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FactsheetTechnical Support for the Establishment of the Lesotho Soils Information System (LESIS) - TCP/LES/3602 2020
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No results found.Lesotho is a landlocked country completely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa More than 76 percent of the country’s population lives in rural areas, where the main source of income is subsistence rain fed agriculture Land use patterns in Lesotho have been mainly determined by historical circumstances and agro ecological conditions In the past, hilltops and mountain sides were used as fortresses and many settlements were confined to these strategic locations, while flat plains and fertile valleys were used for crop farming and remote mountains for grazing This has largely remained the pattern of land use in the country although population pressure and urbanization have forced widespread encroachment of settlements in areas traditionally reserved for agriculture The shortage of arable agricultural land has also tended to concentrate cultivation on mountain slopes, with devastating results for slope and soil stability, a decrease in the quality of rangelands and reduced agricultural productivity The country’s soils are thus under severe pressure as a result of natural conditions and human activities, triggering soil erosion, land degradation and depletion of soil organic matter Soil data in Lesotho are limited and the lack of systematic and organized soil information impedes the management and monitoring of soil properties. -
FactsheetStrengthening National, Regional and Global Capacities on Sustainable Soil Management and Soil Information - GCP/GLO/993/EC 2023
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No results found.Soils provide many critical ecological services, as well as being crucial for achieving food security and nutrition, as 95 percent of our food production is linked directly or indirectly to soils. However, recent assessments have demonstrated the extent to which soils are deteriorating. In fact, about one third of our soils globally are facing moderate to severe degradation, affecting the productivity of the one billion smallholders who depend on natural resources for their livelihoods, as well as the commercial farming and forest sectors. In this context, the importance of soil management is underestimated - including management in the field and in data collection and analysis - in the fight for food security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and biodiversity conservation. The availability of soil data is highly heterogeneous in different regions, and in many developing countries there is no information about soil status, leading to agricultural practices that are frequently not appropriate for local conditions. Against this background, the project comprised the third phase of a European Union funded FAO project, advocating for enhanced soil governance and the dissemination and adoption of sustainable soil management (SSM) worldwide, as well as the improvement of soil data and information availability. -
FactsheetRealizing the Potential of Digitalization to Improve the Agrifood System – Proposing a New International Digital Council for Food and Agriculture - GCP/GLO/029/GER 2022
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No results found.The global agrifood system faces considerable challenges in providing enough food of adequate quality to feed an ever growing, aging and migrating population. The world is also changing at a fast pace with the emergence of an array of technologies. Digital technologies offer unique opportunities to improve food production and trade, especially for smallholder farmers, and to help to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The agrifood system has undergone changes that have increased efficiency and profitability, yet it lags behind in terms of digitalization, which could play an increasingly important role in achieving the global goal of improving food security and rural livelihoods. However, digitalization can also have significant drawbacks. It may increase digital divides across the system, cause workforce displacement or be misused, as can be the case with data protection, data ownership, privacy rights and cybersecurity. Digitalization can also make it harder for smallholder farmers as they struggle to compete with new technologies, making the digital divide even more pronounced. In response to the request from 74 Ministers of Agriculture at the Global Forum on Food and Agriculture (GFFA) 2019, a concept note for considering the establishment of an International Digital Council for Food and Agriculture was prepared, and financially supported by Germany. The proposed role of the Digital Council, hereafter the International Platform for Digital Food and Agriculture, is to enhance international cooperation and the exchange of ideas and experiences across borders, creating synergies and avoiding the duplication of efforts. The International Platform for Digital Food and Agriculture will support the rapid development of the digitalization of agriculture by ensuring expertise in using new digital tools, providing structured and strategic agricultural policy recommendations on digitalization to governmental and non governmental actors, and strengthening international cooperation within the agrifood system to better confront challenges and develop plausible solutions.
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