A new Nature paper, co-authored by Professor Lindsay Stringer of TERRASAFE, shows that transforming global food systems could play a pivotal role in bending the curve of land degradation – a major driver of desertification in dryland regions. The study outlines a series of science-based interventions that can deliver significant climate, biodiversity, and food security benefits if implemented at scale.
Land degradation, including the spread of desertification, threatens the livelihoods of billions, reduces biodiversity, and exacerbates climate change. Food production is the largest human use of land worldwide, and unsustainable agricultural practices remain a key cause of soil erosion, salinisation, nutrient depletion, and loss of soil carbon. Without intervention, pressures from population growth and changing consumption patterns are projected to demand up to 56% more food by 2050, intensifying the risks to land and water resources.
Professor Lindsay Stringer said “In this paper we set out a comprehensive set of actions to bend the curve of land degradation. The situation is not straightforward and there’s no silver bullet – we’re dealing with complex, interconnected issues, short-term political and economic interests, lack of international coordination and enforcement and power of established interests and so on. Each action has its pros and cons as well. We nevertheless hope that the paper can contribute to the increasing momentum for action, harnessing new opportunities that are opening up to overcome some of the persistent barriers to implementation of strategies that we know can help”
Key actions to reverse land degradation
The paper identifies four priority interventions:
- Reducing food waste by 75%
Globally, over one-third of all food produced is lost or wasted – equivalent to 1.4 billion hectares of agricultural land. This waste not only squanders food but also the water, energy, and nutrients used in its production, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and the degradation of land that could otherwise support communities. Reducing food waste by 75% by 2050 could spare over 13 million km² of land, reduce emissions by more than 100 Gt CO₂e, and ease pressure on soils vulnerable to desertification. Achieving this will require changes in agricultural policy, improved storage and distribution, consumer education, and reforms to supply chain practices that currently incentivise overproduction.
- Restoring 50% of degraded farmland
Much agricultural land has been degraded through intensive tillage, overuse of fertilisers and pesticides, and unsustainable irrigation practices, which accelerate processes linked to desertification such as erosion and salinity build-up. The paper calls for scaling up sustainable land management (SLM) techniques, including cover cropping, crop rotation, agroforestry, organic amendments, and reduced tillage. These approaches restore soil structure, improve water retention, enhance biodiversity, and increase resilience to drought. If adopted widely, such practices could restore over 3 million km² of farmland, cut emissions by 21.7 Gt CO₂e, and bolster long-term food security.
- Restoring 50% of degraded non-farmland
Degraded natural areas – such as grasslands, shrublands, and forests – play a crucial role in halting the advance of desertification by stabilising soils, regulating water cycles, and providing habitats for pollinators and other species essential for food production. The proposed target of restoring half of these lands would mean rehabilitating almost 10 million km², delivering major carbon storage benefits (127.9 Gt CO₂e) and supporting local economies through new livelihood opportunities. Restoration efforts must be equitable and inclusive, recognising land rights and drawing on both scientific and traditional knowledge.
- Shifting diets towards sustainable aquatic-based foods
Food system impacts on land can also be reduced through dietary change. The paper recommends replacing 70% of red meat consumption with sustainably managed seafood and substituting 10% of vegetable consumption with seaweed. These shifts could free 17.5 million km² of land, reduce emissions by 145.2 Gt CO₂e, and deliver significant health benefits. Sustainable seafood and seaweed production has minimal freshwater and chemical use, and can ease pressure on grazing lands prone to degradation in drylands. In regions where marine resources are limited, improved grazing management and alternative protein sources, such as pulses, remain important for nutrition and land stewardship. Further research is needed to investigate how to deliver sustainable seafood, including both fish and seaweed – efforts to tackle land degradation should avoid exporting challenges to other, non-land based ecosystems.
If implemented together, these measures could cut land degradation by more than half and reduce the land used for food production by 56% by 2050.
Links to TERRASAFE
This paper aligns closely with the work of TERRASAFE, which is co-developing and testing innovative, locally adapted solutions with communities facing the realities of desertification. By testing innovations that integrate sustainable land management, building resilience, and possibly supporting the diversification of livelihoods, TERRASAFE’s activities mirror the paper’s emphasis on systemic, cross-sectoral responses. We hope that lessons from our pilot areas will inform how the global recommendations translate into practical, community-driven action on the ground.
Policy and practice implications
The paper calls for food systems to be embedded into intergovernmental agreements under the Rio Conventions: the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It stresses that reversing land degradation will require equitable governance, recognition of land rights, and the use of both local and scientific knowledge to guide action.
As countries update their national targets for climate, biodiversity, and land degradation neutrality, this research underlines that coordinated action on food systems can help secure a net-nature-positive trajectory, protect against the worsening of desertification, and safeguard the well-being of future generations.
Read the UNCCD press release here and the Nature paper here.
This blog was written by Dr Charlotte Chivers and Professor Lindsay Stringer.