The UN Canadian-based University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) published a study on Tuesday stating that an area about the size of France has become degraded by salt said a news report by Prensa Latina News Agency.
Salt degradation takes pace in areas without a natural or artificial drainage system necessary to keep salt away from the soil, damaging it and reducing productivity.
"To feed the world's anticipated nine billion people by 2050, and with little new productive land available, it's a case of all lands needed on deck," said the study's principal author Manzoor Qadir, assistant director of water and human development, at UNU.
UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates a need to produce 70 percent more food by the year 2050, which includes and increase of the 50 percent in annual cereal production of about 3 billion tons.(KH)
