Landscape restoration and regenerative agriculture

Land restoration & recovery of degraded lands:

Large-scale restoration of degraded lands through coordinated, nature-based and regenerative practices that rebuild soils, strengthen drought resilience, enhance biodiversity, and sustain local livelihoods. These efforts put frontline actors—Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women, and youth—at the centre, while also increasing carbon storage, reducing reliance on fossil-fuel-based inputs, and fostering healthier ecosystems and more resilient food systems.

Axis: Transforming Agriculture and Food Systems

Key Objective: Landscape restoration and regenerative agriculture

Healthy land and ecosystems are fundamental to our planet’s wellbeing and its ability to sustain life. Agriculture and food systems are deeply dependent on natural ecosystems and resources, including healthy land and soil. Yet land is degrading at an unprecedented pace due to human pressures and climate change, driving desertification, worsening droughts, and threatening the livelihoods of 3.2 billion people worldwide. Large-scale landscape restoration efforts are needed to halt and reverse land degradation - recognizing, that based on current trends, this would require restoration of 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030, including 250 million hectares of degraded agricultural land.

1) Nearly half of the world’s land is degrading at record speed with projections of up to 90% by 2050.

2) From 2015-2019, the world lost at least 100 million hectares of healthy and productive land each year.

3) US$2.1 trillion in global investments is needed towards achieving global land restoration goals

4) Land restoration efforts support the livelihoods of 1.5 billion people working and trapped on degrading agricultural land

5) An estimated 700 million people are at risk of being displaced due to drought by 2030

90%

90% of the world’s land degrading by 2050 (projected, up to)

100 million

100 million hectares of healthy and productive land lost each year from 2015–2019 (at least)

700 million

700 million people are at risk of being displaced due to drought by 2030

1) UNCCD 2022, Chronic land degradation: UN offers stark warnings and practical remedies in Global Land Outlook 2

2) UNESCO 2024, UNESCO raises global alarm on the rapid degradation of soils

3) UN 2025, Desertification and Drought Day 2025: Restore the land, unlock the opportunities

4) IPBES 2018, The summary for policymakers of the IPBES assessment report on land degradation and restoration

5) WHO, Drought

6) IPCC 2019, Summary for policymakers in IPCC special report on climate change and land