sharing; establishment of a regional platform to
facilitate dialogue; public and private investment opportunities;
provision of tools to scale-out sustainable land and water options; and
creation of a conducive enabling environment supported by policies and
strategies.