World Leaders Pledge $1.3 Billion to Fight Desertification, But Is It Enough?

World Leaders Pledge $1.3 Billion to Fight Desertification, But Is It Enough?

A major UN summit has secured $1.3 billion to combat global land degradation, a crisis affecting 40% of Earth's land and threatening billions of people.

· 2 min read ·
natureclimatefoodafrica

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia – Delegates from member states of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification concluded a major summit here on Friday, securing a $1.3 billion pledge for green projects aimed at reversing the damage done to the planet’s soil [235944]. The conference, COP17, was held to find both practical solutions and financial backing to address a crisis that already affects 40% of the Earth’s land surface [235944].

That degraded land—soil stripped of nutrients, water, and life—threatens food security, water supplies, and the livelihoods of billions of people [235944]. The newly pledged funds are earmarked for projects designed to restore these vital ecosystems [235944]. The pledge marks a significant financial commitment, though experts note that reversing desertification will require sustained international cooperation and long-term investment beyond this single round of funding [235944].

The global fund aims to restore and protect rangelands, which support billions of people and livestock, while also storing carbon and preventing soil erosion [235440]. In a related development, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Equity Group have launched a separate $200 million financial mechanism specifically to support small-scale farmers in East Africa who are facing the harsh realities of climate change [235874]. This new initiative aims to provide these farmers with access to credit and financial services, enabling them to invest in climate-resilient tools such as better irrigation systems, drought-resistant seeds, and sustainable farming practices [235874].

The partnership combines IFAD’s expertise in rural development with Equity Group’s extensive banking network across the region, making funds more accessible to remote and underserved farming populations [235874]. These financial commitments come as scientists warn that soil is a living system under threat. A unique experiment involving 1,000 pairs of buried cotton underpants demonstrated that in degraded soil, the cotton remained almost intact after two months, revealing how intensive farming and erosion have stripped the ground of its natural workforce [235772].

World Leaders Pledge $1.3 Billion to Stop Global Land Degradation World Funds $1.2 Billion for Grasslands—But Host Country Turkey Has Lost Half of Its Own $200 Million to Help East African Farmers Fight Climate Change

Sources

1,000 Pairs of Buried Underpants Reveal a Hidden Crisis Beneath Our Feet #235772

Related

40% of Earth’s land is dying—UN summit fights to save it before your food runs out

A global emergency is unfolding: 40% of the planet’s land is now degraded, and world leaders have gathered in Mongolia to stop it before food supplies and livelihoods collapse.

Half of Spain Is Dust, Greece Is Dying: 196 Nations Meet to Save the Soil

A UN summit in Mongolia has opened with a stark warning: more than half of Spain is now desertified, and nearly half of Greece’s population lives in affected areas. The talks aim to halt the slow death of fertile land that threatens food and water for billions.

Half a Billion Herders Hold the Key to Surviving a Hotter, Drier World

A new divide is emerging in the global water crisis: while some of the world’s largest lakes are vanishing at alarming rates, a surprising recovery is underway in others. At the same time, more than 500 million pastoralists are proving that ancient, mobile grazing methods offer a practical model for adapting to climate change, even as modern agriculture becomes riskier.

Droughts and Wildfires Wreck Harvests Across Europe and Africa — $12bn UN Fund Races to Respond

A severe, continent-wide drought is pushing farmers into crisis, with vegetable and grain growers warning of “catastrophic” harvest losses as wildfires rage from Belgium to Greece, while a worsening shortage of rainfall threatens to kill livestock and starve the Irob community in Ethiopia.

48 Million Face Starvation in Eastern Africa as Hunger Crisis Explodes

A new United Nations warning reveals that over 48 million people across Eastern Africa will need urgent food aid in 2026, as drought, conflict, and economic instability push the region toward famine [196572]. Without immediate international funding, millions face acute malnutrition and potential starvation.

El Niño on Steroids: Supercharged Climate Event Threatens to Wipe Out Millions in the Sahel

Across Africa’s Sahel region, a catastrophic mix of surging violence, climate shocks, and hunger is pushing millions to the brink of collapse — and a potentially historic “super” El Niño threatens to make the crisis even deadlier. The United Nations warns that the humanitarian disaster, which has largely faded from global headlines since 2012, is now spilling across borders as civilians flee brutal attacks, droughts destroy crops, and extreme weather strains already broken systems.