Given the links among soils, land use, climate change and food security, land degradation today is receiving increased attention. FAO member countries have made it a central topic for the forthcoming session of the European Commission on Agriculture (22-23 September, Budapest, Hungary).

Soil degradation is defined by FAO as a change in soil’s health, resulting in diminished capacity of the ecosystem to provide goods and services for its beneficiaries – for people, in principle. Globally, one-third of all soils are degraded. Despite some achievements, sustainable land management in the Europe and Central Asia region remains a challenge, according to the background paper published for the Commission’s discussion.

The diversity of biophysical and socio-cultural conditions – not to mention levels of economic development – means that it would be all but impossible to design a single strategy for combating soil degradation across the entire region.