Tunis, Jan. 1 — Soil salinity poses a major challenge to agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa region, including Tunisia, said the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in its report on the global status of salt-affected soils. The total area of salt-affected land in the region is 2,303,461 km2.
According to the report, which is the first major assessment of the organisation of salt-affected soils since 1950, the Middle East and North Africa region "experiences a complex interaction of environmental factors that contribute to soil salinity".
It cites high evaporation rates, limited rainfall, inappropriate irrigation practices and inadequate skills in the use of brackish, treated and tap water.
The report states that globally "almost 1.4 billion hectares of land (just over 10 per cent of the world's total land area) are already affected by salinity, and a further billion hectares of land are also threatened by the climate crisis and human mismanagement."
