Desertification and drought: addressing the challenge of food security requires sound water management

Global demographic trends are placing unprecedented pressure on terrestrial ecosystems. In 2026, the world’s population continues on its current trajectory towards the 8.5 billion expected by 2030, and could potentially reach nearly 10 billion by 2050.

This growth is accompanied by an automatic rise in global food demand. According to projections by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), global agricultural production will need to increase by nearly 50 per cent by the middle of the century to feed the population, particularly in developing regions (sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia) where the demographic transition is most pronounced.

This intensification requires the optimisation of existing arable land.

However, the availability of this fertile land is dwindling due to urbanisation and human-induced soil degradation, creating a critical imbalance between rising consumption needs and the planet’s biological production capacity.

In addition to the risks mentioned above, there are the effects of climate change, which act as a vulnerability multiplier, notably by exacerbating land aridity and disrupting global hydrological cycles.

Reports from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) indicate that nearly three-quarters of the world’s arable land has suffered from drying or degradation over the last thirty years. Around 40 per cent of the world’s land area is now classified as arid, semi-arid or dry sub-humid. 

It is estimated that desertification is advancing at a rate of 12 million hectares lost each year.

Food security cannot be viewed in isolation from water and energy resources. Indeed, these three sectors form an interconnected system known as the nexus:

• Water is essential for agricultural production (irrigation) and energy production (cooling power stations, hydroelectric power generation).
• Energy enables the pumping, treatment and distribution of water, as well as the production of agricultural inputs and food processing.
• Agriculture and food security depend on the stability of these two flows.

Chronic droughts and the expansion of arid zones are disrupting this balance. Less available water means lower agricultural yields, but also an increased need for energy – for example, to pump water from ever-deeper aquifers, or to resort to desalination.

Combating desertification requires the implementation of strategies for the restoration and conservation-based management of water and soil.

OiEau places the promotion of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) at the heart of water management policies in order to restore hydrological cycles. It supports local authorities in implementing practical green infrastructure measures, such as wetland restoration, the revegetation of catchment areas and the reconnection of watercourses with their floodplains. By enabling the soil to act as a natural sponge, these solutions reduce surface runoff, help recharge groundwater and mitigate the severity of droughts, offering a sustainable and resilient alternative to traditional civil engineering infrastructure.

NbS are particularly well-suited to restoring and maintaining conditions favourable to agriculture.

In response to these cross-cutting challenges, OiEau is applying its expertise on a global scale by promoting Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). This holistic approach is essential for curbing desertification and strengthening regions’ resilience to drought.

OiEau advocates the principle of water management based not on administrative boundaries, but on the natural boundaries of catchment areas (rivers, lakes or aquifers). Through the technical secretariat of the International Network of Basin Organisations (INBO), which it runs, OiEau facilitates dialogue between states and local stakeholders to ensure the equitable distribution of water, thereby preventing conflicts over water use between upstream and downstream areas, particularly during periods of scarcity.

OiEau’s contributions are primarily channelled through the strengthening of participatory governance and spatial planning. By supporting countries and cross-border institutions in defining legal frameworks and water management plans, it ensures that IWRM involves all water users, particularly farmers, energy producers and local authorities.

This collaborative approach thus ensures that water abstraction never exceeds the resource’s natural renewal capacity.

At the same time, to effectively anticipate drought events, OiEau supports the development of high-resolution modelling tools and Water Information Systems (WIS). This technical approach relies in particular on satellite remote sensing. The use of satellite imagery enables precise operational monitoring of areas, including the measurement of water stress in vegetation, changes in vegetation cover, soil moisture mapping and hydrological data. When combined with data collected on the ground, these technologies enable decision-makers to visualise future aridity trends and adjust planning documents before a crisis arises.

Finally, through its training and educational engineering initiatives, OiEau transfers technical, institutional and legal expertise to on-the-ground managers, encouraging the adoption of water-saving techniques and the mastery of new agroecological and environmental approaches. Thanks to its full-scale operational facilities, which are unique in Europe, OiEau places the learning of practical skills at the heart of its learners’ professional development.