Scientists Urge Radical Food System Reform to Halt Land Decay
UN Scientists Urge Radical Food System Reform to Halt Global Land Degradation! (Image TRH)
Cutting food waste by 75%, restoring half of degraded lands, and boosting sustainable ocean-based food could spare land the size of Africa by 2050, says landmark study
By S JHA
MUMBAI, August 13, 2025 — The world must urgently overhaul its food systems to avert a deepening land crisis, according to a new paper in Nature authored by 21 leading scientists and supported by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
The study prescribes a “bold, integrated” set of actions to reverse land degradation, tackle climate change, and protect biodiversity.
The authors call for slashing global food waste by 75%, restoring 50% of degraded lands, and unlocking the potential of sustainable seafood and seaweed-based diets. Together, these measures could spare or restore about 43.8 million square kilometres — an area larger than Africa — by 2050.
“Food systems are not yet fully embedded in international agreements and are overlooked in current strategies to address land degradation,” said lead author Fernando T. Maestre of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. “Transforming them is key to bending the curve from crisis to recovery.”
Key Recommendations
- Land Restoration: Rehabilitate 50% of degraded land, including 3 million sq km of cropland and 10 million sq km of non-cropland, through sustainable management that involves Indigenous peoples, smallholder farmers, and vulnerable communities.
- Support for Small Farmers: Redirect subsidies toward sustainable smallholders, ensuring access to technology, land rights, and fair markets.
- Food Waste Reduction: Prevent overproduction, ban cosmetic food rejection, expand food donations, and launch public education campaigns.
- Sustainable Diets: Replace up to 70% of unsustainably produced red meat with responsibly sourced seafood; use seaweed products to substitute part of global vegetable intake.
According to Barron J. Orr, UNCCD Chief Scientist, delaying action will raise costs exponentially: “Once soils lose fertility, water tables deplete, and biodiversity is lost, restoring the land becomes far more expensive. This isn’t just about saving the environment — it’s about securing our shared future.”
The proposed reforms could also cut global greenhouse gas emissions by 13 gigatonnes annually by 2050, improve food security, and strengthen climate resilience.
The authors urge the three Rio Conventions — UNCCD, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) — to unite around shared land and food system goals and coordinate global action.
“Land is more than soil and space — it sustains life, culture, and climate stability,” said co-author Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, ADDING: “We must treat it as a living ally, not just a resource to exploit.”
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