Countries must work together to build resilience and prepare themselves against drought, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday, as he highlighted the extensive costs of the global threat. "Droughts are hard to avert, but their effects can be mitigated. Because they rarely observe national borders they demand a collective response," Ban said in his message for World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, which this year focuses on the theme, "Don't let our future dry up," highlighting water scarcity. Last month, Namibia declared a national drought emergency as 14 percent of the population became food insecure, and last year, the United States experienced its worst drought since the 1950s, affecting 80 percent of agricultural land. "Over the past quarter-century, the world has become more drought-prone, and droughts are projected to become more widespread, intense and frequent as a result of climate change," Ban said. "The long-term impacts of prolonged drought on ecosystems are profound, accelerating land degradation and desertification. The consequences include impoverishment and the risk of local conflict over water resources and productive land. The price of preparedness is minimal compared to the cost of disaster relief," Ban said. One of the methods highlighted by the United Nations to avert drought is the use of agroforestry, which involves planting drought resistant trees in farms to improve the fertility of soils and increase land productivity. Trees also provide erosion control, improve water infiltration, provide land cover and shade, and act as windbreaks.
