Desertification, soil erosion and drought are increasingly menacing a large part of the world. Today, it affe ts 110 countries in Europe, Africa, Australia and North and South America, and threatens the livelihoods of more than 1.2billion people. Most of these affected are among the poorest in the world and depend largely on small-scale agriculture for their substence. The rishs of desertification are substantial, especially under the present scneraios of global climate change and loss of ecosystem services. The challenge posed by desertification have also major socio-ecinomic and environmental consequences. In poor countries, desertification not only undermines the land's fertility but also leads to food insecurity, social, economic and political tensions. In1994, The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification(UNCCD) was elaborated with the specific mandate of addressing and combating the risks of desertification and land degradation. 

Desertification, soil erosion and drought are increasingly menacing a large part of the world. Today, it affe ts 110 countries in Europe, Africa, Australia and North and South America, and threatens the livelihoods of more than 1.2billion people. Most of these affected are among the poorest in the world and depend largely on small-scale agriculture for their substence. The rishs of desertification are substantial, especially under the present scneraios of global climate change and loss of ecosystem services. The challenge posed by desertification have also major socio-ecinomic and environmental consequences. In poor countries, desertification not only undermines the land's fertility but also leads to food insecurity, social, economic and political tensions. In1994, The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification(UNCCD) was elaborated with the specific mandate of addressing and combating the risks of desertification and land degradation.