Soil Degradation Is Undermining Food Security In The Caribbean

Curbing soil degradation is critical to the food security and ecological sustainability of the Caribbean— yet unsustainable land management practices, coupled with the pressures of climate change continue to impact soil health and threaten to rob the region of its prospects for a food secure future. Indeed, 14% of the two billion hectares of degraded land in the world can be found in the Caribbean region.

Regionally, unsustainable agricultural practices, which include tilling, deep root removal, slash and burn and indiscriminate use of harmful chemicals, have contributed to the degradation and depletion of 75% of natural carbon stocks and biodiversity from the region’s agricultural soils.

Given their strategic importance to economic growth, environmental health, food security and human development, land practices that regenerate and promote soil health should be non-negotiable.

Urban Farming: city allotments could be as productive as conventional farms, research finds.

A two-year pilot study found that volunteer urban growers were able to harvest 1kg of insect-pollinated fruit and vegetables per sq metre in a season – which researchers said put their yields within the range of conventional farms.

“In a world of increasing urbanisation in both the developing and developed worlds, producing food in and around cities has the potential to improve both nutritional and health outcomes, alleviate poverty and simultaneously provide habitat for wildlife and create sustainable cities.”

Hi actually am doing school gardening projects for primary
school i use permaculture technic due to climatic change to avoid using lot of water for irrigation we just wait when it rain

Our food systems are failing us. Over 800 million people are suffering from hunger, while 13% of the world’s population are obese. So what is to blame?

Agricultural production follows the money. And 87% of the $540 billion given to agricultural producers each year is either price distorting or harmful to nature and human health. So what we can do to fix it?

Listen to our latest #podcast to find out! We discuss how #foodsystems transformation can generate system-wide benefits while protecting farmers, consumers and nature ?

Co-produced with UNDP and UNEP. Listen below:

? Spotify spoti.fi/3xkXt91
? Apple apple.co/30XUDug
? Or search for The Green Renaissance wherever you get your podcasts.

To read UNDP, UNEP and FAO's new report, which provides many of the answers in this month's episode, click here ? bit.ly/3DRrks9

Fertile soils produce 95% of our food, regulate water cycles, support vital waterways and mitigate climate change by storing 80% of carbon, but unsustainable human activity is degrading soils at alarming rates.

Soil salinization and sodification are major soil degradation processes threatening ecosystem and are recognized as being among the most important problems for agricultural production, food security and sustainability.

Following World Soil Day 2021 - which was celebrated yesterday on the 5th of December - let's raise awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by addressing the growing challenges in soil management, fighting soil salinization, increasing soil awareness and encouraging societies to improve soil health.

Prime minister Narendra Modi has big plans to expand palm oil production in the region, saying it can be a “gamechanger” for the economy and boost the nation’s self-reliance. But in areas that have pioneered palm oil production, it has brought little wealth at a heavy cost for the environment and workers.

Experts warn that the policy is likely to drive deforestation, putting India’s wildlife and climate goals at risk, while disempowering women.

“In monoculture farming women are the ones who are at loss, primarily because it takes place in big chunks of lands which are mostly entitled to the male’s name. The cash which comes from monoculture farming comes in bulk and goes to the men in the family, so there is less petty cash left for the woman in the house.”

Two weeks after world leaders signed a plan at Cop26 to reverse deforestation at Cop26, the EU executive on Wednesday outlined a draft law requiring companies to prove that agricultural commodities destined for the bloc’s 450 million consumers were not linked to deforestation.

Indeed, the proposal would give a strong signal to major supermarkets and retailers: one of the largest economies in the world simply won’t accept agricultural products linked to deforestation.

However, as we legislate import bans, we must also keep in mind the social and economic wellbeing implications for the people sustained by these commodities.

Do you know what are the 5 ecosystems where nature-based solutions can deliver the highest benefits?

1. Forests --> where the most is at stake
2. Peatlands --> Earth’s most potent carbon stores
3. Farmlands --> where carbon feeds humanity
4. Oceans and coasts --> the many benefits of mangroves
5. Cities --> the urban frontier of climate change

Check this article to find out more!

With two billion cups consumed each day, it makes coffee the most popular drink in the world. It's only natural to ask if and how the warming global temperatures affect coffee farmers and plantations. What does the future hold for coffee?