Drivers of land degradation and policy implications for taking action to achieve SDG target of net zero land

degradation by 2030

Alisher MirzabaevCenter for Development Research (ZEF)

University of Bonn

Book Launch Seminar, IFPRI December 3, 2015 1

Why addressing land degradation matters

• Land degradation hotspots cover 30% of global land area (Le et al. 2015, Ch 4), with annual losses of 300 bln USD (Nkonya et al. 2015, Ch 6).

• Land degradation has the highest impact on the poorest agricultural households (von Braun et al. 2013)

• Therefore, addressing land degradation is crucial for achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

2

The research questions

• What are the major causes of land degradation?

• How to facilitate sustainable land management ?

3

Global, national and regional case studies

- Good coverage of major global biomes, and of various socio-economic and institutional characteristics

Map source: modified from Wikipedia Commons 4

What is needed for Sustainable Land Management

• SLM drivers consistent across scales and locations :

• Rule of law• Better market access, especially in densely populated

rural areas• Land tenure security• Availability of nonfarm jobs • Access to extension and knowledge dissemination

5

Government effectiveness and SLM

Source: Nkonya et al. (2015). IFPRI Issue brief 90 6

Land degradation and the poor, Central Asia

0

.2

.4

.8

.6

Land

deg

rada

tion

base

d on

NDV

I ana

lysis

(0- N

o, 1

-Yes

)

Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Uzbekistan1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3

Categories: 1-poor, 2-middle, 3 –rich. Source: the survey datasetSource: Mirzabaev et al. (2015), Chapter 10

7

The Poor and SLM Use in Central Asia

0

.2

.4

.6

.8U

se o

f SLM

tech

nolo

gies

(0-N

o, 1

-Yes

)

1 2 3 4 5

Categories: 1-poorest, … 5-richest. Source: the survey dataset

Source: Mirzabaev et al. (2015), Chapter 108

SLM adoption remains low

Source: Mulinge et al. (2015), Chapter 16

Kenya

9

(Paradox of) low SLM adoptionNiger

Source: Moussa et al. (2015), Chapter 17.

Most profitable practices are adopted the least.

10

What we need to build momentum of addressing land degradation

• Strong global leadership in addressing land degradation through SDGs.

• Addressing land degradation contributes not only to SDG 15, but also directly to the achievement of several other SDGs:• SDG 1 on eradicating poverty• SDG 2 on achieving zero hunger• SDG 13 on climate action

• Achieving the objectives of SDG 15, including zero net land degradation, may also itself depend on the achievement of several other goals, such as SDG 16 on effective institutions.

11

What we need to build momentum of addressing land degradation

• Payments for ecosystem services to allow land-users to internalize some of the positive externalities of SLM (e.g. Costa Rica)

• Continued emphasis on effective and accountable institutions in international development programs (e.g. community-driven SLM in Niger)

• Integrated approaches with other development goals (ex, Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus), to minimize externalities and trade-offs.

12