U.N. Says Sustainable Agriculture Will Help Stop Desertification

Rome, Italy (AHN) - Poor farmers and herders in countries bearing the brunt of desertification and land degradation can help stop or reverse those processes by engaging in sustainable agriculture, the United Nations said Tuesday.

Poor farmers and herders can form part of the solution with the assistance of international agencies, the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said in a press statement marking World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, which was observed on Tuesday.

The agency also called for more efficient water use, improved cropping systems and better forest management, adding that hardier seeds will also help poor farmers withstand droughts and floods.

The IFAD, which is tasked with reducing rural poverty, said more than two thirds of its projects are now located in ecologically fragile and marginal areas, where nearly half the world's poor live, according to the statement.