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If ensuring plant health is not successful against threats such as climate change, pesticides and degraded ecosystems, the world may face total desertification, according to a biodiversity expert. "Animals and humans can’t live without plants in an ecosystem ... the final result can be ecosystem collapse, total desertification," Nele Marien, forest and biodiversity coordinator at…

Morocco - For the last six years, Herrah and her family have gone against tradition by remaining in the Erg Chigaga region of the Western Sahara Desert. Despite it being one of the most untouched parts of the Sahara—a place that is vast and wild, a place where nature still rules—climate change is causing a life-altering problem for nomadic people like Herrah. The region has long been…

The UK’s new Agriculture Bill has been called “one of the most significant pieces of legislation for farmers in England for over 70 years”. It could directly affect the livelihoods of 460,000 people and determine the future of the 70% of UK land area (17.4 million hectares) currently under agricultural management. The bill sets out the UK’s approach to farming as it prepares to leave the European…

Scientific evidence shows that human activities impact global warming, biodiversity loss, land degradation, overuse of natural resources, and pollution. They threaten the health and safety of human kind. In December 2019, the pioneers of an emerging concept, Planetary Health, gathered together at a Finland's EU Presidency side event, organised by the Finnish Institute for Health and…

Water is life” is such a popular phrase that we use it almost as a cliché. But that same expression is one of the most powerful calls-to-action to swiftly and effectively ensure the sustainable management of water and sanitation for all (SDG6). Water is at the heart of sustainable development and is critical for socio-economic development, healthy ecosystems and human dignity. Water is also at…

African countries suffer from shortages of energy supply and access, with negative effects on social and economic progress. As a result, the majority of energy expended across farms in Africa comes from manpower. But in truth, this is mostly “woman power”. African women are largely responsible for cooking and outdoor work, shouldering a disproportionate share of manual labour —…