World Soil Charter 世界土壤宪章.docVIP

World Soil Charter Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsNovember, 1982 Foreword Man’s demand for food from the natural resources that sustain his existence has increased enormously in recent years. FAO’s projection in Agriculture: Toward 2000 reveals that 50 percent more food will have to be grown by the end of this century just to meet present nutritional levels; yet additional supplies will be needed to conquer famine and malnutrition. However, the ability of land to produce food is limited. The limits of production are set by soil and climatic conditions and by the management applied. Any mining of land beyond these limits results in decreased productivity. For a number of developing and developed countries alike, land degradation has emerged as one of the major constraints to the further expansion of agriculture both across the land surface as well as in terms of higher yields per unit/area. In certain developing countries this loss of land is taking place at an alarming rate. It results in decreasing levels of self-sufficiency and hence in increased dependence on supplies from outside. If remedial measures are not taken, 20 percent of the productive capacity of land in developing countries may be lost by the end of this century. Conscious of this situation, the 21st Session of the FAO Conference, in November 1981, adopted the World Soil Charter. The Charter establishes a set of principles for the optimum use of the world’s land resources, for the improvement of their productivity, and for their conservation for future generations. The World Soil Charter calls for a commitment on the part of governments, international organizations and land users in general to manage the land for long-term advantage rather than for short -term expediency. Special attention is called to the need for land - use policies which create the incentives for people to participate in soil conservation work taking into account both the technical and socio-economic elemen