Food Systems and Soil Health Day

Sustainable and resilient food systems are at the core of the land, climate and biodiversity nexus, playing a critical role in achieving land degradation neutrality, food security and sustainable development, while contributing to stability and security and to the prevention of displacement.

Recognizing these interlinked challenges, UNCCD COP16 marked an important step forward with the adoption of Decision 19/COP.16, which calls for strengthened efforts to avoid, reduce and reverse land and soil degradation in agricultural lands.

Farmers, including smallholders and pastoralists, are key stewards of the land and essential agents of change in the transition toward land-positive food systems. Their capacity to implement sustainable and regenerative land management depends on enabling conditions such as secured and equitable land tenure, access to finance, knowledge and innovation, and supportive policy frameworks that recognize and reward their role as custodians of living soils, biodiversity and functioning ecosystems.

Healthy soils lie at the foundation of resilient, nature-positive agrifood systems and generate co-benefits across environmental, social and economic dimensions. Beyond its environmental benefits, soil health should increasingly be recognized as a productive and strategic economic asset. This approach reinforces synergies across the Rio Conventions and contributes directly to achieving land degradation neutrality and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Food Systems and Soil Health Thematic Day will build on COP16 outcomes and existing partnerships to promote land-positive agrifood systems, strengthen collaboration, and accelerate action in support of the UNCCD 2030 objectives:

• The Day will pursue four objectives: advancing political commitment to soil health, mobilizing investment for sustainable food systems, placing people at the center of land stewardship, and strengthening knowledge-sharing and policy coherence across the Rio Conventions.
• Discussions will focus on five themes: soil health as the foundation of resilient food systems; soil health assessment, monitoring and evidence systems; people-centered, inclusive value chains; mobilizing finance and investment for soil health and food systems transformation; and policy coherence and interministerial coordination.

We invite you to explore the Day's programme of events.