Minister of Agriculture on….
World Day to Combat Desertification
THE Ministry of Agriculture joins with the rest of the world in celebrating World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, celebrated on June 17th every year since 1994. This day aims to sensitize and promote awareness on the importance and vulnerability of drylands, and the perils of desertification, land degradation and drought.

This year being designated as the international year of forests, observances this year focus on the slogan “Forests keep drylands working”.

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was adopted
in Paris on June 17, 1994 and entered into force on December 26, 1996.
Guyana became a signatory to the Convention at the 1992 UN Conference in Rio
de Janiero, Brazil and ratified the Convention on 24th of September, 1997.

Drylands include all arid zones or parts of the world where rainfall is very low and rates of evaporation are high. According to the World Resources Institute, over 40% of the global land area is dryland, where some 2.3 billion people live and about half of whom are poor. Also, unlike tropical and temperate forests, dryland forests are lesser known.

The FAO estimates dryland forest cover approximately 18% of land in arid zones. The value of
these forests is broader than its role in climate change – they are the life
force of dryland ecosystems and communities. Forests are recognized as
perhaps even more important in arid regions because of their extreme
vulnerability and multiple functions. Dryland ecosystems host biodiversity
which are uniquely adapted to extreme ecological conditions. Dryland forest
is vital as a buffer against desertification, aiding in soil stabilization
and nutrient retention. Forests products provide one of the main sources of
income and food security in a region that hosts over half of the world’s
poor. Given these facts, protecting dryland forests can make a difference,
not only between sustainable livelihood and abject poverty, but also
between, regional peace and conflict.

While Guyana does not have desert-like conditions, we are committed to
undertake actions to protect our forests and to prevent land degradation and
drought. Our Low Carbon Development Strategy ensure/provides that the
appropriate policies and developmental pursuits do not create conditions for
these form of degradation. However all stakeholders must be aware of our
vulnerability to long dry spells which can create drought-like conditions
and the need for appropriate mitigation steps.