Increasing food prices 'linked to urbanisation'

Dubai: The recent global food price hikes and failing approaches of land management around the world are prominent topics being addressed today on World Desertification Day, whose theme is combating land degradation for sustainable agriculture.

The conversion of land for unsustainable use will worsen the vicious circle of land degradation, loss of biodiversity and climate change, said Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Land degradation weakens the soil's fertility, disrupts the balance of the water cycle and contributes to food insecurity, famine and poverty, as well as forced migration.

"Although the current high food prices may be mitigated temporarily by new agriculture production prospects, the limiting causes for the achievement of sustainable food production to feed the ever-increasing world population will remain," said Gnacadja.

Confronting this complex issue requires a global response to increase the productivity of land ecosystems and make sustainable agricultural production a priority through pro-poor policies in view of adaptation to climate change and biodiversity protection stated Gnacadja.

According to Dubai-based researcher Mohammad Raouf, senior environment researcher at the Gulf Research Centre, there is no doubt that increasing food prices are linked to the environment and urbanisation, population increase and climate change.

"It is not just biofuels that is causing the price increase though I believe biofuels are not economically viable...Anything grown on farm land intended for man and livestock should not be used for biofuels," said Raouf.

Negative impacts

"Biofuels should prevent lack of food. We have to prevent any negative impacts before we switch to biofuel agriculture," he said.

As the UAE is not an agricultural country, food prices go up here because everything is imported, Raouf told Gulf News.

"It can be a problem if some Asian countries stop exporting food."

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification works to support policies and measures to prevent, control and reverse land degradation through scientific excellence, awareness raising and advocacy, thereby contributing to poverty reduction.

According to the UNCCD the extent of this worldwide problem pans to 100 countries affected, including one-third of US land, one-fifth of Spain and one-quarter of Latin America and the Caribbean. Africa is known to be the most affected continent, with two-thirds of its land desert or dry land.