Upon this handful of soil our survival depends. Husband it and it will grow our food, our fuel, and our shelter and surround us with beauty. Abuse it and the soil will collapse and die, taking humanity with it"
From Vedas Sanskrit scripture – 1500 BC

 Since time immemorial humans have been dependent on land and its soil to grow plants and vegetation for food and shelter but we have ascribed little worth to it and have paid even less attention to its conservation.

 Wise men and women from different places and cultures have offered words of wisdom on how precious land and soil are to our fundamental being. They had different ways of saying so. A sample of such proverbs provided by staff at the UNCCD secretariat show how deeply the land and soil are rooted in our well-being.

  "To the one, who gives to the land, the land gives back three times more.? Russian Proverb provided by Komila Nabiyeva. 

 "Nifae na mvua nikufae na jua", translates into, "Do me a favor in the rainy season and I'll payback in the dry season." Kiswahili saying in Central and Eastern Africa provided by Wagaki Mwangi.

 Richard Byron-Cox from St. Vincent and the Grenadines "When you have land, you have the world"  and in Germany you say  "Der Segen der Erde zum Brot uns werde" which means "It is the soil, which gives us bread". 

 Mismanagement of land leads to the deterioration of the soil which affects the organic carbon content of the soil leading to poor crops, food insecurity, water scarcity and drought. It drastically affects the flora and fauna of the region on a larger scale.

 In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 17 the "World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought" to promote public awareness for international cooperation to combat desertification and the effects of drought.

The Day is celebrated as a reminder to everyone about the worthiness of our land and its soil in sustaining our environment. Desertification can be effectively handled, with possible solutions by strengthening the participation of the community and co-operation at all levels by all the countries.

Worldwide on this Day various countries organize series of activities with the involvement of, international and non-governmental organizations and other interested stakeholders.

A team of nine undergraduate students from Imperial College London has genetically engineered bacteria to help plants survive soil erosion and protect land from desertification.

UAE considers its desert and the resources an integral part of its culture and heritage and it is committed to its theme- "don't let our future dry up", while celebrating World Desertification Day today that is June 17^th. The government is initiating various activities leading to reclamation and afforestation of desert areas and green belt by using local flora and salt- tolerant trees and shrubs.

Credit- National News, UNEP