World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought observed on 17 June.
World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is organized by the United Nations on 17 June every year.
The theme of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought-2022 is 'Rising up from drought together'. To combat desertification and drought, the day focuses on changing public attitudes towards land degradation and desertification.
After the draft was prepared by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the United Nations had declared this day in 1995. The 2030 Agenda for the SDGs includes saving the Earth from degradation. Sustainable Development Goal 15 aims to prevent land degradation. As the global population is increasing, the global prosperity is also increasing; there is a greater need for land to meet the need for food, clothing and animal feed.
According to the United Nations, the world population will reach 10 billion by the year 2050. To meet the needs of such a large population, an additional 593 million hectares of agricultural land would be required by 2050 compared to 2010 levels. It is twice the area of India.
On the other hand, the fertility and productivity of land is decreasing due to climate change, thus to combat desertification and drought, World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought focuses on educating people about mitigating the effects of land degradation.