Land is our natural ally. But the natural conditions of land and soils are not eternal, and must be protected. Soil is the most significant geo-resource we have for ensuring water, energy and food security for present and future generations. Healthy soils are also vital for building resilience and adapting to climate change.

Ce livre constitue un ensemble d’informations de base sur la désertification, la dégradation des terres et la sécheresse à l’échelle mondiale, accompagnées d’une série de graphiques. Celui-ci présente les évolutions ayant eu lieu au cours des dernières décennies, en associant les questions et les priorités actuelles.

Este libro tiene como objetivo ser un manual informativo en el que se cuenta “la historia” de la desertificación, la degradación de las tierras y la sequía a escala global acompañado por una completa serie de gráficos. Este libro muestra tendencias que han tenido lugar a lo largo de las últimas décadas, combinando y conectando temas y presentando prioridades.

This book is intended as a basic information kit that tells “the story” of desertification, land degradation and drought at the global scale, together with a comprehensive set of graphics. The book indicates trends as they have taken place over the last decades, combining and connecting issues, and present priorities.

This book is intended as a basic information kit that tells “the story” of desertification, land degradation and drought at the global scale, together with a comprehensive set of graphics. The book indicates trends as they have taken place over the last decades, combining and connecting issues, and present priorities.

This book is intended as a basic information kit that tells “the story” of desertification, land degradation and drought at the global scale, together with a comprehensive set of graphics. The book indicates trends as they have taken place over the last decades, combining and connecting issues, and present priorities.

We can no longer turn a blind eye to urgent sustainable development challenges such as climate change, the food crisis, disappearing biodiversity and the depletion of natural resources. A way to rise to these challenges is through Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). ESD is a dynamic concept that aims to enable people of all ages and from all walks of life to pursue and benefit from a sustainable future.

La tierra se define como un sistema bioproductivo. Es la infraestructura terrestre para la vida. La tasa y la calidad de la producción generada por la tierra dependen de sus principales componentes, de los suelos y de su fertilidad. La materia orgánica del suelo, derivada de la vegetación que crece en un suelo determinado, es el principal componente que controla la fertilidad de éste.

Land is defined as a system engaged in generating biological productivity. It is the earth’s infrastructure for life. The rate and quality of production generated from the land depends on its major components, soil and its fertility. Soil organic matter, derived from the vegetation supported by a particular soil, is the major component that controls soil fertility.

As the world reviews its progress in tackling global poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), drylands can no longer be ignored. Drylands account for more than a third of the world’s land surface and more than 2 billion of its people. Yet for too long, drylands and their inhabitants have been neglected in development processes.

Community based forestry has the potential to contribute much more to achieving sustainable development and poverty reduction than is the case today. This paper describes and analyzes these potentials and demonstrates their feasibility with real world cases of community forest businesses and innovative policies and business partnerships.

An International Conference was held in Rome, Italy 27-29 April 2015 to launch the IFAD and EU supported Project ‘Linking agrobiodiversity value chains, climate adaptation and nutrition: Empowering the poor to manage risk’. The event brought together people with different expertise to discuss the role of agricultural biodiversity in fostering more resilient livelihoods and solicit their guidance to refine the methodological framework for the Project.