On the 25th of July, I had the pleasure and privilege of having dinner with Mr Ibrahim Thiaw – Under Secretary General of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification
In a very personal, affable and friendly manner, the Under Secretary General was keen to learn about the best practices happening in India to combat this global crisis. Very quickly, he focused on the term desertification – its origin, its definition, the causes , the consequences and potential solutions to redress this burning issue.
As I understood from him, the UNCCD is the global voice for land. It promotes practices that avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation and is the driving force behind Sustainable Development Goal 15 and Land Degradation Neutrality.
The design thinking driven approach towards Holistic and Sustainable development of the rural communities where Mission Samriddhi is working was wholeheartedly appreciated and endorsed by His Excellency.
He was quite poignant about the constraints and pressures on food production and supply lines due to the rapid increase in consumption patterns on account of a huge middle class in India and China. Industrialized agriculture with excessive usage of chemical fertilizers, indiscriminate water usage and its misuse and climate change have all resulted in soil and land degradation. Newer ways to farm including natural zero tillage farming, a focus on biodiversity and a conscious attempt for behavioral change towards sustainable living was his key message.
Interestingly, he felt that more than Governments and policies – if Businesses adopted Sustainability practices wholeheartedly and people in the street speak about it and do something about it, the impact on society would be far more effective with a faster rate of reversal of desertification. The plethora of knowledge and insights on soil conservation and agroecology that is rapidly re-emerging in India – he felt must be shared in a structured manner with the rest of the world.
In the end, I was quite humbled when he compared with Andre Hoffmann ( Swiss Environmentalist, Philanthropist and Vice Chairman of Roche) in the way our thought processes are similar and was keen that I participate in next year’s World Economic Forum. Thank You Mr. Ibrahim.
