AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT - Science for Agriculture and Rural Development in Low-income Countries - page 61

“to contribute to economic development and poverty reduction in developing
countries, with special attention to the strengthening of sustainable agriculture and
production chains, and nature management”. In the revised programme, the themes
sustainable agriculture and nature management are closely related to environmental
issues.

Soil and land degradation

Land (FAO 1976) is the key resource for agricultural production systems. The
potentials of both, arable crop and livestock production strongly depend on the
quality of land. Land degradation, i.e., a reduction in land quality, is, therefore, a
core problem in many countries, with enormous consequences for people living in
affected areas (Eswaran et al. 2001). The term land degradation is used to refer to a
complex of processes resulting from anthropogenic interventions, such as over-
exploitation, overgrazing, and bad irrigation practices, illegal and excessive logging,
bush and forest fires and deforestation due to population increase (UNCCD). Along
with these human activities, a range of climatic factors can trigger or aggravate the
process of land degradation (year-round aridity, high variability in rainfall, recurrent
drought). Because of these multiple causes, combating degradation and desertification
involves a wide range of measures and contributes to combating poverty, to structural
reforms and to sustainable development. Land degradation leads, among others, to
soil erosion and loss of topsoil and fertile land, and is especially severe in arid, semi-
arid and dry sub-humid areas. Soil and land degradation including erosion are
complex issues that are linked to many other environmental and social problems.

Box 1. A selection of Multi-lateral Environmental Treaties (1970-2005)

Soil & related Soil & related S1 S1 S2 S2 S3 S3

Biodiversity Biodiversity B1 B1 B2 B2 B3 B3

Climate & related Climate & related C1 C1 C2 C2 C3 C3 C4 C4

S1 POPs Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
S2 Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their
Disposal
S3 UNCCD: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
B1 The RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands
B2 Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
B3 UNCBD: United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
C1 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution
C2 Montreal Protocol
C3 UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
C4 Kyoto Protocol