Speaking at a high-level dialogue on desertification, Bozkir stressed the need to protect the land, which will also help to scale down hunger and greenhouse gasses.

On Monday’s meeting took place while half of the world’s agricultural land is degraded and that constitutes a threat to livelihoods and increases climate change, Bozkir warned.

‘Without a change in course, this will only get worse. By 2050, global crop yields are estimated to drop by 10%, with some suffering up to a 50% reduction. This will lead to a sharp 30% rise in world food prices, threatening progress on hunger and nutrition, as well as a myriad of associated development goals,¨ said Bozkir.

The PGA said that over half of global GDP relies on land resources. If more arable land is lost, millions of farmers risk being plunged into poverty, potentially displacing 135 million people by 2045, and increasing the risk of instability and tension.

pgh/Pll/msm / avr