The world’s soils are rapidly deteriorating due to soil erosion, nutrient depletion, loss of soil organic carbon, soil sealing and other threats, but this trend can be reversed provided countries take the lead in promoting sustainable management practices and the use of appropriate technologies.

Several scientific reports highlighted in this brief have shown the extent to which soil degradation is threatening food security and water availability, increasing social economic inequality and depleting ecosystems in the NENA region , particularly through desertification . Soil degradation is driven by multiple and complex variables. For this reason, Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) practices and the policies that support them need to fit within a broader natural resource management agenda, one that integrates water security, climate change adaptation, and domestic crop production priorities.

A harmonized soil management approach strengthened by policy is vital to creating a coherent framework towards the achievement of this goal. This document supports the aim of all NENA countries to protect soils and demonstrates the value of coordinated and targeted action to safeguard the conservation of soils within the region towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).