18/06/2015
World Day to Combat Desertification - 2015 focuses on “Attainment of food security for all through sustainable food systems.”
The observance on June 17, 2015 calls for -
1) A change in our land use practices through smart agriculture and adaptation to changing climate, especially in the dry fragile parts of the world where food shortages are becoming more and more severe.
(2) Access to technology and land rights for small holder farmers who safeguard the environment and meet the food needs of millions of households, especially among the poorest households.
(3) A balance in the land use for ecology and consumption, drawing on the best practices.
(4) More investments in sustainable land practices so that sustainable food systems become the normal practice and
(5) More effective action on desertification whose effects on security, peace and stability are invisible yet real for the affected countries due especially to food and water scarcity and environmentally forced migration.
Some 805 million people in the world lacked sufficient nutritious food between 2012 and 2014 according to the 2014 State of Food Insecurity report. That is about one in every eight people. The vast majority lived in developing countries. Although significant progress has been made towards the MDG hunger target, progress across regions and countries is still uneven.
