Desertification, land degradation, drought and climate change are interconnected.  As a result of land degradation and climate change, the severity and frequency of droughts have been increasing, along with floods and extreme temperatures.  More than 50 per cent of agricultural land is moderately or severely degraded, with 12 million hectares lost to production each year.

Read the United Nations Secretary General's message on the UN' site.

Photo: Leonardo Rizzi (Flickr)