Soil Degradation – Challenges for Georgia

Author: Besik Kalandadze
Co-authors: Ilia Kalandadze
Keywords: Soil, soil fertility, degradation of soils
Annotation:

93% of the foodstuff used by modern society is received owing to the high soil fertility. However, the areas of fertile soils reduce gradually while the population increases. As per the data of the United Nations Organization, by 2050, the world population will increase by 3,0 milliard people to reach 9 milliard. If in the first half of the 20th century, the area occupied by the cereals decreased from 0,23 to 0,12 ha per capita, by 2050, it will be only 0,07 ha. This is a critical value, which will be very difficult to compensate at the expense of the improved soil fertility. At present, only 1,5 milliard hectares of 3 milliard and 278 million hectares of arable lands are tilled in the world, while the remained non-tilled lands are predominantly low-fertile soils needing high expenses to cultivate. Due to the grave social-economic conditions in Georgia in recent 25 years, soils are left beyond the state concern. The problems associated with protecting soils and maintaining and improving soil fertility have reached its critical level what threatens both, the formation and maintenance of biodiversity and further development of agriculture in Georgia. The state has no right to allow this to happen. The problem of land shortage in our country is aggravated by the fact that quite large areas amounting to 35% of the total plots of field are occupied by degraded soils.

Lecture files:

Soil Degradation – Challenges for Georgia-PDF [en]
ნიადაგის დეგრადაცია - გამოწვევები საქართველოსთვის-PDF [ka]