Addis Ababa, October 21, 2025 (ENA) - The launch of the AfrioCAT network in Addis Ababa is expected to assist the fight against land degradation and food insecurity in the continent, AUDA-NEPAD Programme Officer for Climate Change said.

This was made public during an inaugural workshop convened in Addis Ababa today co-hosted by AUDA-NEPAD and the Water and Land Resource Centre of African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and other key partners, and the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT).

AfrioCAT will serve as the official WOCAT Regional Cluster for Africa, is expected to significantly boost regional efforts in Sustainable Land Management (SLM) and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN).

Excerpt:

Since the time I began studying soils 25 years ago, we have seen some amazing progress – as well as a collective realization that much more needs to be done to address land degradation and desertification.

Soil is the skin of the Earth. It is now imperative that we raise the public consciousness about soil and make sure its health is on the international agenda.

On 17 June, we observe Desertification and Drought Day to draw awareness to the rapid transformation of land use that has left over 30 percent of the Earth’s terrestrial surface degraded due to unsustainable agriculture and land management practices, deforestation and urban expansion, all of which are exacerbated by climate change.

Read the full story by Dr Leigh Winowiecki on CIFOR Forest News