by Matteo Cavallito<\/p>\n
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\u201cCurrent patterns of agricultural intensification are not proving sustainable. Pressures on land and water resources have built to the point where productivity of key agricultural systems is compromised and livelihoods are threatened.\u201d This is the heavy verdict contained in SOLAW 2021<\/a>, or \u201cThe state of the world\u2019s land and water resources for food and agriculture<\/em>\u201d, the latest report on the health of agricultural land<\/strong> and water resources released yesterday by FAO<\/strong>. Ten years after the first edition<\/a>, the study shows an extremely problematic picture.<\/p>\n Resources are pushed to the limit, in a now polarized system. “While fragmentation of smallholders concentrates subsistence farming on lands susceptible to degradation and water scarcity<\/strong>,” says the report. To reverse the trend, we need to safeguard environmental services. But that doesn’t mean limiting the growth of agriculture required to meet food security. Which won’t be easy.<\/p>\n